Sightseeing in Chicago
Chicago has a variety of world-class attractions that should appeal to anybody, especially to quiz bowlers!
The easiest way to reach most of Chicago’s downtown attractions is to ride the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA’s) ‘L’ trains, for which there is a stop within easy walking distance of the hotel: Exit the hotel and walk west on Bryn Mawr; turn right on River Road and pass under I-190 and the CTA tracks. The entrance to Rosemont station on the will be on your right. Board trains bound for “Loop” or “Forest Park” (not for O’Hare!) for the 35-minute ride into downtown Chicago.
Once you’re downtown, the (Blue Line to Monroe, walk 1 block south to Adams and 3 blocks east) features dozens of tossup-worthy works, including Nighthawks and American Gothic, and adjoins both and , home to Cloud Gate (“The Bean”) and Buckingham Fountain, respectively. Just a bit further south is the Museum Campus (Blue Line to Jackson, walk 1 block east to State Street and Jackson and catch toward Museum Campus), which is home to three major institutions: the , the , and the historic , which was the first planetarium in the Americas.
The (formerly the Sears Tower; Blue Line to Jackson, walk 4 blocks west) offers stunning views of the Chicago skyline; so does (formerly the John Hancock Center; Blue Line to Chicago station, toward Navy Pier), located on Michigan Avenue in the heart of famed Magnificent Mile. Further afield are the (Blue Line to Western, to Clark/North), the (5 minutes walk from the zoo), and the (Blue Line to Jackson, walk 1 block east to State Street and Jackson and catch toward 79th/South Shore), which is housed in a structure originally built for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.