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Harold Washington Library Center
This grand, art-filled building with free Internet and wi-fi (get a temporary 'guest' card for access) is Chicago's whopping main library. Major authors give readings here, and exhibits constantly show in the galleries. The light-drenched, top-floor Winter Garden is a sweet hideaway for reading, writing or just taking a load off, though you'll have to hike to get there.
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Harpo Studios
Accept it: tickets to The Oprah Winfrey Show are freakin' hard to obtain. So the odds on getting a Tyra Banks makeover or a brand new Pontiac are slim. But hey, the 'Harpo Studios' sign is a classic Chicago photo op. And who knows who might be arriving in that white limo coming up the street?
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Haymarket Square
The odd-looking, bronze statue of some guys on a wagon marks the spot where the world's labor movement began. So the next time you take a lunch break or go home after your eight-hour work day, thank Haymarket Square, which you're standing upon.
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Hillary Rodham Clinton Women's Park
Fronting on Prairie Ave, with the Glessner House to the north and the Clarke House to the west, the 4-acre park is named for former first lady, now US Senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who grew up in suburban Park Ridge. Since she dedicated the park in 1997, landscapers have added a French garden, fountain and winding paths.
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Holy Name Cathedral
Holy Name Cathedral is the seat of Chicago's Catholic Church and where its powerful Cardinals do their preaching. Built in 1875 to a design by the unheralded Patrick Keeley, the cathedral has twice been remodeled in attempts to spruce it up. The latter effort covered up bullet holes left over from a Capone-era hit across the street.
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Humboldt Park
This 207-acre park, which was built in 1907 and lends its name to the surrounding neighborhood, comes out of nowhere and gob-smacks you with Mother Nature. A lagoon takes up much of the green space, edged with irises, bulrushes and other native plants. Red-winged blackbirds and even the occasional blue heron fly overhead. The Prairie School boathouse rises up from the lagoon's edge and serves as the park's showpiece.
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Hutchinson St District
The Hutchinson St District is a proud, well-maintained area perfect for a genteel promenade. The homes here were built in the early 1900s, and represent some of the best examples of Prairie School residences in Chicago. Several of the homes along Hutchinson St - including the one at 839 Hutchinson St - are the work of George W Maher, a famous student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Of special note are the homes at 817 Hutchinson St and 4243 Hazel St.
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Illinois Centennial Memorial Column
What's that giant, phallic thing sticking up in the middle of the road, causing traffic to swerve every which way? Excellent question. Most locals have no idea. Turns out it's a monument commemorating the 100th anniversary of Illinois' statehood. The reliefs of Native Americans, explorers, farmers and laborers that surround the base represent the great changes the state experienced during its first century.
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Illinois Institute Of Technology
A world-class leader in technology, industrial design and architecture, IIT owes much of its look to legendary architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who fled Nazi-Germany for Chicago in 1938. From 1940 until his retirement in 1958, Mies designed 22 IIT buildings that reflected his tenets of architecture, combining simple, black metal frames with glass and brick infills. The look became known as the 'International Style.'
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International Museum Of Surgical Science
Home to an eclectic collection of surgery-related items, the Museum of Surgical Science features such a poorly marked assortment of medical items that at first it seems like nothing more than a place to escape a vicious lake squall. But start exploring and you'll soon be rewarded with fascinating thematic displays. The undeniable gems of the collection are the 'stones,' as in 'kidney stone' and 'gallstone.'
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John Hancock Center
The world's tallest 'mixed-use' building (meaning that it contains both residential and commercial space), the Hancock is the third-tallest building in Chicago, at 1127ft. Much less popular than the Sears Tower's Skydeck, the Hancock's viewing platform has shorter lines and no sappy film. A 23mph (fast) elevator take you 94 floors up for a view which in many ways surpasses the one at Sears Tower, being closer to the lake and a bit further north.
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Leather Archives & Museum
Who knew? Ben Franklin liked to be flogged, and Egypt's Queen Hatshepsut had a foot fetish. The Leather Archives & Museum reveals these facts and more in its displays of leather, fetish and S&M subcultures. The on-site shop sells posters, pins and other 'pervertibles.'
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Lincoln Park
The neighborhood gets its name from Chicago's largest park. Its 1200 acres stretch for 6 miles, from North Ave north to Diversey Pkwy, where it narrows along the lake and continues until the end of Lake Shore Dr. The park has many lakes, trails and paths; Cross-country skiing in the winter and sunbathing in warmer months are just two of the activities Chicagoans enjoy here. Many buy picnic vittles from the markets on Clark St and Diversey Pkwy.
