consists of two 50-ft-high glass
towers, a fountain and live video
images.
A City of Parks
Business people and city planners
used their influence to preserve the
Lake Michigan waterfront from
commercialization. As a result, there
are more than 7300 acres of parkland
and 552 parks in Chicago.
The path along the six-mile
waterfront strip of Burnham Park
connects Grant Park at 14th street
and Jackson Park at 56th Street. This
area, named for Chicago’s influential
architect, offers a chance to enjoy a
wonderful view while strolling by the
lake.
Lincoln Park is the city’s largest park
with 1200 acres. It runs along Lake
Michigan north of the Magnificent
Mile and includes a zoo and other
entertaining diversions, including:
Grant Park (www.
chicagoparkdistrict.com; 312-742-
7529) is one such urban oasis.
The 24. 5 acre Millennium Park (201
E Randolph St., between Michigan
Ave. and Columbus Ave.; 312-742-
1168; www.millenniumpark.org) was
reclaimed from industrial blight and
completed in 2004. It includes Lurie
Garden ( http://luriegarden.org/; E.
Randolph St. between Michigan Ave.
•;the late 19th-century Lincoln Park
Conservatory (Fullerton Ave. at
Stockton Dr.; 312-742-7736), filled
with palm trees and rubber trees,
ferns and century-old orchids
•;Montrose Beach (4400 N. Lake
Shore Drive) and Kathy Osterman
Beach (W. Hollywood Dr. and N.
Lake Shore Dr.; 312-742-3224)
•;Café Brauer (now a catering hall),
a 1908 historic landmark, and an
example of the Prairie School of
architecture, with a wonderful city
view, refreshment concessions, and
a pond with rental boats
•;Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
( http://www.naturemuseum.org;
2430 North Cannon Dr.; 773-755-
5100), known for its outstanding
butterfly house, also displays
wildflowers, prairie grass and
native Chicago birds from 1900
Grant Park
Visitors enjoy the water displays of
the Versailles-inspired Buckingham
Fountain (Columbus Dr. and Lake
Shore Dr., east of Congress Plaza),
outdoor art, and the park’s “museum
campus” which includes the Adler
Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium
and the Field Museum.
and Columbus Ave.; 312-742-1168),
Cloud Gate (Washington St. and
Madison St.), Anish Kapoor’s kidney
shaped sculpture, affectionately
known as the “bean” which
reflects the city skyline and Crown
Fountain, Jaume Plensa’s interactive,
interdisciplinary must-see sculpture,
Sports
If you’re a sports enthusiast, you
won’t be disappointed. Here’s a
rundown of where you can go and
what you can do in the Windy City.
Tennis – If you feel like hitting a few
tennis balls, get into the swing at
Chicago parks public tennis courts.
Go to www.chicagoparkdistrict.com
