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Photo: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A 40-acre park on the southern portion of Northerly Island that opened in September 2015. The park features a nature trail, pedestrian/bike path, 5 acre lagoon and an excellent view of the Chicago skyline.
Northerly Island is a 119-acre (48 ha) man-made peninsula and park located on Chicago's Lake Michigan lakefront. Originally constructed in 1925, Northerly Island was the former site of the Century of Progress world's fair and later Meigs Field airport and, since Meigs Field's closure, has been a recreational area part of Chicago's Museum Campus. It is the site of the Adler Planetarium, the Huntington Bank Pavilion, the Northerly Island Natural Area, the 12th Street Beach and numerous art installations. Per its name, Northerly Island was constructed as an island, but is connected to the lakefront by a causeway at the northern end carrying Solidarity Drive to the planetarium.
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This small peninsula, jutting out into Lake Michigan, was the site of Meigs Airport until Mayor Daley's midnight demolition in 2003; now it's a 7500-seat concert venue for touring rock and hip-hop acts. A new nature park has been built south of the Pavilion.
It's the smallest of the three museums, but the oldest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere still packs a lot of fun. There are some interactive exhibits on the second floor, a scale model of the solar system, a few space rocks, and two high-tech dome theaters with nifty "star shows" throughout the day. Adler After Dark, on the third Thursday of each month, runs 6PM-10PM and features cocktails, a DJ, and wild, unfettered use of telescopes.
Home of the NFL's Chicago Bears, and from 2020 home (again) to Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer. If you'd like to see a Bears game, then you have something in common with many Chicagoans; there's no point in listing ticket prices, because they sell out long before the season starts. On the other hand, if you're a soccer fan, you have a much better chance of getting in for a Fire game, even though that team plans on using only the lower seating bowl for most of its games. The original Soldier Field was built in 1924 to honor veterans of the First World War, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. By 2002, the stadium was in dire need of renovations, and the Bears promised to preserve the majestic colonnades of the old stadium. However, when the renovations were complete, what appeared to be a giant spaceship had landed at midfield. The amenities have improved, and it really is a nice facility... on the inside. On the outside, it's hard to say what it is, other than probably the strangest-looking sports venue in America. (It's not a Historic Place any more, having been stripped of that designation in 2006.) Tours are available during the week, M-F 9AM-5PM, by phone appointment; $15 adults, $10 students, $7 seniors, $4 children.
Mayor Richard J. Daley believed firmly — as his son, Mayor Richard M., did after him, and all subsequent mayors have — in total, ruthless domination of the convention circuit. Hence, the massive complex of McCormick Place, which is struggling to stay ahead of rivals in Las Vegas and Orlando. There's little reason to seek out McCormick Place unless your business is sending you there or you want to catch an event at Wintrust Arena (immediately below). That said, the auto shows are a draw for some visitors.
Home to a massive collection of marine life from throughout the world, among the very best you'll ever see. The Pacific Northwest-themed Oceanarium features otters, beluga whales, and a panoramic view of Lake Michigan, although you'll need to arrive extremely early for the (free) dolphin show. The terrific new Wild Reef exhibit offers floor-to-ceiling windows for an extraordinary view of a Philippine coral reef environment, complete with dozens of sharks.
In the architecture of these massive public housing projects lies the South Side's tongue-in-cheek answer to the North Side's Marina City — in fact, they were built by the same architect, Bertrand Goldberg. With its enormous corncob towers and northern semicircular wall, the Hilliard Homes are impossible to miss when traveling between Downtown and Chinatown. Despite the architectural distinction of being the only public housing projects to get on the National Register of Historic Places, the towers have not always been a great place to live, suffering from urban blight similar to that found in public housing throughout the country. A mixed-income residential development was completed in 2006.