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Lincoln Park Conservatory
The glass-bedecked conservatory features three acres of lush gardens from a variety of ecosystems, and hosts a rotating array of annual flower shows. Just south, the 1887 statue Storks at Play has enchanted generations of Chicagoans. And speaking of plants and birds, the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, immediately northeast is an important stopover for migrating birds. When not overrun with people, the pool is a magical setting, especially in winter.
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Lincoln Park Zoo
The free zoo is one of Chicago's most popular attractions. The naturalistic Regenstein African Journey is tops. The walk-through lets you get surprisingly close to animals who swim, hop and crawl in remarkably lifelike environments. Adults will love the cuddly, perpetually puzzled-looking meerkat, and kids will scream with disgusted glee at the entire room filled with hissing cockroaches. The Primate House also pleases customers.
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Marina City
For some postmodern fun, check out the twin 'corncob' towers of the 1962 mixed-use Marina City. Designed by Bertrand Goldberg, it has become an iconic part of the Chicago skyline, showing up on the cover of the Wilco CD Yankee Hotel Foxtrot . The condos that top the spiraling parking garages are especially picturesque at Christmas, when owners decorate the balconies with a profusion of lights.
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McCormick Place
Called the 'mistake by the lake' before the Soldier Field renovation stole the title, the McCormick Place convention center is an economic engine that drives up profits for the city's hotels, restaurants, shops and airlines. Neither 'vast' nor 'enormous' do it justice - use whichever word describes the biggest thing you've ever seen. Its 2.7 million sq ft spread out over four halls make it the largest convention center in the country.
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McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum
Next door to the Tribune Tower, this small museum provokes thought. Hear once-banned music at the listening exhibits, or interact with computer exhibits that present actual cases testing free speech rights (ie, can the Ku Klux Klan hold a rally on the community square?).
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Merchandise Mart
The Merchandise Mart is the world's third-largest building (the Pentagon and a Dutch flower market are bigger). Spanning two city blocks, the 1931 monster has its own zip code and gives most of its copious space to wholesale showrooms for home furnishing and design professionals. Technically off-limits to non-industry types, everyone, though, is welcome to explore the mall on the first two floors.
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Millennium Park
Rising up boldly from Grant Park's northwest corner (between Monroe and Randolph Sts), Millennium Park is Chicago’s civic showpiece, crowned by the Frank Gehry–designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion; Jaume Plensa's Crown Fountain; and Anish Kapoor’s 110-ton, silver-drop sculpture, Cloud Gate, known commonly as 'The Bean.' If the crowds at these attractions are too much, walk the peaceful Lurie Garden, where native plants pay homage to Illinois' tall-grass prairie.
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Moody Church
Directly across from the Chicago History Museum stands the hulking nondenominational Moody Church, founded by 19th-century missionary Dwight Moody. Basically the Billy Graham of his age, he also founded the Moody Bible Institute in the Gold Coast, and took his literal interpretations of the Bible to audiences around the world. This Clark St structure, which can hold almost 4000 worshippers, was built in 1925. Tours are available by request.
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Museum Of Broadcast Communications
The Museum of Broadcast Communications, filled with radio and TV nostalgia, is a newbie in the 'hood (a smaller incarnation once dwelled in the Chicago Cultural Center). After three-plus years of restructuring, the new museum still had not opened at press time. Call for admission prices and hours.
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Museum Of Contemporary Art
Covering art from 1945 forward, the MCA uses extensive piece descriptions in an effort to make modern art more accessible. The museum boasts an especially strong minimalist, surrealist and book arts collection, but works here span the modern art gamut, from Jenny Holzer's LED Truisms to Joseph Beuys' austere Felt Suit . The permanent collection includes art by Franz Kline, René Magritte, Cindy Sherman and Andy Warhol.
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Museum Of Contemporary Photography
This museum focuses on American photography since 1937, and is the only institution of its kind between the coasts. The permanent collection includes the works of Debbie Fleming Caffery, Mark Klett, Catherine Wagner, Patrick Nagatani and 500 more of the best photographers working today. Special exhibitions augment the rotating permanent collection.
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Museum Of Holography
This trippy museum contains the world's largest collection of holograms. Giant tarantulas, naked women and Michael Jordan are among the three-dimensional images. Top pick goes to the 'binocular' hologram you look through to see 'birds' (more holograms). There's a school and laboratory dedicated to the science on-site, too.
