What to see in Chicago in 2 or 3 days, from Millennium Park to Navy Pier

In our road trip through the United States it's our turn visit Chicago.

As we approach the city, we enter the enormous junctions of highways with many lanes in each direction towards its imposing skyline.

It really impresses. Chicago It is known colloquially as Second City (The Second City) or Windy City (The Windy City) and is the third city with the largest population in the United States, behind New York y Los Angeles.

With its three million inhabitants in the metropolitan area, Chicago is a cyclist's paradise. and has been recognized over the years as a pro-bicycle city, with more than 160 kilometers of cycle paths.

It is allowed to transport bicycles on all buses (in other cities visited we have also been able to see how city buses have a gadget in the front to place bicycles), as well as on trains, and at any time.

What to see and do in Chicago in two days

Today, Chicago It is a dynamic and culturally very diverse city, and it is where the famous gangster lived Al Capone who ruled in the eastern sector of the same.

Following the recommendations of the travel guides of Sales, we head directly to the Navy Pier.

This is the area of ​​the city where the population of Chicago and tourists enjoy the beauty and excitement of a day in the Lake Michigan.

Navy Pier Leisure

From a simple walk through its parks and gardens, to restaurants and exhibitions, or shopping or taking a sightseeing cruise, Navy Pier has a great leisure offer and it is a place different from the others.

There is also a IMAX cinema, the Chicago Children's Museum, Chinese acrobats and places to relax in front of the lake, such as Beer Garden.

Navy Pier It is something similar to a amusement park located in a great chicago pier, facing the lake, and is the first tourist and leisure destination in the Midwest of the United States, attracting more than 8,6 million visitors a year.

After walking for a couple of hours Navy Pier, we retrieve the car from the parking lot and head to the center downtown de la ciudad.

Downtown Chicago

After parking, we headed to a famous photography store that I had located by Sales.

We wanted you to take a look at our camera because it was making the pictures a little clear.

There they treated us kindly, and after an interior cleaning, the quality of the photos improved somewhat, but not completely, meaning that the problem with the camera continues...

Both the car park Like the photography store, they were on an avenue where the subway passed above the street, about seven meters high; Then we found out that all the Chicago subway It is elevated.

We took a long walk around the Downtown for a couple of hours.

It's amazing the Life that these cities offer, since they give the sensation of large masses of cement, of a certain coldness, and they are really much warmer and more welcoming than it may seem, they are more human than what can be conveyed.

Chicago Riverside

Tour the Riverside, walk around the chicago river that runs through the center of the city, it is quite an experience.

The river runs between the very tall skyscrapers, among them the well-known corncob-shaped buildings, as if opening up space in a jungle.

The channel is relatively narrow, narrow between the buildings, narrow and boxed in, but it allows delicious corners where you can walk, sunbathe or have a drink in some of the bars and cafes.

El Riverside We visited it several times during the days we were in Chicago. In the center of the city there are stairs to go down to the river promenade.

El chicago river It is actually a 251-kilometer-long watercourse, the result of a civil engineering work carried out in the XNUMXth century when the direction of its waters was altered for hygiene reasons.

Its natural flow was directed towards the basin of the Mississppi river, far from lake michigan, where it previously ended.

Bike ride in Chicago

As it was a sunny and hot day, and being in one of the cycling cities par excellence, when passing by a bike rental stand we rented a couple of bikes, although they were very expensive compared to those in Vancouver, 12 dollars versus 27 dollars each for two hours.

Even today we remember the sensations of the great bike ride through Chicago.

We toured the parks and gardens of the downtown; We head towards the walks that border the lake michigan, where there were many people running, playing, cycling or sunbathing.

These freshwater lakes are truly like seas, and have their huge beaches, marinas, canoe rentals, boats and almost ocean liners that transport you to various destinations on their remote shores.

We went towards him Shedd Aquarium and the Adler planetarium, from where the view of the city, its skyline It is impressive, and the sunny day made it even more remarkable.

We also toured the Lakeshore East Park.

