Fun stroll [Chicago IL]…read more Just a short distance from the Millennium Park is this cool 925-foot-long winding pedestrian bridge in the Loop community area. This was fun to walk along and took us to another park at the end, the Maggie Daley Park. Interesting and cool piece of engineering looking like a giant silver snake. The stainless steel sheet looks beautiful shimmering in the sun. Aside from the Cloud Gate, the BP Pedestrian Bridge is another one of Millennium Park's popular attractions drawing large crowds of visitors including us! We were able to see views of the Chicago skyline, Lake Michigan, Historic Michigan Boulevard District, and Grant Park. If you're wondering what the BP stands for in its name it is named after the energy firm (formerly called British Petroleum) who donated a large sum to the project. Review #3824

Gehry designed this 925 ft long pedestrian bridge that spans Columbus Drives with skyline views &…read morethe Nichols Bridgeway arches from the park to the Art Institute's sculpture terrace. Named for energy firm BP, which donated $5 million toward its construction, it is the first Gehry-designed bridge to have been completed. BP Bridge is described as snakelike because of its curving form.

Get Your Kicks on Route 66…read more Route 66 starts in Chicago, then traverses through eight states, and ends at the Santa Monica Pier in California. So much fun to find these route markers along the 2,448 mile route. Thank you to my nephew and his dad who showed us this sign at the start of historic Route 66.

Close to the former site of Fort Dearborn was another important site in Chicago. It was where one…read moreof the city's most important figures lived. Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable also had a trading post on this site. Also it was the first permanent, non-native residence in the city it's believed. This is now partially occupied by Pioneer Court on the north side of the river by the Michigan Avenue Bridge, and there's a bust and plaque. After he sold the property, it was discovered it contained a bakehouse, two barns, a dairy, a poultry house, and a smokehouse among other buildings. It then became owned by John Kinzie. The land was sold to the city in 1834 and platted. Basically it was the first land north of the river the city expanded into. This was located from the lake to State Street. A plaque was placed in 1937 that notes the location of Kinzie Mansion. Then in 2009 Erik Blume made a bronze bust of Point Du Sable. Also the bridge was renamed after him. Then Lake Shore Drive was also renamed so he got honored quite a lot. He was an important figure in the city. In fact one of the first to live here. There's lots of recognition for him throughout.

This bronze bust is of the founder and first citizen of the city of Chicago. Pointe Dusable was a…read moreHaitian-born fur trader. The bust can be found in an area called Pioneer Court of the Magnificent mile with its back to the Chicago river. Interestingly enough it is located close to the site of the Pointe DuSable House, designated a National Historic Landmark since 1977. It is the work of Erik Blome, who did the sculpture in 2009. Lesley Benodin donated it to the City of Chicago Public Art Collection in honor of DuSable. The bust is sitting on a granite base. The base has a nice sized plaque that gives a brief blurb about the sculpture, the artist, and Pointe Dusable. It is in very good shape, very detailed and has an uncanny resemblance to what Pointe Dusable looked like. Remember there were not many photographs back then. It is a very scenic sculpture, with a nice view of the Chicago river and skyline serving as its backdrop. Parking to get a closer look at this sculpture is difficult to do. This sculpture is not a destination piece and most of its viewers will be passerbys such as myself. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. Also, be very careful if you are going to get a closer look, as i previously mentioned, this is located at a busy roundabout. With that being said, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

Wrigley Square is a must every time I visited Chicago. I have visited in all four seasons of the…read moreyear. The square is definitely nicest for me in spring and fall. Description: Wrigley Square is a public square located in the northwest section of Millennium Park in the Historic Michigan Boulevard District of the Loop area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The square is located at the southeast corner of the intersection of East Randolph Street and North Michigan Avenue. It contains the Millennium Monument, a nearly full-sized replica of the semicircle of paired Roman Doric-style columns (called a peristyle) that originally sat in this area of Grant Park, near Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street, between 1917 and 1953. The square also contains a large lawn and a public fountain. You Definitely must visit!

Blink and you might miss Wrigley Square as you're rushing over to Millennium Park to take instagram…read morepictures of that bean (much like myself). Right on the corner of Michigan Ave and Randolph St. sits another fountain in the city of Chicago along with a mid size grass field with bench's onsite on the outside of said grass. It's a cool spot right at the beginning of the park where you can sit back relax, and admire the fountains or the city skyline.

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.

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

The Marquette Building is a beautiful example of the Chicago School of architecture. The early…read moresteel framed sixteen story skyscraper was built in 1895. The steel frame is what allowed long "Chicago windows" due to less pressure of the masonry. It was designed by Holabird and Roche. The skyscraper was named for Father Jacques Marquette, the first European settler who explored Chicago in 1674-1675. Mosaics, sculptures and bronzes honor this expedition in the Marquette's entry and lobby. The bronzes and sculptures show the trip and important historic figures that were met along the journey. The railing around the atrium features beautiful Tiffany designed mosaics. Louis Comfort Tiffany was commissioned to create a mosaic frieze to detail the story of Marquette's life, the exploration of Chicago and the Native Americans that he met. Art panels are made of lustered Tiffany glass, mother-of-Pearl and semi-precious stones. It is stunning! The building is free and open to explore. Ask the security guard for a brochure or if you are lucky, he may even share some history about the building. There is also a small exhibit behind the lobby that discusses Chicago skyscrapers and architecture.

Chicago September 2019…read more Walked into the Marquette Building in downtown Chicago to view the beautiful artwork in the lobby. No admission fee. Just walk in and enjoy the view. The lobby is not too big but filled with stain glass art work that is eye catching. One can view the art from the first or second floor. Many Yelpers have already posted photos with great historical commentary. I'll just add a #metoo. No where to park around here unless you want to spend $30.00 ... I just jump on the CTA and pay $2.50 one way (or $5.00 round trip). Many of the buildings in downtown Chicago have fantastic art work in their lobbies. Most are free to explore. Welcome to Chicago !

I really enjoy this sculpture! Lovely location inside Jackson Park, this piece is massive and…read moreimpressive. It's a dozen lotus flower petals and each one is 12 feet tall. I'm a fan of Yoko Ono's art and this is one of my favorites. She gifted this to Chicago and it's her first permanent public artwork in the Americas. It's a symbol of peace.