An Almost Free Summer Tuesday in Chicago
This post is part of the Carnival of Cities for July 23, 2008.
Whether you decide to play hooky one day or if you are visiting without a lot to spend, here’s a sample itinerary for how to spend an almost cost-free Tuesday getting to know some of Chicago. Your expenses will be for food and beverages only. I’ve listed some low-cost yet vacation-friendly options at the bottom of this article.
First stop: Millennium Park has recently surpassed Navy Pier as Chicago’s most popular tourist attraction. It’s right along Michigan Avenue so you’ll get to see some great buildings and a lot of action. There are temporary art exhibits that switch out, and then there are the regular interactive public art pieces.
Cloud Gate is a shiny, reflective orb that looks like a bean. And everyone calls it “the Bean.” It may sound hokey, but you’ll get lost in it. Trust me. The Crown Fountain is a great place to people watch. There’s a thin layer of water between the towers. You’re welcome to take off your shoes and walk through it. On a hot day, you’ll have to watch out for the kids that absolutely love this place. It helps that the faces on the towers spit a spout of water every so often.
Second stop: Navy Pier, which is now the second most visited place in the city. It’s basically like the Mall of America, but it gets you great views of Lake Michigan and the city’s shoreline.
Walk one block to 25 E. Washington. Look for trolley stop signs showing a yellow star. This is a stop for the Chicago Free Trolley system. Ride it to Navy Pier.
Over the years, the Free Trolley has really gotten popular. If you want to save on the cash, be prepared to spend in terms of time.
Stroll along Navy Pier. Take pictures of the city. The Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows is very classy and very free.
Third stop: The Rush Hour Concert at St. James Cathedral (Wabash and Huron). Leave Navy Pier around 4:15 to get there for the light refreshments that start at 5:15. The music starts at 5:45.
Get on the Free Trolley’s Blue Square line and ride to the Rush Street stop. Walk about four blocks to the cathedral.
After spending all day walking around in the sun, how about relaxing in a lovely, cool setting with some beautiful music? The Rush Hour organization offers under-an-hour classical and world music sessions every summer Tuesday.
Fourth and final stop: The Museum of Contemporary Art is open until 8:00 pm and is free all day. And they have free jazz on the terrace.
Walk four more blocks northeast to the museum. Or, if classical music is not your thing, you can transfer to the Free Trolley’s Red Circle line at Michigan Avenue and ride that up. You’ll get to see the great shopping street in Chicago with all the high-dollar names.
The MCA is a smaller museum with three floors of smaller galleries and two main showcase rooms. The free jazz starts at 5:30, and people get there early to fill up the terrace seating. Standing around the terrace is actually very noisy with a lot of people talking. The lawn is the better choice. You’re not going to get great sound quality anywhere, but it really is nice to lay on grass in the middle of the city while the urbanites jog like crazy in the park behind you and all the cars are still scurrying their way home.
Even though it’s outside, the sun sets behind the MCA building leaving the lawn in the shade. It turns out really well. Here’s a picture I took on my back of the Ritz-Carlton Residences (right), Hancock Building (center), and Water Tower Place (left). By the way, on the day I took this picture, I walked by the Ritz and saw Stedman Graham getting into a taxi. I’m proud I didn’t gawk.
Now how about the food?
There are plenty of convenience stores along your route. Try to pick up your drinks from the Walgreens or CVSs to save money.
Breakfast: I don’t know about you, but a McDonald’s breakfast always says vacation to me. It’s cheap. It’s filling. And the coffee’s good. Approximate cost: $5.00
Lunch: It’s not the original location but grab a cheeseburger at the Billy Goat Tavern. Saturday Night Live made them famous with the “Cheezeborger, cheezeborger, no fries, chips” routine. Strangely enough, they now serve Pepsi. Load up at the toppings bar and take it to go. That way, you can get a cheaper and larger drink somewhere else. Approximate cost: $3.00
Dinner: The original Pizzeria Uno is marked on the trolley map by a purple square with a triangle on top. Their deep dish pizza has a buttery crust and a sour-ish tomato sauce. Order something with sausage in it. Mmm. Keep in mind that deep dish pizza is going to bake for about 45 minutes.
A fun thing to do may be to place a timed pick-up order for an individual deep dish pizza for 6:50. Head in to St. James. Then come get your pizza and take it to the MCA. Eat it on the lawn while listening to some outstanding jazz. That’s mashing a lot of Chicago together right there.
If that’s too much, the restaurant is open until 1:00 am. Approximate cost: $8.00
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