| Yesterday I woke up at 5:00 am Chicago time | | | | is derived from the design of the French |
| and I figured I might as well get ahead of | | | | cathedral of Rouen and gives the building its |
| the crowd at the Arlington House Youth Hostel | | | | striking silhouette.The area around the |
| and take an early shower. At 6 am I was | | | | Michigan Avenue Bridge and Esplanade looking |
| already on the Internet, recording my first | | | | westwards along the Chicago River is an |
| impressions of this exciting city and by 6:30 | | | | absolute mecca for an architecture buff like |
| am I had left the hostel. It was still pretty | | | | me. You'll find a mixture of classic |
| dark outside and the sun was just slowly | | | | skyscrapers, many of them built in Art Deco |
| starting to come up.I walked through the | | | | Style, as well as more modern skyscrapers |
| quiet Lincoln Park neighbourhood all the way | | | | built over the last 30 years. This has to be |
| to the Lake Michigan Shoreline where the cool | | | | one of the most impressive urban vistas in |
| wind was just howling off the lake. Joggers, | | | | existence anywhere.I continued to walk west |
| bicyclists and power walkers were already out | | | | on Wacker Drive and walked past a number of |
| in full force. I strolled around for about 15 | | | | the north-south streets that connect the Loop |
| minutes, but when the wind got too strong I | | | | with the areas north of downtown. I wanted to |
| decided to take a bus and head south to a | | | | capture another fascinating building: |
| neighbourhood called "Old Town", near North | | | | Merchandise Mart, an impressive building at |
| Street and N. Wells Street. It's a tidy, | | | | the north bank of the Chicago river between |
| well-kept neighbourhood of historic homes and | | | | Wells and Orleans street, was built in 1931. |
| the location of the Second City Comedy Club, | | | | At that time, when it was constructed by |
| a place that has spawned so many comedic | | | | Marshall Field and Company to replace H.H. |
| talents.After a brisk morning walk around Old | | | | Ricardson's Marshall Field Wholesale store, |
| Town I hopped back on the el-train and went | | | | it was the building with the largest floor |
| to check out downtown. I got off in the Loop | | | | area in the world and today it is the second |
| and headed out towards the openness of | | | | largest building in the United States after |
| Michigan Avenue and Grant Park. Interestingly | | | | the Pentagon.A short hop on the el-train |
| the wind in between the buildings | | | | later I got off at Randolph Street to pick up |
| | | | my friend Linda who was scheduled to arrive |
| in the Loop was much stronger than in the | | | | at 10:25 am on the South Shore Railway Line. |
| open areas just off the Lake Michigan | | | | We have known each other since we are 10 |
| Shoreline.Michigan Avenue and Grant Park are | | | | years old (almost 30 years!) and grew up in |
| one of the areas where Chicago's beauty is | | | | Austria, and Linda herself moved to the |
| most striking. Daniel Burnham's city plan of | | | | United States a few years ago. We hadn't seen |
| 1909 that preserved a huge amount of green | | | | each other for 2 years and this was the time |
| space right on the shoreline of Lake Michigan | | | | to reconnect.Linda arrived a few minutes late |
| was a brilliant decision, and visitors and | | | | and after a heart-felt greeting we headed off |
| local residents alike benefit from the huge | | | | to the Chicago Cultural Center to try to pick |
| green zone between the Loop and the lake. | | | | up a 3-day transit pass. Much to our surprise |
| Grant Park's beginnings actually date all the | | | | we were told that the closest location for |
| way back to 1835, when foresighted citizens, | | | | multi-day transit passes was the Marriot |
| fearing commercial lakefront development, | | | | Hotel at 549 North Michigan Avenue, about 20 |
| lobbied to protect the open space. Burnham's | | | | minutes walking north of where we were. We |
| vision of the park as a formal landscape with | | | | were a bit surprised that it would be so |
| museums and civic buildings became reality: | | | | inconvenient for visitors arriving in the |
| today Grant Park holds 3 of the city's most | | | | Loop to purchase transit passes, but off we |
| distinguished museums: The Field Museum of | | | | went with Linda's suitcase in tow and we were |
| Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium and the | | | | finally able to pick up our coveted 3-day |
