Hi guys, and welcome to our beautiful city of
Chicago. What's better than taking a tour with the locals? And I know what you're gonna say, it
doesn't sound like I'm from Chicago. But that's probably because you're used to the South Side
accent, and we live on the north side of Chicago. But we've lived here for 20 years. And for when
we have people who visit us from out of town, we came up with a list of the 10 favorite places
where we like to take them. And this is what we're gonna show you today. So, our number 1 attraction
in Chicago is Millennium Park. It's actually hard to believe that this thing didn't even exist 20
years ago. But now, it has become a tourist magnet of Chicago. It's really a remarkable gateway to
the city. The bean, also known as Cloud Gate, is an incredible piece of artwork that reflects
the entire skyline of the city. Millennium Park is a year-round kind of venue, where you
can ice skate in the wintertime. And then, just behind the bean, is the pavilion made by
Frank Gehry, the architect who made the Museum of Bilbao. And it's just so weird. Well,
it also very nicely complement the bean, because the two are very reflective, particularly
at night. I really like going down there to see concerts. And then, just next to the bean, you
have the Crown Fountain. It's also a very unique experience. You've got those two fountains, that
are facing each other. And you have the faces that are constantly changing. In the hot summer days,
people love to come down there and cool off. And you have these enormous faces of local citizens
that volunteered to have their faces filmed, and the water comes from people's mouths,
almost like they're spitting on to the crowd. So, number 2 on our list, is the Maggie Daley
Park. It's just very close to Millennium Park. And if you have kids, that should be one of the
prime attractions you should go to. It's basically an amusement park, but it's completely free, and
you have hundreds of kids that enjoy themselves on the park. The Maggie Daley Park has attractions
for all ages. You got for the really small ones; and then for the mid-age kids. So, everybody
is gonna enjoy themselves over there. And what is really spectacular about this
park is that you also have the skyline, and it connects directly to Millennium Park. So,
you can take a short walk across the BP bridge. And the BP bridge is a good complement to the
Frank Gehry architecture. It's super shinny. It's got these very weird shapes, kind like a snake
shape. It's a really interesting experience. So, our number 3 place is the Chicago River Walk.
The river walk, as well, is fairly new. And now, all of a sudden, it's also becoming a crowd
favorite. It's super vibrant. You got restaurants on the side. There's just so much life on the
water. Back in the days, we used to tell our guests to take the architectural cruise. And now
that the Riverwalk is there, you can actually just see all the buildings, just from the river,
without having to pay for the river cruise. And at the corner of the river and Michigan
Avenue, you've got the Tribune Tower. Probably one of the landmark buildings in the city. The
things that are embedded into the Tribune Tower come from the Great Wall, Cologne Cathedral.
And our absolute favorite building in Chicago is the Aqua. This spectacular building designed by
our homegrown architect: Jeanne Gang. And then, at the end of the river, close to the lake,
is the Centennial Plaza. And every hour, on top of the hour, you'll see a water
cannon that shoots water across the river. Number 4 on our list is the lakefront. Chicago has
the most beautiful skyline in the world. And the best place to watch the skyline is from a boat,
if you can. But even if you don't have a boat, you can also get a great skyline from the museum
campus. Between the aquarium and the planetarium, you have this amazing view of the entire skyline,
with the Sears Tower, all the way to Navy Pier. Another spot that has a fantastic view of
the city, is Buckingham Fountain; especially at night when it lights up. It's coordinated to
music. The other thing that's great about Chicago is the beaches. When you think of Chicago, you
don't really think of Chicago as a beach resort, because it's inland. But we have Lake
Michigan. It's exactly like the ocean, except it doesn't smell like salt. Chicago's
lakefront is really enormous. It spans more than 20 miles. There are so many gems along the way.
And much of it you can navigate, just by bike. So 5th one on our list is Michigan Avenue.
Michigan Avenue is the high street of Chicago. And Michigan Avenue is famous for its shopping.
All the big brands are there. The other thing that makes Michigan Avenue really unique, is the way
it connects across the river, down to Millennium Park. And my favorite place to shop on Michigan
Avenue is the Water Tower Place. I love the fountains, on the escalators, on the way there.
