Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
185
Fun Facts
Rock Around the World
The impressive Gothic
Tribune Tower,
just north of the Chicago River on the east
side of Michigan Avenue, is home to one of the country's media giants, the
Chi-
cago Tribune
newspaper. It's also notable for an array of architectural fragments
jutting out from the exterior—kids love getting hands-on here by touching
stones from all over the world. The newspaper's notoriously despotic publisher,
Robert R. McCormick, started the collection shortly after the building's comple-
tion in 1925, gathering pieces during his world travels.
Tribune
correspondents
then began supplying building fragments that they acquired on assignment.
Each one now bears the name of the struc ture and country whence it came.
There are 138 pieces in all, including chunks and shards from the Great Wall of
China, the Taj Mahal, the White House, the Arc de Triomphe, the Berlin Wall, the
Roman Colosseum, London's Houses of Parliament, the Great Pyramid of Cheops
in Giza, Egypt, and the original tomb of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois.
permanent collection. F or visitors who 'd like a little guidance for making sense of the
rather challenging works found at a contemporary-art museum, there is an audio tour for
rent, as w ell as a fr ee daily tour (1 and 6pm Tues; 1pm Wed-Fri; 11am, noon, 1, and
2pm Sat-Sun). In addition to a range of special activities and educational programming,
including films, per formances, and a lectur e series in a 300-seat theater , the museum
features Puck's at the MCA, a cafe operated by Wolfgang Puck of Spago restaurant fame,
with seating that o verlooks a 1-acr e terraced sculptur e garden. The museum stor e has
one-of-a-kind gift items that make it wor th a stop ev en if y ou don't visit the museum.
Allow 1 to 2 hours.
220 E. Chicago Ave. (1 block east of Michigan Ave.).
&
312/280-2660.
www.mcachicago.org. Admission
$10 adults, $6 seniors and students with ID , free for children 12 and under . Free admission Tues. Tues
10am-8pm; Wed-Sun 10am-5pm. Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, and Dec 25. Sub way/El: Red Line to Chi-
cago/State. Bus: 3, 10, 66, 145, 146, or 151.
6
Museum of C ontemporary Photogr aphy
Ages 8 & up.
Columbia College 's
photography museum sometimes has sho ws that kids find appealing (one sho w featured
fairy tale-based photography aimed at preteens; another featured photos of twins)—so call
or check out the w ebsite for current shows. Ensconced in a gr ound-floor space at the col-
lege, a progressive arts- and media-oriented institution that has the country's largest under-
graduate film depar tment and a highly r espected photojournalism-slanted photography
department, the Museum of Contemporary Photography is the only museum in the M id-
west of its ilk. As the name indicates, it exhibits, collects, and pr omotes modern photogra-
phy, with a special focus on American works from 1959 to the present. Rotating exhibitions
showcase images by both nationally recognized and “undiscovered” regional artists. Related
lectures and special programs are scheduled during the year. Allow 1 hour.
600 S. Michigan Ave.
&
312/344-7104.
www.mocp.org. Free admission. Mon-Wed and Fri 10am-5pm;
Thurs 10am-8pm; Sat noon-5pm. Subway/El: Red Line to Harrison. Bus: 6, 146, or 151.
National Museum of Mexican Art
All ages.
Chicago's vibrant Pilsen neighbor-
hood, just southwest of the Loop, is home to one of the nation 's largest Mexican-Amer-
ican communities. Ethnic pride emanates from every doorstep,
taqueria,
and bakery and
