Compared to Philadelphia, I might actually appreciate Chicago a bit more. There is something about Chicago’s orderly design (I think it’s the wide streets) that makes it better than Philadelphia for getting around. I’d say Chicago has a robust subway system which Philadelphia lacks, but it’s only fitting for the third largest city in the US to have a better public transportation. With its size comes suburban congestion, getting out of the city into the suburbs is a slow draw during any time when people are normally awake.
Chicago is also full of pleasant public spaces. The downtown Millennium Park complex is a mile long strip with various amenities. Tourists crowd around Cloud Gate, aka the Bean, a giant silver bean shaped sculpture, to take pictures of themselves with the skyline in the background. There’s also the Pritzker Pavilion, an open air concert hall that airs free concerts during the summers. And probably the best part about the park: Green! It’s always refreshing to see trees and grass and bushes and flowers in a city. Millennium Park, while by no means is it anything but human engineered greeness, is still a place where one can feel outside of a city in a city.
If you ever plan to visit Chicago and Google what to do, I think almost every website will tell you to get the CityPASS. I would wholeheartedly agree. The CityPASS saves you a good amount of money if you want to visit Chicago’s most popular sites. With the pass you get access to SkyDeck Chicago, a glass viewing station on Willis Tower overlooking the city. When you step onto the viewing deck, you’re surrounded by glass only, floor included. It’s a short and interesting experience, that may or may not be worth the travel to Willis Tower and the lines you might face. The CityPASS also covers Chicago’s big museums. I’d say as a tourist you ought to visit all of the museums, but you might find the Field Museum or Shedd Aquarium or Museum of Science and Industry a bit childish. When I went during the summer, the museums were full of little kids on summer camp field trips. The Art Institute of Chicago on the other hand is pretty great. I don’t know much about art, but the Institute’s Seurat collection has made me a fan of pointillism.
I don’t really pay attention to architecture beyond what’s immediately in front of me, but want to highlight the Marina City towers. This two building cylindrical apartment complex caught my eye when I visited the city. It may not be obvious, but the bottom fourth of the towers are an open air parking garage. Combined with the cylindrical design, the buildings just strike me as very unique. Overall, I’d conclude that Chicago is an enjoyable visit that’s not too far away. It’s not too different from Philadelphia, and anyways, why would it be. We are all more similar than different.
