Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MILLENNIUM PARK
At the north end of Grant Park along Michigan Avenue is the city's newest urban
showpiece. The architectural highlight of the park is the Frank Gehry-designed
Pritzker Music Pavilion, home of the free summer music concerts performed by
the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. Another popular attraction is the huge
elliptical sculpture by British artist Anish Kapoor, his first public work in the
U.S. Once you see the sculpture, officially titled
Cloudgate,
you'll see why most
Chicagoans affectionately call it “The Bean.” For much more on the park, see
p. 156 in chapter 6.
PING TOM MEMORIAL PARK
Families touring Chinatown should make a point of stopping at this wonder-
fully themed playground and park. Brightly colored swing sets, rubberized sur-
facing, and signs in Mandarin and English are surrounded by grounds
landscaped with plants indigenous to China, such as bamboo. The park shelter
is of Chinese design. It's all part of the Chicago Park District's new efforts to
make parks attractive to both kids and adults, and appropriate to their neigh-
borhood. You'll find the park at 300 W. 19th St.
300 W. 19th St.
&
312/742-PLAY.
Subway/El: Orange Line to Cermak.
WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK
This little park, built on 3 acres, may have been named after New York's Wash-
ington Square Park, which is located in a similarly elegant neighborhood.
Although small in size, its location is wonderful, just west of the Magnificent
Mile. If you need a place for your kids to run free after a day of shopping or
touring, this park will give them some open space and immerse you in a “neigh-
borhood” area, not far from busy Michigan Avenue.
The park has had its ups and downs, following the fortunes of the neighbor-
hood. Surrounded by fine residences and churches in the late 1800s, the neigh-
borhood fell upon harder times in the 1910s and many mansions were
converted into flophouses. The park earned the nickname “Bughouse Square.”
Like Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park, Washington Square became a
popular spot for soapbox orators. Artists, writers, political radicals, and hobos
pontificated, read poetry, and ranted and raved.
In the late 1990s, the park district, city, and neighborhood organizations
restored the park by reconstructing a historic Victorian fountain and installing
period lighting, fencing, and new plantings. Today the park is surrounded by
historic mansions, new condo buildings, and
Newberry Library
(p. 175).
901 N. Clark St. (at Delaware St.).
&
312/742-PLAY.
Bus: 11.
3 Playgrounds in the City Center
Chicago has a network of 552 city parks—most of which have playgrounds. To
find information on a neighborhood park, go to
www.chicagoparkdistrict.com
or call
&
312/742-PLAY
for a list of parks and their facilities.
One of the most centrally located children's playgrounds is at
Daley Bicen-
tennial Plaza in Grant Park,
at 337 E. Randolph St. The recently refurbished
playground is set in the shadow of downtown skyscrapers at Randolph Street
and Lake Shore Drive, which has fine views of the skyline and the lake. Kids will
find all-new equipment for climbing, playing, and interacting, including swing
sets and more, on a safe, rubberized surface. In addition to the play area, the