From there, on the way back we passed through the Millennium Park, and after two hours or so we returned the bikes.

Michigan Avenue, Chicago's Fifth Avenue

After having a refreshing beer, from the Riverside we go up to the Michigan Avenue, something like the Fifth Avenue in New York.

There we ate in a modern place, the Watersweet restaurant, with pretensions of wanting to be classic, a meal with well-prepared dishes, more or less original and generous in quantity.

Finally, around 17 p.m. we picked up the car and, after exploring new areas of the city by car, near the hotel we looked for a super and we bought dinner, and then we went to rest and connect with Sales.

It has been a very pleasant day and we have agreed very pleasantly surprised with Chicago, which seemed to us to be a beautiful and pleasant city, although we fear that in winter it must be a scratch unbearable, as we have read.

Its opening to the sea, sorry to the lake, gives it attractive attractions. coastal city.

Millennium Park, art and architecture in Chicago

In our second day in Chicago we head directly to Millennium park.

This park is an urban recreational and artistic development in the city that occupies ten hectares of the city center, and which opened to the public in 2004.

El Millennium Park It has won several awards, and it brings together several works of art and architecture that have individually stood out in their fields.

The most notable work is the Jay Pritzker Concert Pavilion, designed by Canadian architect Frank Gehry, which can accommodate seven thousand people, distributed between the stands and the grass in front of the stage.

 Cloud Gate, Chicago's iconic sculpture

One of the icons of Chicago Millennium Park is sculpture Cloud Gate, Anish Kapoor, which is really fantastic and very original.

It is like a silver cloud that reflects everything that happens around it like a mirror, with the deformations caused by its shape.

Another notable work of the park is the fountain Crown Fountain from Spanish Jaume Plensa, which uses sets of lights that reflect figures and photos on its stones, like that of Barack Obama when we were there.

This park is formidable, with truly special works of art.

During our visit, in the rest of the park, on a large green esplanade with lots of trees, there was a popular art fair with a multitude of stalls and styles, and all at reasonable prices.

Jackson Avenue, the beginning of Route 66

Nearby we searched (and finally found...) the beginning of the historic Route 66, which ends in Santa Monica Pier, where we had been a few weeks ago.

You find this beginning in the Jackson Avenue, almost corner with the Michigan Avenue.

It was really exciting to have been at both the beginning and the end, and to have traveled a significant part of its journey through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

University of Chicago

Around noon, already hungry in our stomachs, we went to visit the University of Chicago.

This is one of the research universities most recognized and prestigious in the world.

He has had a total of 85 Nobel Prizes and is more specifically known for its already nine Nobel Prizes in Economics.

At this university, the president barack obama He was a renowned professor specialized in Constitutional right.

La University of Chicago is located in the area of Hyde Park, on the south side of Chicago, about 15 minutes from downtown.

During our visit we verified that the University campus It is huge, very Anglo-Saxon, full of green parks, lots of grass, ivy on the walls, gardens, many buildings and colleges.

In short, cozy corners, with really beautiful and attractive buildings.

The places are really a call to study, and we really wanted to sign up for a course.

On our walk the first thing we did was look for a restaurant, and finally we ate in a Greek one, with Mediterranean cuisine, familiar, with American touches.

After eating, we continued walking through those streets, finding buildings of libraries and museums, some of which stood out for the ivy that practically covered their facades.

We also had time to rest on a bench next to a small pond with water lilies.

It caught our attention that at numerous street intersections there were posts stuck in the ground, similar to those used to pay the blue zone, which were really an alarm system where by pressing a button the police were notified.

As indicated, the objective was to prevent assaults on passers-by and students.

Loyola University Chicago

Another place to highlight was the Loyola University Chicagoa whirlpool bath, private catholic school belonging to the Jesus company.

Founded in 1870 in the west side of chicago, has several campuses, with multiple buildings, libraries and sports fields, and hosts around 15,000 students.

Finally we return to downtown chicago, where we last saw some of the striking riverside skyscraper, and in this way we say goodbye to this metropolis that has captivated us much more than expected.

Nice city!!!