Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
barbecue restaurant with live music that is run by Joe and Wayne Segal of Jazz
Showcase fame; and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. & Market, a casual family
seafood joint. Summer is one long party at the pier, with fireworks on Wednes-
day and Saturday evenings.
The
Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows
may sound incredibly dull,
but decorative art aficionados shouldn't miss this remarkable installation of more
than 150 stained-glass windows set in illuminated display cases. Occupying an
800-foot-long expanse on the ground floor of Navy Pier, the free museum fea-
tures works by Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, John LaFarge, and Louis
Comfort Tiffany.
Navy Pier hosts a variety of conventions and trade shows, including an inter-
national art exposition in May, pro-tennis exhibitions, and a flower and garden
show. There's something for everyone, but the commercialism of the place might
be too much for some people. If that's the case for you, take the half-mile stroll
to the end of the pier, east of the ballroom, where you can find a little respite
and enjoy the wind, the waves, and the city view, which is the real delight of a
place like this. Or unwind in
Olive Park,
a small sylvan haven with a sliver of
beach that lies just to the north of Navy Pier.
You'll find, moored along the south dock, more than half a dozen different
sailing vessels, including a couple of dinner cruise ships, the pristine white-
masted tall ship
Windy,
and the 70-foot speedboats
Seadog I, II,
and
III.
In the
summer months, water taxis speed between Navy Pier and other Chicago sights.
For more specifics on sightseeing and dinner cruises, see “Lake & River Cruises”
on p. 211.
Allow 1 hour.
600 E. Grand Ave. (at Lake Michigan).
&
800/595-PIER
(outside 312 area code), or 312/595-PIER. www.
navypier.com. Free admission. Summer Sun-Thurs 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 10am-midnight; fall-spring Mon-Sat
10am-10pm, Sun 10am-7pm. Bus: 29, 65, 66, 120, or 121. Parking: Rates start at $11 for the 1st hour and
go up to $19 for up to 8 hours. However, the lots fill quickly. Subway/El: Red Line to Grand/State; transfer to
city bus or board a free pier trolley bus.
Newberry Library
The Newberry Library is a bibliophile's dream. Estab-
lished in 1887 at the bequest of the Chicago merchant and financier Walter
Loomis Newberry, the noncirculating research library today contains many rare
books and manuscripts (such as Shakespeare's first folio and Jefferson's copy of
The Federalist Papers
), housed in a comely five-story granite building. The library
is also a major destination for genealogists digging at their roots, with holdings
that are open free to the public (over the age of 16 with a photo ID). The col-
lections include more than 1.5 million volumes and 75,000 maps, many of
which are displayed during an ongoing series of public exhibitions. For an
overview, take a free 1-hour tour Thursday at 3pm or Saturday at 10:30am. The
Newberry also sponsors a series of concerts (including those by its resident early-
music ensemble, the Newberry Consort), lectures, and children's story hours
throughout the year, and operates a fine bookstore. One popular annual event is
the
Bughouse Square debates
. Held across the street in Washington Square
Park, the debates re-create the fiery soapbox orations of the left-wing agitators
in the 1930s and 1940s. Chicago's favorite son Studs Terkel, the Pulitzer
Prize-winning oral historian, often emcees the hullabaloo. Allow a half-hour.
60 W. Walton St. (at Dearborn Pkwy.).
&
312/943-9090,
or 312/255-3700 for programs. www.newberry.org.
Reading room Tues-Thurs 10am-6pm; Fri-Sat 9am-5pm. Bus: 22, 36, 125, 145, 146, 147, or 151. Subway/El:
Red Line to Chicago/State. Validated parking available at Clark and Chestnut sts.
