len3.8 said:
We are going to the Zoo (Which one is best?)
Well, you have a choice. And all three are great choices, with a nice variety of animals, in lovely settings.
Lincoln Park Zoo is close to downtown (three miles north). It's compact so you can see all of it without walking all day long. The Children's Zoo portion is new. And yes, it's free.
Brookfield Zoo is about a 35 minute drive west-southwest of downtown. It's spread out, so you'll do a lot of walking. It's more of a park-like setting, like the St. Louis Zoo (except that Brookfield charges admission).
The Shedd Aquarium has some very nice exhibits as well; it's not just fish. The Oceanarium re-creates the environment of the Northwest Coast, and the pools holding the beluga whales and dolphins look like an extension of Lake Michigan. It's also part of the "museum campus", so it's walking distance from the Adler Planetarium and the Field Museum of Natural History (dinosaurs!).
len3.8 said:
You bet! Start with the Art Institute.
The Art Institute is right next to Chicago's newest attraction, which is well worth spending an hour or two:
Millennium Park. Unfortunately, the Cloud Gate sculpture ("the bean") is being repaired and not visible. But you can see the Frank Gehry-designed bandshell, and the Crown Fountain with its glass blocks showing faces of Chicagoans. It's a beautiful new park.
Note - If the weather is hot (likely, since we're having our hottest, driest summer in recorded history), the kids should wear bathing suits to Millennium Park; they can splash in the Crown Fountain.
If you like sports, go to a baseball game at Wrigley Field (preferable) or Comiskey Park (no, we don't call it by its corporate name).
For more ideas, the website for the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau is
www.choosechicago.com.
len3.8 said:
Of course! Michigan Avenue is a good place to start.
There are TONS of great restaurants, and it all depends on what kind of food you (and your kids) like. Ask the concierge at your hotel for suggestions.
len3.8 said:
Home.
, so I guess we will be visiting a few more places tomorrow... My kids love the Museums and Art galleries at home, so I know that we will be in them all day tomorrow... Field Museum, Art Institute and the Lincoln park Zoo are on the agenda for tomorrow...We are going to start a couple of hours early tomorrow...
