Lights dimmed. Music filled the auditorium. The sold out auditorium was silent in expectation. Suddenly, exploding stars, colliding solar systems, and giant meteors raced across the domed ceiling of the Definiti Space Theater at the Adler Planetarium. Cosmic Collisions, narrated by Robert Redford in his liquid, sexy voice, takes visitors on a trip through space and time to explore the continuing evolution of the Universe, focusing on the continual explosions occurring throughout the galaxy.

Adler Planetarium, part of Chicago's lakefront Museum Campus

Cosmic Collisions is just one of numerous special programs offered at the Planetarium. In the upper level Sky Theater, the wonders of the night sky are projected on the dome of Adler’s historic Zeiss planetarium theater, providing visitors with a deeper look at the diverse objects that make up our universe. The Universe Theater celebrates Read More »

At first, the John G. Shedd Aquarium was just as I remembered it from childhood visits. Divers still hand-feed reef fish, rays, and sharks that circle endlessly in the 90,000-gallon circular Caribbean Reef aquarium in the main hall. Galleries jut from the tank like spokes of a wheel, each exhibiting an array of sea creatures from lake, riverine, and ocean environments. It was comforting to think that nothing much had changed, but also slightly disturbing because, like visiting a house where you grew up, what had once seemed huge now seemed so small. There must be more to this place, I mused.

John G. Shedd Aquarium in Grant Park, part of Chicago's downtown Museum Campus

Finally locating a map, I discovered a huge portion of the facility that I had overlooked. Down a short fight of steps I discovered the Polar Play Zone. Billed as a place that kids can call their own, this subterranean exhibit features penguins, beluga whales, and an ever popular touch pool. Rockhopper penguins, with their glowing red eyes and egg-yolk yellow eyebrows that swoosh upward into long yellow plumes, are always a hit, as much for their unique appearance as for their antics. They are the only penguins that enter the water feet first, then burst back out and grab onto any perch they can with their beak, flippers, or feet. After watching the penguins in their glass case, kids are invited to don a penguin suit and slide down rock chutes that mimic an arctic environment.

Divers feed fish, rays, and shark that circle in the huge circular Caribbean reef tank

At the opposite end of the Polar Play Zone I climbed back up to the main level, where I discovered the Oceanarium, an enormous pool where trainers conduct interactive shows with marine mammals. On one side of the pool semicircular concrete steps create amphitheater seating, while floor-to-ceiling windows on the far side provide breathtaking views of Lake Michigan. This was definitely not part of the facility when I was a child. Indeed, I later discovered that the Oceanarium opened in 1991 and Read More »

To really appreciate Buckingham Fountain, visitors should see it twice. In the daylight, the details impress. One of the largest in the world, the fountain is 280 feet in diameter at its base and stands more than 25 feet high. In designing it, Edward H. Bennett took inspiration from the Latona Basin in Louis XIV’s gardens at Versailles. Representing Lake Michigan, the main basin is surrounded by four sea horses, symbolizing the four states that touch the lake: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

Lake Michigan provides an exquisite backdrop for the cascading waters of Buckingham Fountain

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Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin’ town….so goes the famous song. Growing up in this thriving Midwest city I never really appreciated the truth of those lyrics. I worked downtown in the “Loop,” and although I spent many lunch hours strolling Michigan Avenue and the lakefront, it never dawned on me that Chicago was a truly spectacular metropolis. It took moving away, growing older, and returning to visit downtown’s magnificent Millennium Park for this fact to dawn on me.

Jay Pritzger Pavilion, home to year-round music programs, is the the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the country. Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdho/559492613.

Millennium Park didn’t exist during the years I lived in Chicago. Grant Park had been built along the shores of Lake Michigan in the mid-1800′s in response to lobbying by citizens who feared commercial development along the lakefront, but the land between Grant Park and the rest of downtown was occupied by a wide swath of Illinois Central railroad tracks that remained a blight on an otherwise attractive landscape. It wasn’t until 1997, when Mayor Richard M. Daley directed his staff to develop plans for a new music venue to be built over the tracks, that the idea for Millennium Park was conceived.

Summer lavender in full bloom at Lurie Gardens in Milennium Park. Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/fireflythegreat/2855461521.

The results are nothing short of spectacular. Today, the 24.5 acres that comprise the park include a winter ice skating rink, Lurie Gardens, the interactive Crown Fountain, and the hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture, which Chicagoans have nicknamed “The Bean” for its resemblance to a giant coffee bean. Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States, is the centerpiece of the park. Free concerts and events that are as diverse as the city itself are held at the pavilion: fitness classes, classical music, jazz, world music, theater, reading circles, ethnic festivals, and dance are just some of the events scheduled throughout the year.

Cloud Gate sculpture reflects Chicago skyline in its seamless stainless steel surface. Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/anneh632/3163674119/in/set-72157606211421780.

Bringing the project full circle, the BP Bridge was constructed between Millennium Park and Grant Park to the east, providing incomparable views of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan from its 925-foot-long elevated walkway of brushed stainless steel panels. New York may be “the greatest city in the world” and LA may be “home of the movie stars” but with its ethnic diversity, cool neighborhoods, visually stunning architecture, and friendly people, I’ll take Chicago any day.

Article by Barbara Weibel of Hole In The Donut Travels