CHICAGO: EASY LIVING

The series: Chicago- NYC-Havana


Part I

CHICAGO: EASY LIVING

Life in Istanbul can be described with a single word: Chaos. Its scattered, multiparty and far from simple. In search of simplicity and order, Chicago provided the perfect answers. Home of the glittering skyline, renowned for its architectural landmarks -as well its cold- Chicago was the highlight of my week. To be frank with you all, the person that made that extra glitter possible was my husband, he was the perfect guide leading me to the best places in town.

Artstuff:

• The Bean : Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park within the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The sculpture and AT&T Plaza are located on top of Park Grill, between the Chase Promenade and McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its bean-like shape. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It is 33 feet by 66 feet by 42 feet (10 m × 20 m × 13 m), and weighs 110 short tons (100 t; 98 long tons).(Source: Wikipedia)

• Art Institute of Chicago : Did you know that Chicago hold the biggest Impressionists collection in US? I didn’t. Infact I learnt on a TV screen in one of the cabs. But I was mesmerized by the art potential of the city. With current exhibitions such as “Chagall’s windows” and upcoming exhibitions such as “Hyperlinks: Architecture and Design” on the agenda, the institute deserves a thorough visit when visiting the city.

Address: 111 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60603-6404
Website: www.artic.edu

Shopping :

• Chicago Premium Outlets : With over 100 outlet stores, this is a good stop when in search of a bargain.

Address: 1650 Premium Outlets Boulevard Aurora, IL 60502

• Michigan Avenue & The Magnificient Mile: The secret to any metropolitian these days is a key shopping road. Whether it be Bond Street, 5th Avenue or any other equivalent they are the aorts of the shopping district. Chicago’s Michigan Avenue is not any different, its bustle and tustle with people raging in and out of shops especially if you happen to be there during the Holiday season. Stores include...Salvatore Ferregamo, Cole Haan, American Girl, Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Uggs, Nordstorm.....and further. For more info check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Avenue_(Chicago)

Dining and Entertainment:

Here are some of our suggestions for an evening out and more...

• Andy’s Jazz Bar- for some jazz!
• Scoozi- for a great Italian

• Intelligentsia – for a nice coffee and hanging out

• Grand Lux Cafe – for huge portions of food and indulging deserts

• Toast – for the best breakfast in town

• Einstein Bagels – for the best bagels and breakfast combos

• The Drake- for some afternoon tea.

Notes on architecture:

In between dining, dealing with the cold and perhaps taking a ride down Lakeshore Drive for a skyline view please do be aware that you are in an architectural capital of the world. Here are some sights to look out for:

• Sears Tower (Tallest building in the US)

• First skyscrapers done in the 1940’s which scatter in the skyline

• Frank Lloyd Wright’s houses in the suburb

• Green building argument: Instead of building new green houses from scratch it is actually more ‘green’ to renovate existing buildings to become environmentally friendly. Hence limiting the usage of an important element: earth/land.