Aha! Pump it! Pump it real good! This is an actual pumping…read morestation! There's huge pipes up in here that transport lots of water up from Lake Michigan to all the thirsty Chicago people. This building is real old- it predates the great fire by two years. This is when they knew how to build things to last. This water tower pumping stationis kinda hollow inside, but full of water works infrastructure. There's a tour you can take. There's also an art gallery that's free and worth checking out, even if just for a few minutes.

This was awesome! You just walk in and find the pumping station operating behind glass enclosure…read more It takes you back in time for a quick minute. My dad was a union plumber in NYC, so of course I can appreciate this awesome structure available to the public. Visiting Chicago has been a great experience!!!

The Long Grove Covered Bridge is a landmark in Long Grove and northeastern Illinois. It has been…read morefeatured in many TV shows and movies. It's a gateway into the historic downtown district in Long Grove. It is nice to take a walk through on a picturesque summer day and a great selfie location in the winter when it's covered with snow. I highly recommend the Long Grove Covered Bridge!

Formerly the Long Grove Covered Bridge, renamed the Robert Parker COFFIN bridge, this one-lane…read morecovered bridge has been struck 50 times in the past few years. It's easy to see why; it's a one lane bridge and three streets converge at the bridge and other than the stop signs, there's not a clear right of way procedure. Maybe make traffic one way through the bridge? I would have liked to take a few pictures but there is too much traffic to do so.

The tour was thorough and informative: $20 for adults and $18 for students for a fifty minute tour…read moreof the house where Ernest Hemingway spent the first six years of his life. The house itself is beautiful, and is fitted with objects/decorations from the late Victorian period. Some of the items are in fact originals from the Hall/Hemingway family, and there are a number of original paintings by Hemingway's mother, Grace. The docent was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. She gave an extensive account of Hemingway's immediate and extended family, which provided an insight into how a well-off family of that era lived. I had read only a couple of Hemingway's works at the time, but the tour was interesting enough that I was able to enjoy it without being a major fan. The building is about a twelve minute walk from the Green Line Oak Park CTA Station, and is close to many restaurants, cafés and shops. There is a lovely park between the station and the home, where one can sit and enjoy the weather + occasional live music. Overall, I highly recommend the tour if you are a Chicago resident or otherwise a Hemingway fan from out of town. It's a quick, cute tour and lovely area.

This was a WONDERFUL historic tour. We purchased our tickets in advance, but I got the sense that…read moretours could sell out if not purchased in advance. We were also told that they close early if they don't sell tickets to the last tour of the day (4:00pm). Even though Ernest Hemingway only lived in this home for the first six years of his life, the tour guide (Sue) was SO informative about the Hemingway family history and life in the house that we felt as if we knew so much about the author by the time the tour was over. Sue was extremely knowledgeable about the house, local history, and what life was like during Hemingway's lifetime. She could answer most of our questions as well. Most of the furnishings in the home are from the time period rather than actual belongings of the Hemingways but there are a few items donated by family members of obtained by the organization and these were pointed out during the tour. One of the nice things about this tour is that there are places to sit during most of the tour and there is an elevator for those who cannot climb stairs. This is unusual for a historic home and makes the tour accessible for all. The tour is just under an hour and I highly recommend it for those who love Hemingway, or history.

Very majestic and what a fun fun Fountain! Very large and elaborate with great water rushing sound…read morealmost like a river. The water cannon that shoots across the river is an added bonus. It's fun to watch as the tour and sightseeing boats wait as the water shoots across. This normally shoots out every hour for a duration of about 5 minutes. We have lots of great pictures by this Fountain and it's also very nice to see from our building. Nice and quite addition to the river, less touristy than other parts of the river walk. Plus there are restaurants right by it and it's always pleasant to take a stroll any time of the day.

It was closed. I came here and it was closed. I was gaslit into thinking this was a fully…read morefunctional fountain but turns out - it was not. :( Please make it 24/7 pls thx

This is a small pocket plaza located in the heart of downtown Chicago, sandwiched between the…read moreWrigley and Realtor buildings. It was dedicated in 1963 by the then Mexican Consulate General, in honor of the member countries of the Organization of American States. It is a small plaza that is very picturesque, especially at night at is home to a few sculptures. In the Spring and Summer, the plaza is adorned with beautiful flowers and folliage. It is well maintained. Obviously, they cant have the plants in the harsh Chicago winters though. You will find the Wings of Mexico here. It is a temporary exhibit that consist of a pair of gold wings that visitor can pose in front of and take pictures. There is also a life-sized sculpture of Mexico's first president of indigenous origin (26th overall), Benito Juarez in the plaza. I did not see any seating in the plaza, so I guess they do not want it to be a spot to hang out and loiter, but to just enjoy. There are flags around the plaza's perimeter, representative of the each respective country that is part of the Organization of American States. Parking to get here is very difficult, as is most parking in the Windy City. I like this place and what it represents, but this plaza is not a destination spot and most of its visitors will be passerbys such as myself. I would say, I spent about 20 minutes here and moved on.

This place was nice to just sit, relax, enjoy the view, and take a quick break from walking around…read morethe city.

Certainly there's many historic sites in Chicago. Fort Dearborn was located here and was an…read moreimportant site in the War Of 1812. It had a very strategic location along the river. Has a monument next to the Michigan Avenue bridge. The fort no longer exists, but there's information to read about it though. A long history of this fort. It was first built in 1803 and named after General and Secretary Of War Henry Dearborn, who was in command for Thomas Jefferson. This fort was destroyed in the War Of 1812, but was rebuilt after a few years. Basically nothing happened here after. The fort was decommissioned in 1837 and the troops left. Parts were lost in 1855 because of widening the river, and a couple years later there was a fire. There was later another one, The Great Chicago Fire Of 1871, which destroyed the rest of this. On the south end of the Michigan Avenue bridge are a couple murals. This is the former location of the fort, and you can read a few plaques. For those interested, they can find out more about it. If wanting to look at actual pieces of the fort, a few boards are in the Chicago History Museum. There was a replica made in 1899, in 1839 the Chicago City Council added another star to the city flag to represent the fort, and in 1971 the site was made a landmark where it can be read about at Michigan and Wacker.

Very cool and iconic monument on a very cool and iconic bridge. Right on Michigan and a great view…read moreonto the river.

UBS tower is one of my favorites because…read more - Its modern architecture style is fantastic and never ceased to amaze me. - Its northern side looks out to the Civic Opera House building with absolutely stunning views - Located in the very heart of Chicago downtown, just a stone thrown away from Willis Tower, Ogivile Transportation Center, L and the river! - Buffet on the 30th has pretty good food selection.

This slick new tower has shiny aluminum and glass towers, with vertical steps along its east…read moreelevation. Architect James Goettsch may get elevated to the top level with this design. UBS Financial Services is the anchor tenant.

This place is beautiful and melancholy at the same time. Wonderful way to honor the deceased circus…read moreperformers who have been laid to rest here.

Beautiful historic grounds with a particularly poignant tribute at Showmen's rest. Definitely well…read moreworth visiting.