Chicago Things To Do and See

Getting Around in Chicago

Chicago streets are basically laid out according to a Cartesian coordinate system; think graph paper.

Most Chicago streets run North-South or East-West.

A few interesting streets run diagonally across the grid. E.g., Clark St, Elston Ave., Lincoln Ave, and Milwaukee Ave on the North Side. Archer Ave and Ogden Ave (mostly) on the South Side.

There are 800 street numbers to a mile, with usually 8 blocks to a mile.

(0,0) is the intersection of State St and Madison St in the loop. Street numbers go off in direction of the compass points from that intersection. Thus 800 N State St is one mile North of State and Madison. Similarly, the Illinois Institute of Technology runs from 3100 to 3500 S. State St, which works out to being 4 miles South of Madison St.

Chicago is a fascinating collection of neighborhoods: Rogers Park, Wicker Park, South Shore, Pilsen, River North, Hyde Park, etc.

However, generally, people talk about locations as being on the North Side, South Side, or West Side. What happened to the East Side? It's mostly the lake. Look at a city map, there is a smidge of an East side way down in the far Southeast corner of the city.

The Second City

The wonderful improvisation troupe.

["old town," near North side]
1616 N. Wells St (Wells at North Ave)
Chicago

http://www.secondcity.com/?id=theatres/chicago

Late Night Catechism

at the St George Theatre [near North side]

Theater -- there are many fine small theaters in the city (and suburbs)

Check out the listings in Chicago Magazine and The Reader below

Art Institute of Chicago

First rate museum with a spectacular collection of French Impressionist works.

[Downtown]
Michigan Ave. at Adams

http://www.artic.edu/

Field Musuem of Natural History


Millenium Park

Beautifully redone and renamed section of Grant Park. Home of the amazing Cloudscape.

Bordered Michigan Ave on the West, Monroe on the South, Randolf on the North, and Columbus Drive on the East. Just North of The Art Institute.

http://www.millenniumpark.org/


Museum of Science and Industry

The museum to see in Chicago, especially with kids.

Suggestions: Check out the exhibits in the various stairwells between main and second floor. For those with small kids, be sure to get to the kids room in the basement.

[Southside, along the lake]
57th Street and Lake Shore Drive
Chicago
773.684.1414

http://www.msichicago.org/


Shedd Aquarium

Bahai Temple

[Northen suburb]
Sheridan Road
Wilmette

Downtown Architectural Landmarks

The "loop" elevated train
The Auditorium Theater
The Monadnock Building
The Rookery
First National Plaza (now Chase Plaza)
The Cultural Center (across street from Millennium Park)

Other Sources of Chicago Information

Chicago Magazine

Monthly magazine

http://www.chicagomag.com/

Chicago Reader

Free weekly paper.

Check out "discounted event tickets" under Theatre/Perform -> Hot Tix at their web site

http://www.chicagoreader.com/