| Adler Planterium.The Buckingham Fountain is | | | | transit pass at the 2nd floor gift shop of |
| the centerpiece of Grant Park, the city's | | | | the Marriot Hotel.We decided to get rid of |
| grand "front yard," and it is set within a | | | | Linda's luggage and headed north towards the |
| handsomely landscaped garden, one of the | | | | youth hostel on the bus. By that time it was |
| city's finest examples of a Beaux-Arts-style | | | | about noon and we were both voraciously |
| landscape design. It is an exact replica of | | | | hungry. So we plunked ourselves down at a |
| the fountain in Versailles, just twice as | | | | cozy spot called the "Pasta Bowl" on Clark |
| large, and with those measurements it is one | | | | Street and I had a really delicious |
| of the largest free-standing fountains in the | | | | gorgonzola pasta that I absolutely |
| world.At the north end of Grant Park is | | | | devoured.From there we went back to the |
| Millenium Park, at an investment of $495 | | | | Arlington House, dropped off Linda's luggage |
| million Chicago's most ambitious public | | | | and rested for a bit since we were both |
| undertaking. Unsightly railroad tracks and | | | | pretty tired after this hefty lunch. At 4 pm |
| parking lots were turned into a multi-media | | | | we got going again and headed down to the |
| outdoor entertainment area during the last | | | | Golden Mile, Chicago's main shopping area |
| few years. Among Millennium Park's prominent | | | | along Michigan Avenue, north of the Chicago |
| features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay | | | | River. The place was absolutely hopping with |
| Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated | | | | people. We picked up a little gift for |
| outdoor concert venue of its kind in the | | | | Linda's daughter at H&M and then headed up |
| United States; a winding mirror clad bridge | | | | into the John Hancock Centre, Chicago's third |
| over Stetson Street, designed by | | | | highest building.The view from the John |
| world-renowned architect Frank Gehry; and | | | | Hancock Centre was amazing and the sun was |
| "Cloud Gate" ("The Bean"), a hugely popular | | | | just getting ready to set. Chicago's skyline |
| sculpture inspired by liquid mercury, | | | | is impressive, crowned as it is by the Sears |
| designed by British artist Anish Kapoor. On | | | | Tower. After our high altitude excursion we |
| this beautiful sunny morning, the reflections | | | | strolled along Michigan Avenue and for dinner |
| of the city's skyscrapers had an almost | | | | we headed back into the Lincoln Park area |
| surreal feel to them.I still had about an | | | | where we had a very filling Mexican |
| hour and a half before my friend Linda would | | | | vegetarian burrito dinner on Lincoln |
| arrive at the Randolph Street Station, so I | | | | Avenue.Exhausted from all this exploring and |
| decided to head north on Michigan Avenue | | | | eating, we went back to the Arlington House |
| towards two of my favourite buildings: the | | | | to crash in our bunk bed...Susanne Pacher is |
| Wrigley Building and the Chicago Tribune | | | | the publisher of a website called Travel and |
| Tower. The Wrigley building serves as the | | | | Transitions( Travel and Transitions deals |
| headquarters of the Wrigley (chewing gum) | | | | with unconventional travel and is chock full |
| company and was built in 1920 by the | | | | of advice, tips, real life travel |
| company's founder, William Wrigley Jr. It was | | | | experiences, interviews with travellers and |
| the first of a series of landmarks at the | | | | travel experts, insights and reflections, |
| southern end of the Magnificent Mile.The | | | | cross-cultural issues, contests and many |
| design of the Tribune Tower was the result of | | | | other features. You will also find stories |
| an international competition for "the most | | | | about life and the transitions that we face |
| beautiful office building in the world," held | | | | as we go through our own personal life-long |
| in 1922 by the Chicago Tribune newspaper. The | | | | journeys.Submit your own travel stories in |
| various competition entries proved extremely | | | | our first travel story contest( and have a |
| influential for the development of skyscraper | | | | chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on |
| architecture in the 1920s. The winning entry, | | | | the Amazon River. |
| with a crowning tower with flying buttresses, | | | | |