And my favorite place at the water tower, is the Lego store. And I especially like that big dragon,
that spans from one end of the store to the other. I really love the history of Water Tower Place.
The water towers, they are original to the city. It's one of the only things that survived the
Great Chicago Fire. And then close to the water tower is the John Hancock. And from the top of the
John Hancock, you have the best view of the city. On the 95th floor, you have the Signature Room.
That's probably the only thing on our list that is not free. But it's just a bar. You just pay
your drink, just like at any other bar. But once you get your drink, you have this incredible view
of the loop, of the lake, of the river, of Lincoln Park on the north side. So, just for the price
of a drink, you get the best view in the city. Number 6 on our list is Lincoln Park. It's kind of of apes and monkeys. And you have gorillas. You
have chimpanzees. It's always a kid's favorite. So, the Lincoln Park Zoo has everything that
every little kid would want to see: zebras, and kangaroos, camels, and alpacas. And also
birds of prey is like those huge vultures. And, it's got a great displays of arctic animals,
like penguins, polar bears, and seals. Just next to the zoo, is the Lincoln Park
Conservatory, where you'll find every type of plant species that you can imagine, in
one place. It's like a huge greenhouse. And when you're inside, it feels like the jungle.
It's actually great to go there in the winter, during the Chicago winter, and you've got
palm trees. And you got coconut trees. My favorite time to go to conservatory is in the
spring, when they have all the flower exhibits. And just north of Lincoln Park, is number 7 on our
list, the neighborhood of Wrigleyville. There's nothing like going to Wrigley Field, and having a
brat and a beer, and some peanuts, on a sunny day, and watch the game. So, obviously, going to
Wrigley Field is not free. But what's free, is hanging around the stadium. The thing
that's kind of unique about Wrigley Field, is that it's an urban stadium. It's surrounded
by bars and restaurants. And it's super lively on game day. Just a great experience! They've
also invested a lot of money in building a number of new facilities around the ballpark, to just
enhance the experience. You have all the statues of all the legends of the Cubs. That stadium
has always been awesome inside. But it used to be a dump outside. And they spent a lot of money
renovating. It's actually really nice now. Yeah. And on the south side of the city is number
8 on our list: Hyde Park. Hyde Park is the home of the University of Chicago. And it's
a really nice campus: the exact traditional campus that you think of, when you think
of a prestigious university. Rockefeller chapel is a beautiful example of a Gothic
church, brought to the United States. Just a beautiful chapel! And then, if you're in Hyde
Park, you should also go see the Robbie House, by Frank Lloyd Wright. It's not free, but
if you're there, you should absolutely go see it. The Robbie House is one of Frank Lloyd
Wright's masterpieces. The original owner was a car enthusiast. It's one of the only Frank Lloyd
Wright houses you'll see, with a 3-car garage And then, number 9 on our list, is the Baha'i
Temple. Technically the Baha'i Temple is not in Chicago. It's in Wilmette. But you can go there
with the L. So, we just decided to put it on the list, because it's such an incredible place.
The Baha'i Temple is one of the most beautiful buildings that I've ever seen. I love the fact
that it represents all the world's religions. You feel a real sense of peace, when you walk around
it. And the gardens and fountains around it, really add to the serenity of the place. It's kind
of our little Taj Mahal, right here, in Chicago. It took, I think, 40 years to build the Baha'i
Temple. And it's the only one in North America. And 10th on our list, is Navy Pier. We had to
put Navy Pier on the list, because, after all, it's the most visited attraction in Chicago. But
we never take anybody to Navy Pier. We never go there. I just don't get it. I like looking at
Navy Pier from a distance, and seeing the Ferris Wheel. But I hate going there, just because of
the crowds. It's very congested. There's not a lot to do at Navy Pier. It's just a big jetty
on the lake. And you just walk along the pier, from one end to the next. And at the very end
of the pier, you have a view of the lake. But, it is like a slice of Chicago. You can see
all kinds of great theater. And there's a Children's Museum, great place to take the
kids. And if you want all the restaurants, in all the neighborhoods in Chicago,
they are on Navy Pier. So, quick trip, and you see the sights. You can go to
Navy Pier and see a lot of Chicago. So if you enjoyed this video: give
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