For many years the world's tallest skyscraper, the Sears Tower is really nine buildings combined into one massive structure. Completed in 1974, it was erected to consolidate offices housing 6,500 Sears employees from all over the city. Close to the famed Chicago 'L', the elevated train and Chicago Transit Authority buses, it would have been taller but the Federal Aviation Authority was concerned about plane safety on routes to and from O'Hare.

The buildings are comprised of a set of 'bundled tubes' in which each tower supports others. Owing to the strong winds in Chicago, produced by its proximity to Lake Michigan, any tall building has to take careful account of stresses produced by wind shear. With its special design, the perimeter can shed winds and reduce sway, while the interior provides structural support.

A series of setbacks above the 50th floor give the structure its unique look, along with the black glass that provides both light and temperature control and an impressive facade. As a result, it forms a significant addition to an already magnificent skyline in one of America's premier cities. Visitors can take the elevator to the Skydeck to see the view at the 103rd floor.

The entrance is on Jackson Boulevard and 1.5 million visitors pass through it every year. First step on the tour after you get your tickets is a video that explains the history and unique construction of the building, very interesting all on its own. Then it's on to the SkyDeck elevators where you are whisked to the top. Elevators are equipped with 50-inch flat screen monitors with views of the Earth from the Space Shuttle, compliments of NASA.

On a clear day visitors can see for dozens of miles and, thanks to the high winds, the sky is often clear. The view is entangled by other structures nearby, but you'll see not only the other buildings but parts of Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin stretching into the distance.

There are interactive computer displays that give you tons of information about the history of Chicago and its world famous buildings. Cut-out windows allow the kids to see as well as the adults. High-powered telescopes provide for a closer look at some of the other sights of the city.

The Tower also offers several restaurants to choose from including Mrs. Levy's Delicatessen, a New York style deli, Mia Torre for Italian cuisine and Dos Hermanos offering a Mexican menu. The surrounding space at the base of the tower is somewhat plain, but the view looking up is spectacular. In order to relieve the blandness of the plaza, a 4-story atrium was erected on Wacker Drive that is worth a look.

Lines can be very long and there are often long waits not only for tickets but elevators in both directions. Be sure to allow plenty of time to get to the top or bottom. Aim for a Sunday morning or other low-traffic time.
 

 
The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio

Frank Lloyd Wright is justly regarded as one of the greatest architects in history. But it wasn't always so. Early in his career, as with many artists, he struggled for recognition and commercial success. After some initial popularity, for decades afterwards (as a result of scandals and changing tastes), he was largely ignored. But genius is irrepressible.

That talent is more than hinted at in Wright's own home and studio, constructed in 1889 and 1898. Wright borrowed $5,000 from his employer and mentor, Louis Sullivan, another great Chicago architect, in order to build the home. In short order, he had installed himself and his wife, and before long there were six children to raise.

His career blossomed as he developed his distinctive style and by 1898 he was ready to add a studio. At the studio, as with the house itself, Wright experimented with every aspect of architecture here. The result: his world renowned Prairie Style. That style - low roofs, cantilevers and the numerous other unique Wright design ideas (now commonplace, with their origins unknown to many) - developed into 125 buildings. Many of those structures are in Chicago itself.

The Robie House, now used (in part) as offices by the University of Chicago, is one of the outstanding examples. Tours are available that allow visitors to experience the beginnings of the revolution that Wright wrought. The house and studio have undergone extensive renovation, ending with the site as it existed in 1909 (the last year Wright lived there). The restoration took 13 years and over $3 million to complete, but the results are open to the public to enjoy.

Here is the drafting room, near the front of the house on the second floor, where Wright first conceived many of his groundbreaking ideas. In 1895 the architect added a two-story polygonal bay on the south side. Here you'll see the dining room, containing dining table and chairs that are early examples of a style any Wright fan will recognize. In the same year another extension was added to the east side of the house, this containing the children's playroom. The windows and skylight are excellent examples of Wright's use of outdoor light to complement and complete the interior design.

On the north face of the home, Wright added the studio annex, completed in 1898. A rare example of the use of octagonal light frames is one of the highlights of a visit. Under these lights the master and his apprentices labored to produce some of the 20th century's most outstanding works of art in wood, glass and stone.

