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Photo: Chris6d, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
There is plenty of everybody doing everything at Oak Street Beach. Beyond swimming and sun-tanning, it's one of the city's most popular spots for beach volleyball, and there are concrete paths for cycling and skating. (Do not, however, plan to eat lunch at the overpriced restaurant on the beach.) To get here, cross under Lake Shore Drive through a pedestrian underpass. If the crowds are a bit much, walk a short way south to the smaller, lesser-known beach next to Milton Olive Park (named for a local Medal of Honor recipient).
Oak Street Beach is a recreation area on the shore of Lake Michigan located at the intersection of Oak Street and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Hancock Observatory
360-degree view from the 94th floor. Not quite as high as the Sears Tower Skydeck, but with a better view, and from January to March, an ice-skating rink! For drinks, see the Signature Room below.
A Gothic Revival church built in 1912 provides a contrast to the surrounding bustle.
These glass and steel towers may look commonplace, but they were some of the first glass and steel towers, a concept copied everywhere. The 26-story apartment towers were built in 1949-1951 to a design by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (a nearby street bears his name). The neighbouring 900-910 Lake Shore Drive were also designed by van der Rohe and built in 1955 as one of the first towers to use glass curtain walls. The towers house apartments and the interior is not open.
Chicago Red Line
Right next to the Water Tower, LUMA is best known for its exhibits on sacred art and architecture, but it occasionally veers into modern art as well, such as an installation of Andy Warhol's silver balloons.
Known for their inventive, acrobatic shows; their repertory production of "Lookingglass Alice" is a knock-out. It's worth peeking inside even if you don't plan to see a show, though, to check out the insides of the old Pumping Station; unlike the Water Tower, its more famous sibling across the street, there's some interesting old machinery to see.
In 1871, when Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over the lantern in her barn — or was framed for the act, depending on who you ask — the Gothic Revival spires of Water Tower were only two years old. Today, along with the Pumping Station on the other side of the street, the Water Tower is the last, dream-like symbol of the Old Chicago that disappeared in the Fire. Surrounded by hotels and colossal department stores, it's also the icon of the new city that arose. At night, the Water Tower is lit from within, and it's a memorable sight. Inside, the vintage machinery is long gone (along with the water), and the plain interior is occasionally used as a gallery space.