Trave l SE & DO With sports so heavily embedded in the city’s identity and ‘going to the game’ a popular pursuit in every code, it would be difficult for another to rival Chicago’s sporting culture. For an iconic experience, head to the ivy-clad Wrigley Park and take in a game by the Cubs at the oldest National League ballpark. Hot dogs topped thick with mustard, eaten in the wooden bleachers are all part of the experience. And while the game’s greatest player, Michael Jordan, left the Chicago Bulls a near two decades ago, the crowds still flock to United Centre to watch the current giants slam dunk with precision. Running adjacent to the city, sits Lake Michigan - the size of which seems more oceanic than lake-like. The best way to take it in? Sign up for a DIIVY bike membership and cycle along the water, stopping off where sights beckon. Or when the need for refreshment sets in. Navy Pier and Oak Street Beach come well recommended, as does a swimming pit stop once you’re approaching Lincoln Park. In summer, take a walk through and a stop off at the city’s public zoo – read free entry, lions, tigers and bears. You won’t understand the sheer size and sprawl of Chicago until you venture to the Sky Deck atop the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, the Willis Tower. At 1,353 feet, the views are unsurpassed and you’ll look across four states. Those who don’t take issue with heights will relish stepping out onto the eerie, but stable glass ledge. CULTURE FIX When it comes to gallery experiences the Art Institute of Chicago sits internationally unsurpassed. Playing home to a host of iconic works, and those by key influentials (think Monet, Van Gough, Picasso), the opportunities to endlessly explore the exhibits abound. Edward Hopper’s Nighthawk – regarded as one of the most recognisable images of American art sees crowds gather daily beneath, and so too Warhol’s Mao. The surrounding Millennium Park serves as a new kind of town square – bursting with state of the art collections of architecture, public art, engaging landscape design and free cultural programs. Architecture is heavenly ingrained and the best way to a) see it all and b) understand the importance is via the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s River Cruise. You’ll sit transfixed aboard the First Lady as you listen to your docent, guiding you past 50 buildings along the river, narrating how the city grew from a small country outpost to one of the world’s most important crossroads in less than 100 years. If you can, aim for the twilight session – the lighting illuminates the glass and metallic features and casts a serene and pastel hue over the river. In terms of evening events it would be remiss not to take in a Broadway show in one of the historic musical theatres, but be sure to plan ahead. The same holds true for the Opera Civic. " The surrounding Millennium Park serves as a new kind of town square – bursting with state of the art collections of architecture, public art, engaging landscape design and free cultural programs." 76 Pindara Magazine Autumn 2015
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Four
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