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 it a big thumbs up. And put your
comments in the comment section below. And if you'd like to subscribe to our channel,
we are gonna put a link somewhere right here. And click the little bell, to get notifications,
when we have new videos. And if you want to watch more videos,
we're gonna put one right here. And we're gonna put another one right there.
Bye! Bye!