The Navy Pier, located on the shore of Lake Michigan, is a popular tourist destination. The 1000-meter-long pier offers various amusement facilities, including a Ferris wheel, carousel, cinema, theater, restaurants of different sizes, and various types of boat docks. In addition, the Navy Pier also has a botanical greenhouse and a children's museum. During the hot summer days, many exciting events are held here, including outdoor art exhibitions, sailing festivals, and the most spectacular Independence Day fireworks display. From the Memorial Day weekend to the Labor Day weekend, the pier will display regular fireworks twice a week, at 9:30 pm on Wednesdays and 10:15 pm on Saturdays. Especially on Independence Day night, the crowds at the pier are exceptionally large, and people flock to watch the national fireworks display in a lively atmosphere.
Millennium Park, located in the Loop district of Chicago, is a large park with 24.5 acres (99,148 square meters) of land. It is a cultural and entertainment center on the shore of Lake Michigan and was once a parking lot for the Illinois Central Railroad. Today, Millennium Park is the second most visited tourist attraction in Chicago, second only to Navy Pier.
One of the most famous attractions in the park is Cloud Gate, also known as "The Bean". It is made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, resembling a giant bean. 3/4 of Cloud Gate's surface reflects the sky, creating unique distorted images of the city's skyscrapers. Countless tourists gather here every day to photograph the peculiar urban skyline reflected on Cloud Gate and take pictures of their overlapping shadows at the bottom of the sculpture. The nearby Crown Fountain is also a popular attraction for children, with black granite reflecting pools and two 50-foot-tall glass towers from which water spouts out of changing facial expressions on the glass tower tops.
Millennium Park also has an outdoor music venue that hosts various free events during the summer. In addition, the Grant Music Festival held from June to August every year also attracts a lot of people to come and enjoy.
The Art Institute of Chicago, established in 1891, is located in the city center by Lake Michigan. The museum consists of three interconnected Victorian-style buildings, with two giant bronze lions in front. A railway passes through the museum, and visitors may hear the sound of trains. The museum has numerous exhibition rooms and a diverse collection of art, including painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, handicrafts, and textiles. The collection spans from ancient Egyptian art from 3000 BCE to contemporary pop art. The museum's collection mainly features European and American art, but also includes art from India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Africa, and the Americas. It is considered one of the world's great art museums and one of the top three museums in the United States.
The museum is known for its collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces, including over 350 works by artists such as Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Renoir, and Calder. It is also one of the top three locations in the U.S. to view Surrealist artwork. During the season finals of the hockey and football teams, the bronze lions in front of the museum are dressed in the team's clothing or caps to show support.
The museum also displays exquisite fragments of iconic destroyed Chicago architecture, including a reconstruction of architect Louis Sullivan's classic Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room. The Nicks Sky Bridge on the third level connects the museum to the Millennium Park. Be sure to take a photo with the famous lions at the entrance.
Grant Park is one of the four major parks in downtown Chicago, located between Michigan Avenue and Lake Michigan. Connected to the lake, the park provides a convenient leisure space for busy Chicagoans. The famous Buckingham Fountain, one of the largest illuminated fountains in the world, is located in the park. The surrounding area has many well-known museums and is also a busy part of downtown Chicago.
The Chicago Water Tower, built in 1869, is the second oldest water tower in the United States. It is considered a symbol of the city of Chicago, as it was one of the survivors in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Today, this historic building is located on Michigan Avenue, surrounded by various bustling shopping areas.
The John Hancock Center has now been renamed as "360 Chicago Observation Deck". It is a famous skyscraper located in Chicago, Illinois, USA, commonly known as "Big John". The building is 343.5 meters (1,127 feet) tall, with an antenna reaching up to 457.2 meters, and has 100 floors with a total area of 260,126 square meters. Construction began in 1965 and was completed in 1969. At that time, it was the tallest building in the world outside of New York City.
The 44th floor of the John Hancock Center has the highest indoor swimming pool in the United States. On the 94th floor, visitors can climb up to the observation deck and enjoy a 360-degree view of Chicago and Lake Michigan. In addition, the Signature Room on the 95th floor and the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor are a high-end restaurant and a bar, respectively. At night, looking out from high up on Big John, the view of the city and lake is truly wonderful.
