bennison@futbal.DEC (08/27/84)
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I lived in the Chicago area for about 8 years. Here are some of my
recommendations for someone coming into the city for a day or two.
1. FIRST, pick up a copy of the Chicago Guide. This is a monthly
magazine which contains, in each issue, all the addresses, phone
numbers and times of operation of all the points of interest, plus
special events, exhibits, etc. It also contains reviews of most
of the cities restaurants (of any interest), night spots, etc.
2. I recommend the observation deck on top of the John Hancock building.
I've been up in the Sears Tower also, but didn't like it quite as
well. The Hancock has a better view of the lakefront. One thing
you can see from the Hancock that you can't see from the Sears
tower: The worlds tallest building. Of course, if you want to be
able to say you've been up in the world's tallest building, then
the Sears Tower is it. The five tallest buildings in the world, by
the way, are, in descending order: Sears Tower, Chicago; World Trade
Center, New York; Empire State, New York; Standard Oil, Chicago;
John Hancock, Chicago. Go up in the late evening and watch the sun
set.
3. The Chicago Art Institute has an excellent collection. If I had
limited time, I'd pick the French Impressionist exhibit. Don't
miss Seurat's "Grand Jatte" (sp?).
4. The Museum of Science and Industry is fun. I always use my kids as
an excuse to go there, but, when there, always wish the kids were
somewhere else so that I could just wander around the exhibits doing
what I wanted. The best by far is the U-505 Submarine, the only
U-boat captured during WWII.
5. The Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, a few blocks
from the Museum of Science and Industry, has good mummies and
lots of other interesting archealogical thingys.
6. The Field Museum of Natural History has great dinosaur skeletons.
7. Go to a Greek restaurant in Greek town. The Parthenon, Dianna's,
or Greek Islands are all excellent. Get a flaming saganaki (sp?)
as an appetizer. Warning: Retsina wine tastes like pine tree
drippings (some people like it). We prefer Domestica or Rodytis (sp?).
8. Go to a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. In fact, there are
excellent restaurants of almost any ethnicity you can name. Refer
to #1 above. Someone once asked us jokingly to take them to a
Yugoslavian restaurant. We asked them if they preferred Serbian
or Croatian cuisine.
7. Forget the zoos unless you have a thing about zoos or have a day to
kill or have to appease your kids.
8. The rest is a matter of individual taste. There is something for
everyone in Chicago.
Vick Bennison
...decvax!decwrl!rhea!futbal!bennison
(603) 881-2156