What is there to see in Chicago?
We saw so much today, but I’m sure it only scraped the surface of all there is to see in Chicago. We decided to walk everywhere and reached about 12 miles by the end of the day. That definitely helped us get to know Chicago more.
Chicago 360
We started the day by heading up 94 floors to see Chicago from above. We were the first people up. It was fun to have a quiet moment there, up 1,030 feet in the air. The elevators travel at about 20 miles per hour!
Then we did a lot of walking. We passed the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower. We walked to Millenium Park to see the Cloud Gate and the outdoor Jay Pritzer Pavilion. A performance was scheduled for later, but we weren’t able to make it back in time. This area is stunning and it was fun to see so many people gathered together, enjoying the sites. We swung by Buckingham Fountain to take in the grandeur before walking along the lake path towards the aquarium.
Shedd Aquarium
We had city passes, so we were told to enter through the accessible entrance. We passed by a ticket booth and could add extra experiences to our pre-purchased tickets. They offer 4D showings and a virtual experience and animal shows (the shows were not going on when we were there).
The aquarium is an impressive size but just be aware that social distancing is apparently over here. The place was absolutely packed. It was difficult to see much of anything unfortunately.
Field Museum
The Field Museum was much better, crowd wise. This place is massive. Massive! You could spend a whole week here reading all the information available and taking in the collection. They have a 3D showing about dinosaurs, multiple rotating exhibits, and tons of permanent exhibits. All were so informative and fun to walk through.
Giordanos
I’ve had never experienced Chicago deep dish pizza before…today we changed that. Never have I ever seen that much cheese in one location. This place makes phenomenal pizza; deep dish and thin. I highly recommend it! It’s a 45 minute wait for the deep dish, but totally worth the time for the experience.
Skydeck Chicago
We ended the day the same way we started it, just in a different location; Willis tower, also known as Sears tower. The check in area is in the basement, they let us go up half an hour before our scheduled time. The building is a little taller than Chicago 360 (1,353 feet) and has a few glass platforms that extend over the city. Looking down was an experience to say the least. I loved every second of the minute they gave us on the platform.
Chicago CityPass
Getting this pass was the best decision we made. It includes entrance to the Shedd Aquarium, Skydeck Chicago, and Field Museum. In addition, you can get into two of the following; Art Institution of Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry, 360 Observation Deck, or Alder Planetarium (the planetarium was closed when we were there). The pass also gets you into extra exhibits, in the previously mentioned locations, for free or at a reduced cost. Awesome!
We absolutely loved our time in the Windy City…or as we affectionately call it now after a speaking mishap, “Windy Cindy.” I love the friendly vibe, the architecture, and the great food here. We will be back!
