Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
with its two 50-foot glass-brick towers facing each other across a black granite
plaza, with water cascading down their sides. Faces of Chicagoans are projected
through the glass blocks and change at regular intervals—and watch out,
because water spews from their mouths when you least expect it. It's public art
with a sense of humor. The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, with its Frank Gehry-designed
band shell, is a sight to behold, and the BP Pedestrian Bridge, also designed by
Gehry, curves and winds its way over Columbus Drive, providing changing
views of the cityscape as you walk. Gardens of native plants are just beginning
to flourish, and by the next edition of this topic, you will surely feel that you are
walking through a Midwestern prairie as you stroll the Lurie Garden, with 250
varieties of native perennial plants. All in all, this is a must-see, must-experience
park. You can lunch at the
Park Grill
(
&
312/521-7275;
www.parkgrillchicago.
com; open daily 11am-10:30pm), an eatery overlooking the McCormick
Tribune Plaza ice-skating rink. Next door to the grill, Park Café offers take-out
salads and sandwiches. Parking is easy, too, with plentiful underground lots at
the bargain rate of $10, the best deal in the city.
Michigan Ave., from Randolph Dr. on the north to Monroe Dr. on the south, and west to Columbus Dr. Open
6am-11pm daily.
&
312/742-1168.
www.millenniumpark.org. El: Blue line to Washington; Red Line to Lake;
Brown, Green, Orange or Purple Line to Randolph.
Museum Campus
All ages.
The most beautiful collection of muse-
ums in any city in the United States lies southeast of Grant Park on Chicago's
glistening lakefront. Okay, so I am cheating a little by making “Museum Cam-
pus” one single kids' favorite. But the city has connected its great trio of muse-
ums (the Field Museum of Natural History, John G. Shedd Aquarium, and the
Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum) on a landscaped 57-acre campus—
thus, “Museum Campus”—so that they feel like one destination. Previously,
busy Lake Shore Drive cut off the Field Museum from the aquarium and plan-
etarium. Thanks to an ambitious construction project that was the dream of city
leaders for a decade, the northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive were relocated
to the west side of the area. With terraced gardens and broad walkways, the
reclaimed parkland makes it easier for pedestrians to visit the museums and has
provided new space for picnicking, theater, and museum education activities.
Transportation improvements include a trolley from parking lots and the Roo-
sevelt Road El and Metra stops.
To get to the Museum Campus from the Loop, head east across Grant Park from Balbo St. and S. Michigan
Ave., trekking along the lakeshore route to the Field Museum, the aquarium, and the planetarium. Or you can
make your approach on the path that begins at 11th St. and Michigan Ave. Follow it to the walkway that
spans the Metra tracks. Cross Columbus Dr. and then pick up the path that will take you under Lake Shore Dr.
and into the Museum Campus. Bus 146 will take you to all 3 of these attractions. Call
&
836-7000
(any city
or suburban area code) for the stop locations and schedule.
Museum of Science and Industry
All ages.
Generations of children
recount fond memories of this world-famous museum, the granddaddy of inter-
active museums, with some 2,000 exhibits. Good news: The museum is still
thrilling kids today. Ask anyone who grew up around Chicago and they will rem-
inisce about school field trips to the museum, bringing their cans of soda
wrapped in tin foil, and seeing their favorite exhibit—the
U-505
and
Coal
Mine
inevitably top the list of favorites from the past. The
U-505
is a German
submarine that was captured in 1944 and brought to the museum 10 years later.
In 2004 the U-boat was closed and underwent a restoration process to bring it
back to its former glory. When the new 35,000-square-foot exhibit opens in
2005, your kids will undoubtedly join the legions who have been fascinated by
