River & Architecture
Thursday, October 4, 2018
We left very early on Wednesday, October 4, 2018, and flew 1,846 miles to Chicago O’Hare airport. From there we took an Uber to our hotel located just north of the river and a half block from Michigan Avenue. It was a good location.
The next morning we walked around the loop and then joined the 10:00 architecture cruise on the Chicago River which was recommended to us by several friends. It was cool and a bit cloudy, but at least it wasn’t raining!
This is the type of vessel used on the tour. We really enjoyed learning about the history of the city and its remarkable architecture. There was one prominent unfortunate building that we went by, but most were quite appealing. Below that are some photos from taken during the tour.
The tour went under several bridges to the Fulton River district and also went by the Willis Tower, which was once one of the tallest buildings in the world. The tour was an excellent introduction to the city and highly recommended.
After the tour we wandered around the downtown area, had some lunch, and then went to Millennium Park before going into the Art Institute of Chicago. The park has a famous sculpture, second photo, but also this interactive one.
The iconic and obligatory Chicago photo.
The Chicago Art Institute is an excellent museum with a wide-ranging collection; here are a few samples of works it displays.
Afterwards, we walked around on State and Dearborn Streets, and came across a great deal of public art, including this mural by Marc Chagall.
We walked north admiring the monumental buildings and crossed the river to our hotel. That evening we ate at a famous Chicago restaurant, Frontera Grill.
Our first day in Chicago was filled with great art and architecture and we were quite impressed by the City.