A day to explore this sensational city on 2 feet, so whilst the girls went shopping Wendy & I began our tour @ the "Art Institute of Chicago", the premier cultural institution in town, by 10am.
The exterior of the Art Institute is one of the most photographed landmarks in Chicago. The two huge lions that greet visitors at the entrance to the museum were designed and crafted by sculptor Edward Kemeys in 1894 and attract as much attention today as they did more than a century ago.
Founded in 1879 as both a school and museum, the building that originally housed the Art Institute of Chicago was built atop rubble from the great Chicago fire. The permanent collection inside the Art Institute of Chicago is so extensive that I knew that it would take me several hours to explore the whole thing, so that was how long I allowed here.
The museum’s collection of Impressionist & Post-Impressionist Art is said to be one of the finest in the country and lovers of Claude Monet, Rembrant & Van Gogh as I am can only find real delight with this place. Also highly acclaimed is the Art Institute’s exhibit of contemporary American and European works, where you’ll find stunning works by Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse.
From this Chicago gem, we walked up to the stunning "Millennium Park" - Millennium Park is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the west, Columbus Drive to the east, Randolph Street to the North and Monroe Street to the South. It sits in an area that was once considered sacred to the Illinois Central Railroad. City planners developed Grant Park around the railroad tracks but, for decades, many still considered the area to be one of Chicago’s less-than-beautiful spots.
Millennium Park is seen by Chicagoans as the crowning glory of their city. The 24.5 acre park is much more than just a city park. It’s a day-long adventure for the whole family that has served to not only beautify the city but also bring culture and the arts to locals and visitors of all ages.
What we saw here:
The Frank Gehry designed 120ft high swooping silver band shell, the "Jay Pritzker Pavilion". This ultra-contemporary outdoor concert venue seats 4,000 with room for an additional 7,000 on the Great Lawn and really which anchors what is in essence an outdoor modern design gallery.
The innovative "Crown Fountain",designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, consists of two 50-foot glass block towers at each end of a shallow, sparkling reflecting pool. The towers project video images of diverse Chicago citizens, which Plensa claims is a reference to the traditional use of gargoyles in fountains, where faces of mythological beings were sculpted with open mouths to allow water to flow out.
We were also impressed by the quirky "Cloud Gate", designed by British artist Anish Kapoor. This bean-shaped structure was inspired by liquid mercury and is among the largest sculpture of its kind in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high. It weighs a whopping 110 tons and is made of polished stainless steel plates.The shiny material reflects the magnificent Chicago skyline, and offered some incredible photo opportunities.
Complementing the Pritzker Pavilion in design, was the magnificent 925-foot-long brushed stainless steel winding "BP Bridge", which connects Millennium Park with Daley Bicentennial Plaza, over Columbus Drive. Another of Frank Gehry-designed masterpieces (his first), it provided great views of the vast Lake Michigan and the impressive Chicago skyline.
From Millennium Park it was up "Michigan Drive" to the "Tribune Tower", a neo-gothic skyscraper built in 1925 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the "Chicago Tribune" newspaper. The tower was modeled after the Button Tower of the Rouen Cathedral in France, stands 141-ft high and with its decorative buttresses at the top, remains a remarkable architectural monument in the Chicago skyline.
What was most fascinating about the tower was its facade, which featured many famous stones from numerous notable buildings around the world, including Kremlin, Colosseum, Petra and the Chinese Wall.
One of the few buildings that survived the Great Chicago Fire was the Old Chicago Water Tower & that was next on our list of Chicago buildings to see. Constructed in 1869 using big limestone blocks, the Chicago Water Tower, with all its small towers in a 'gothic style', resembles more a tiny European 13th century castle than a water tower. It was designed by the architect William W. Boyington and houses a 40 meter standpipe which was needed to equalize the pressure of the water pumped from the pumping station to the east. The total height of the tower is 154 ft or 47 m.
Since its survival of the Great Fire, the Chicago Water Tower became one of Chicago's main symbols. The tower became functionally obsolete many years ago, although the pumping station still pumps water for the city.
In May of 1969, during the year of its centennial anniversary, the Chicago Water Tower was selected by the American Water Works Association to be the first American Water Landmark. It now houses a visitor information center and has become one of the major tourist attractions in Chicago.
It was here that we met up with the girls & did a horse & carriage ride around these beautiful streets for 30 minutes before returning to our hotel for some photos of its amazing lobby ceiling. After freshening up we headed down to the "Chop-House" restaurant, another local favourite for a very enjoyable last meal in the great city.
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