Chicago’s trip was for us a sudden plan as we got good deal on the flights and I didn’t get much time to plan out everything in detail, but it all worked out great. This city is so beautiful that instantaneously I fell in love with it and I would move there in a heart bit (Though winter here is very harsh ☹).
It was a 4 days trip. I purchased City Pass and that was my first-time using it, so I didn’t know that even if you have city pass, you still have to get tickets at the ticket counter for each attraction. And when we visited it was a long weekend and everywhere we had to stand in line for long hours. But buying city pass could save some bucks.
You can buy city pass here.
We did all the below attractions.
Willis Tower
It is a is a 110-story, 1,450-foot skyscraper in Chicago. On completion in 1973 it was the tallest building in the world. And it held this title for 25 years. Isn’t it awesome. At the 103th floor there is glass balcony. It gives spectacular views of the city.
You can book tickets online here. There are different experiences to choose from.
If you go here before sunset, you get to see both daylight and night views.
Shedd Aquarium
I will never forget my experience over here. Considering crowd we went here before even opening hours but I guess everyone thought the same and came early as we were standing in the line for 2 and a half hour just to get tickets. (Even though we had city pass.) Nevertheless, aquarium is a treat for everyone. Its so huge and have so much of collection. I remember we saw a fish which had patch on its body so inquired about it and we were told that the fish had cancer and they treated him. I was totally amazed learning this fact. Every life is important.
There are various sections and you can plan on your priorities as it’s a very big aquarium and you really get tired. I specifically liked the part of touching star fish, sting rays, watching penguins and walking over sharks.
Hours of Operation: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM for updated details click here.
City pass includes admission for this attraction.
Architectural tour
I would advise everyone to do this tour. It a 90-minutes boat tour which gives very good insights about different architectures around the city. This city is planned so well that no matter where you look every building has interesting design. It’s the most relaxing way to go around the city. We did this tour with Chicago’s First Lady Cruises as they had very good reviews on TripAdvisor. You can buy tickets here.
360 Chicago
It is an observatory on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Building with a tilting glass lookout 1000 ft. up. If you are not afraid of heights, then surely you would love it! This observatory gives magnificent views of the coastline and of the city. Tilt experience costs extra bucks. I think price was around 7 dollars. And you can purchase tickets on the site as well. City Pass covers admission for observatory but not the Tilt experience. You can book tickets here.
Millennium Park and Cloud gate
It is a public park and has an iconic structure of Chicago: The Cloud Gate. Don’t miss a photo-op here. You might get a long line but worth a wait. Each angle gives different views. The park also has other sculpture. Its a best place for nice relaxing walk.
Buckingham Fountain
Buckingham Fountain is located in the center of the Grant Park. It is one of the largest fountains in the world. It was 10-15 minutes’ walk from Millennium park. There is no fee to see this attraction.
Field Museum
It is a must do museum; they have so many exhibits and is one of the largest museums in the world. Prepare to spend 2-3 hours minimum to enjoy this attraction. Its next to the Sheds Aquarium. They have skeleton of Titanosaur, the largest dinosaur to ever live. I also liked their Ancient Egypt exhibit. You can get map of the museum at the entry and plan on your priorities so that you won’t get exhausted covering everything. Entry to this museum is covered in City Pass.
Art Institute of Chicago
This museum has a fine collection of artworks. There is so much to see and enjoy that you would need at least 3 hours. Don’t miss this in your trip. Entry to this museum is included in the CityPass.
Museum of Science and Industry
This is yet another amazing museum in Chicago. I am not a museum person honestly, but truly I enjoyed all these museums. There was so much to learn in this museum. We really liked the U-505 Submarine and we also did Coal Mine tour. We spent 3-4 hours here. Entry was included in the CityPass.
We also enjoyed our walk to the Navy Pier and enjoyed views of the Michigan lake. It was nice breezy evening.
Food/Cafes
- Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria (They have best deep-dish pizza)
- Wildberry Pancakes & Café (Try their Berry-Bliss pancakes. We loved it!)
- Yolk (They have best French toast!)
- Naf Naf Falafel (I loved their pita pocket shawarma)
