Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
broker Willis Group Holdings bought the naming rights in 2009. And it was the USA's
tallest building until New York's One World Trade Center shot past it in 2013.
For those who prefer a drink with their vista, the Gold Coast's John Hancock Center is
a better choice.
Chicago Cultural Center
CULTURAL BUILDING
( 312-744-6630;
www.chicagoculturalcenter.org
; 78 E Washington St; 8am-7pm Mon-Thu, to
6pm Fri, 9am-6pm Sat, 10am-6pm Sun; Brown, Orange, Green, Purple or Pink Line to Randolph)
The block-long building houses ongoing art exhibitions and foreign films, as well
as jazz, classical and electronic dance music concerts at lunchtime (12:15pm Monday to
Friday). It also contains the world's largest Tiffany stained-glass dome, Chicago's main
visitor center and StoryCorps' recording studio (where folks tell their tale, get a CD of it,
and have it preserved in the Library of Congress). All free!
Grant Park
PARK
(Michigan Ave btwn 12th & Randolph Sts; 6am-11pm)
Grant Park hosts the city's mega-
events, such as Taste of Chicago, Blues Fest and Lollapalooza.
Buckingham Fountain
Grant's centerpiece. The fountain is one of the world's largest, with a 1.5-million-gallon
capacity. It lets loose on the hour every hour between 9am and 11pm mid-April to mid-
October, accompanied at night by multicolored lights and music.
Route 66 Sign
HISTORIC SITE
(E Adams St btwn S Michigan & Wabash Aves; Brown, Orange, Green, Purple or Pink Line to
Adams)
Attention Route 66 buffs: the Mother Road's starting point is here. Look for the
marker on Adams St's south side as you head west toward Wabash Ave.
FAMOUS LOOP ARCHITECTURE
Ever since it presented the world with the first skyscraper, Chicago has thought big
with its architecture and pushed the envelope of modern design. The Loop is a
fantastic place to roam and gawk at these ambitious structures.