Though unpopular, both personally and professionally, for much of the middle portion of his life, Wright's early commitment to excellence never faded through storybook adversity. His life and work were both the stuff of legend. Come see where it all began.
 

 
The John Hancock Center

Not the tallest building in Chicago, but surely one of the finest anywhere. With its distinctive twin aerials on top and X-shaped braces along the facade, this slightly trapezoidal 100-story building is an architectural marvel. Completed in 1969, it's hard to imagine it not having always been a part of the Chicago skyline. Architecturally unique, it's a sight to behold even from the ground.

But the Hancock offers visitors one of the best observatories anywhere in the country. Providing one of the finest views of one of the finest skylines anywhere, on a clear day you'll see all of Chicago and a whole lot more. There are plenty of clear days in Chicago, too. It isn't called the Windy City for nothing. Those clear skies make possible great views of the award winning buildings in one of America's premier cities. You can also see for dozens of miles and get a sense of the prairie from which it sprang by looking out over Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

The Signature Room and Lounge on the 95th and 96th floors are aptly named, as well. Patrons can dine on some of the best food in Chicago while they watch the view. Hit the lounge to enjoy some great jazz, then head down to the observatory one floor below. The observation deck offers displays that explain the building's unusual construction and much about Chicago itself. Be sure to spend some time at the wall - 80-feet high - displaying over 100 photos of the history of Chicago.

You can take advantage, too, of the Windows on Chicago display that shows you dozens of the most popular tourist spots in the city. From a meshed area visitors can feel the famous wind at 1,030 feet that gives the city its nickname. Be prepared. The winds are sometimes so strong that 60 mph (98 km/h) gusts in March of 2002 tore loose a scaffold, which fell and crushed several cars.

There's a skylobby at the 44th floor that has America's highest indoor swimming pool. Take a dip and enjoy the view out the window at the same time. Other parts of the interior have been remodeled and the lobby is also a sight to see with its textured limestone surfaces. The elliptical plaza at the base completes the tour where you can enjoy the plants that reflect the changing seasons of this mid-west city.

Be sure to look up at night to see the band of white lights around the top, illuminating one of Chicago's architectural icons. Located at 875 N. Michigan Ave in downtown's Magnificent Mile, you'll find plenty of other attractions nearby. The high speed elevator can carry you to the top in 40 seconds (they travel at 1,800 feet per minute). But be prepared for a wait for tickets and to take the trip up. 'Big John' is very popular.
 
The Museum of Science and Industry

There are many examples of a Museum of Science and Industry around the country. But the one in Chicago is the oldest and unquestionably the best museum of its kind in the world. On three floors, covering 350,000 sq ft (32,520 sq m) it offers over 800 exhibits that attract 2 million visitors per year. The building it occupies was built in 1893 for the World Columbian Exposition as a Palace of Fine Arts, the only building that remains from that amazing event.

The Beaux Arts style became the standard for classical-style museums everywhere. Initially housing the Field museum collection, that collection moved to Grant Park in 1921. After a 1926 donation of $3 million by the head of Sears, Roebuck, the Industrial museum was born and opened officially in 1933.

Like most of them, it covers a diverse area, including exhibits about energy, electricity and the like with hundreds of hands-on displays. The idea may sound new, becoming popular among science museums in the 1970s, but it began at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany in the late 19th century where displays were interactive rather than just for viewing. Among the energy displays is a reconstruction of a 1933 Illinois coal mine that visitors can descend down 50 feet into. Though one of the earliest exhibits, it remains among the most popular.

There's also a captured WWII German submarine that visitors can walk around and a 3,000 square foot model railroad to play with. If that isn't interactive enough, try the 20-foot walk-through human heart that allows you to see this vital organ's working parts. The Fairy Castle sounds like something that would be out of place in a museum of science. But this nine square foot dollhouse has functional electrical devices and working plumbing. There's also a working baby chick hatchery that will delight the kids.

