The Chicago Traveler

I have featured several condominium towers that are so much more than boring blocks. The Regatta, River East Center, Skybridge, and many more are all examples of the great architecture the Chicago skyline has to offer. Today’s residential towers, though they look similar, are all eye-catching pieces along the lakefront.
Along the way to Navy Pier, you can’t help but notice Lake Point Tower. Completed in 1968, this 645-foot-tall (197 m) skyscraper has three rounded lobes, evenly spaced at 120-degree angles. The building’s curves are designed so that residents cannot see into each other’s windows. If you think the tower has …read more

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The Sears Tower may no longer be officially considered the tallest building in the world, but that hasn’t stopped Chicago from building and reaching higher. The Chicago Spire is a skyscraper currently under construction that, when completed in 2011, will be 2,000 feet tall (610 m) with 150 floors. It will be the second-tallest building in the world, the tallest free-standing structure in North America, and the tallest all-residential building on the planet.
The skyscraper is being constructed in Streeterville, just west of Navy Pier. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava imagined a smoke spiral coming from a campfire when he designed the …read more

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• Learn about the causes and outcomes of earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, tornadoes, and more at The Field Museum’s new exhibit, Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters. (through Jan 4)
• The Las Vegas male revue Thunder from Down Under is coming to Chicago for a 75-minute performance at Crobar. Meet and greet the hunky hotties after the show. (May 23)
• Grab your tent and your sleeping bags and head down to Three Sisters Park for Summer Camp 2008. The weekend event features over 60 bands, including moe., the Flaming Lips, and OAR. (May 23-25)
• The R-rated, Tony Award-winning musical comedy Avenue Q …read more

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The most popular cultural attraction in Chicago is the Field Museum of Natural History. Sitting along Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan, it is part of the Museum Campus along with the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium.
After the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, people wanted to create a permanent museum to hold many of the scientific and technological exhibits that had been on display. The Columbian Museum of Chicago was built in Jackson Park with the purpose of “accumulation and dissemination of knowledge, and the preservation and exhibition of objects illustrating art, archaeology, science and history.” (–FieldMuseum.org) In honor …read more

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If you’ve been down Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive recently, you know that it resembles a rocky mountain road more than an urban thoroughfare.
Radio talk show hosts can make jokes about the numerous potholes along the lakefront road, but very few people are laughing. In fact, the situation is so bad, public transportation officials have decided not to raise Lake Shore Drive’s speed limit.
Normally, from April 1 through November 1, Lake Shore Drive’s speed limit is set at 45 mph (72 kmph). But the pothole situation has gotten so bad, the Chicago Department of Transportation has determined that it’s just not …read more

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The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum opened in 1930 and was the first planetarium built in the Western Hemisphere. It is home to two full-size theaters, including the world’s first all-digital projection StarRider Theater. It stands on Northerly Island (next to Charter One Pavilion), which was initially meant to be the first of several man-made islands along the lakeshore.
In 1923, Dr. Walther Bauersfeld of the Carl Zeiss Corporation in Germany designed a projector fully capable of accurately reproducing the night sky. Placed in the center of a hemispherical room, the machine produced a precise celestial map onto the inner surface …read more

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One of Chicago’s most popular attractions is Buckingham Fountain. It is one of the largest fountains in the world and was dedicated to the people of Chicago by Kate Buckingham in honor of her late brother, Clarence. Kate also established the Buckingham Fountain Endowment Fund with an initial investment of $300,000 to pay for maintenance on the fountain.
Opened on May 26, 1927, the fountain was designed to represent Lake Michigan; the four seahorse statues symbolize the four states that touch the lake: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.
It’s currently too cold for Buckingham Fountain to be running, as it usually operates …read more

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• If you’re a fan of all things dark and gruesome, check out the artwork of author, film director, and artist Clive Barker at the Packer Schopf Gallery, showing Tuesdays through Saturdays and free to the public. (runs through February 16)
• The 24th Annual Playdough Palooza is the Wish List Auxiliary Board’s annual fundraising event to support the Child Life Department. This year’s fundraiser will be at Rockit Bar and Grill. All of the proceeds will fund new supplies for the Children’s Memorial Hospital. Tickets are $50-$60 via childrenswishlist.org (Jan 18)
• Ladies, spend A Night in Paradise. This girls’ night …read more

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Written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner, When Harry Met Sally… is a 1989 romantic comedy that follows Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) as they meet, depart, meet, depart, and meet again in New York City. This classic humorously examines the dynamics between men and women, and it is considered one of the top 100 comedy films in American cinema by the American Film Institute.

When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

Directed by:
Rob Reiner

Produced by:
Andrew Scheinman
Rob Reiner

Starring:
Billy Crystal
Meg Ryan
Carrie Fisher
Bruno Kirby

Distributed by:
Columbia Pictures

All Movie Guide
IMDb
Amazon.com

The film opens with Harry and Sally, complete strangers to each other, sharing …read more

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Most adults probably haven’t been to a museum since they were in junior high as part of a class field trip. And while the Museum of Science and Industry has plenty of kid-friendly interactive exhibits, grown-ups can find attractive features to visit as well.

The exterior alone is quite impressive, as the building dates back to 1893, when it was used for two World’s Fairs (the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and The Century of Progress Exposition in 1933). It then housed the Columbian Museum, which evolved into the Field Museum of Natural History. When a new Field Museum building opened downtown …read more

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