For older kids, the Apollo 8 Spacecraft is housed there along with a Mercury Space Capsule. Exhibits change all the time, so any time you visit you'll see something new. At one time you might see a display of dozens of Da Vinci's designs. You might be lucky enough to catch the Human Body exhibit showing 20 whole-body plastic, skinless humans with musculature in full view. Or you can catch the CSI Experience and find out all about how the modern scientist-detectives employ forensics to catch criminals.

Upcoming is a Star Wars exhibit that will show visitors props and models from the movies while explaining how some of it might someday become real. You can ride in a hovercraft and try to build your own 'droid'. But even the very old displays are still fascinating. There's a group of Caryatids (Greek statuary) from the original 1893 exposition. These fascinating sculptures formed parts of columns in Greek buildings. Don't miss the Foucault pendulum from the mid-19th century, a device that demonstrates the rotation of the Earth.

With plenty of choices for food and fun you can visit many times and still find more to see. Located at 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive in famed Hyde Park, details are available at http://www.msichicago.org.
 
Chicago's Art Institute

Housed in an 1893 building erected as part of the World's Fair, The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the country's preeminent schools and museums. The college which is part of the Institute actually began in 1866, with classes beginning two years later. A few bumpy years followed, but the school had revived by 1882. Down the years, the school has had some notable students, including Walt Disney, Georgia O'Keefe and Hugh Hefner. But for the traveler, the primary attraction is the world class exhibits.

Though smaller than the Metropolitan in New York or the Louvre in Paris, the Art Institute houses some of the finest works anywhere. The African and American Indian collection houses wood sculpture, masks, textiles and bead designs from Southern, Central and West Africa. Scholars actively explore and research the items gathered by the museum over the years. It also holds a variety of Andean ceramics, metalwork and figurative art from South America.

Chicago has long been known for its architectural masterpieces and the architects who produced them. Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright and many other greats have done some of their most notable work here. That fact is reflected in the Ernest R. Graham Study Center for Architectural Drawings. The collection is comprised of over 130,000 drawings, many of which are by the masters' own hands.

A major part of the museum revolves around its outstanding European collections. There are over 25,000 objects, including ceramics, metalwork, enamels, glass sculpture and furniture. The items range in age from the early 12th century to the present, so there's bound to be something to interest anyone. The decorative arts collection is supplemented by a huge collection of textiles from down the ages. The Department of Textiles holds over 13,000 items from all over the world. There are pre-Columbian samples, European vestments, tapestries, lace and much else. The objects have come from as far away as Asia, Africa and Indonesia to Peru and Mexico.

Central to the museum's attraction for visitors is the world class European paintings exhibits. The collection ranges from the works created in the Middle Ages to 1900. At around 2,000 works it isn't the largest collection in the world by any means. The Louvre has been estimated to hold over 100,000 paintings. But, though smaller, there are some of the finest examples of the art of painting anywhere in the world. The 19th century French paintings are among the best, rivaling some in the Louvre or the Musee D'Orsay. But there are also 15th century Spanish and German selections that are a great draw. Impressionism is well represented and there are many sculptures that are highly regarded by visitors.

More modern artists are represented, as well. There are several popular O'Keefe's, Grant Wood paintings and some by Edward Hopper that are popular items. Located at 111 South Michigan Avenue at the western edge of Grant Park, the museum also offers a fine restaurant.
 
The Brookfield Zoo

Chicago is hugely popular among tourists for great buildings, restaurants and shopping. But one of the chief attractions, for both locals and visitors, remains the Brookfield Zoo. Opened in 1934, the zoo is located on 216 acres about 14 miles west of downtown. The sights and the location are perfect for someone looking for something just outside the metropolis in the suburb of Brookfield.

An innovator from its beginnings, the Brookfield Zoo was among the first to use moats, ditches and other forms of enclosure instead of cages. The style is now in wide use, at such world renowned zoos as San Diego Zoo and the Bronx Zoo. Brookfield featured the first Giant Panda exhibit in the United States and that continues to be a big attraction. The first resident, Su-Lin, has been preserved and is on display at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History.

In 1960, Brookfield built the country's first indoor dolphin exhibit and in the 1980s introduced the first simulated rain forest. The tropical rain forest supplies shade and swinging fun for the monkeys, while birds flit in and out of the branches. Visitors can see their reactions as they watch the animals scamper around under a simulated thunderstorm.

Featuring landscaped grounds and over 2,000 animals (over 400 species), Brookfield fully deserves its reputation as one of the world's great zoos. The Australia House is home to many of the native species of that huge continent. The Baboon Island is a free roaming area full of these delightfully active and noisy relatives of the great apes.

The Reptile House has dozens of snakes, lizards and creatures it's hard even to categorize. The Pachyderm House is home to huge elephants, once the home of Ziggy, a 6 1/2-ton bull elephant. The poor creature was confined to a cage indoors for nearly 30 years after attacking a trainer in 1941. Sadly, after being released in 1973 it fell into an exhibit moat two years later and subsequently died of its injuries.

Among the other famous residents is Binti Jua, a lowland gorilla. In August of 1996, a young boy fell into her enclosure but she merely picked him up and brought him back to her trainers. She had performed a similar action many times, taking her own baby, Koola, to the trainers for inspection.

Brookfield has one of the largest meerkat collections of any zoo with over 30 residents scampering around clearly visible grounds behind glass. There are pygmy hippos, much smaller than the usual, but just as tough and fierce when aroused. There are placid animals, too, including the hilarious tree sloths. Also amusing are the cotton-topped tamarins (a type of monkey that hails from Central or South America.) There's an unusual type of horse, the Norwegian Fjord horse that will excite horse lovers. Reptile fans can check out the Sungazer lizard and the Indigo snake.

Brookfield Zoo is only 20 minutes from downtown by cab, or about 30 minutes by bus, the zoo is easy to get to and you could spend the entire day before returning to your hotel.
 
Navy Pier

Whether you want to ride a ferris wheel or lean toward seeing some Shakespeare, Navy Pier has every kind of enjoyment you can imagine. Open to the public since 1916, the area was revitalized in 1995. Ever since, it has attracted visitors from all over the world - over 8 million in 2005 alone. Don't worry about crowds, though. There's so much to do and see that lines are rarely a problem.

There is a dock with ships to see and restaurants to sample, just like Pier 39 in San Francisco. Or you can just sit and enjoy the fountain at Gateway Park, with 240 jets, all computer synchronized. The Ferris Wheel is modeled after the world's first, constructed for the 1893 World Columbian Exposition. Forty-four feet high, with 36 hand-painted animals, it's a delight for kids and adults alike.

You'll get a great view of the Skyline Stage, a 100-foot high roof structure used as an ice skating rink in winter and a 1,500-seat outdoor theatre during the summer. If it's theater you're after, though, don't miss the seven-story Shakespeare Theater. With 525 seats that rarely go empty, you'll find a show of the type that has pleased audiences for over 400 years. Navy Pier has an IMAX theater too, of course, for those who like their entertainment fully modern. With the giant 6-story screen, featuring scenes of enormous volcanoes, waterfalls and dozens of special films, you'll sometimes wish it weren't so lifelike!

Come visit the Smith Stained Glass museum and get a look at these multi-colored wonders. You'll see designs like no others anywhere. From Gothic cathedral through modern portrait, there are 150 different styles. Then head to TransPIERency to purchase a small replica as a memento of your experience.

For the kids, there's the Children's Museum where everything is oriented toward the curiosity of the younger crowd. Treehouse trails and canoes rafting down a pretend river will keep them delightfully occupied. Shopping at Navy Pier is in never-ending supply. You can attend a Build-A-Bear workshop and design your own stuffed animal. Or head to Sitara to pick out some Indian clothing or handmade crafts from Bali.

Visit Go! The Game Shop and find more board games than you knew existed. You'll be hungry by now, so stop in at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., named after the fictional character's business. Offering more than just crustaceans, the menu includes baby back ribs and lots more. If you like your southern food with a little jazz, try Joe's Be-Bop Cafe and get some jambalaya and ribs.

If you're just thirsty, check out Charlie's Ale House with over 70 different beers to choose from. During the spring and summer it seats over 150 guests, inside and out. Try the Billy Goat Tavern for one of the best cheeseburgers in the city. Or, go to RIVA for a more chic atmosphere with great steak, pasta and seafood. Not far away is the famed Hancock Tower and many other attractions, so be prepared for a long day of great entertainment.
 
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