We were in Chicago a couple of summers ago for a wedding and had a great time downtown. We'd been to the Field Museum before so we didn't go there this time, but it is surely worth seeing. Even though you said no tours (and I agree in principle) I highly recommend this River Cruise. It's a tour but it is definitely NOT an annoying tour. If the weather is half-way good, then it's a nice ride gliding along the backwaters of downtown Chicago.
Quote:Architecture River Cruise
Marvel at Chicagos soaring towers while enjoying a 90-minute, narrated river cruise. This tour spotlights more than 50 architecturally significant sites where you will discover a new perspective on the city. Come aboard either of our well-appointed vessels,Chicago's First Lady or Chicago's Little Lady, where both open-air and climate-controlled indoor seating will make your journey comfortable. Snacks and beverages are available.
Fall Season: October 3 - October 30
Monday-Thursday: 11am, noon, 1pm, 2 pm, 3pm
Friday-Sunday: 10am, 11am, noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm
The Chicago Art Institute is huge but a good place to spend some time. It's got two restaurants so you can have lunch there and the gift shop has great stuff if you need to bring some trinkets home to the swamp critters. I particularly liked their European art -- fantastic old stuff and some great impressionism pieces... this one, for example, is 10 feet across:
You can't be in downtown Chicago and ignore Navy Pier -- running its mile-long length on the outside are plenty of things to keep you interested, and you can duck into the building at many entrances to warm up and check out an interesting museum of art glass...
Quote:Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows at Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois.
The Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows has over 175 windows on permanent display at Navy Pier, on Chicago's magnificent lakefront. The museum is open every day of the year, when Navy Pier is open, and best of all, it is free. See the only known window to survive from the Woman's Building of the World's Columbian Exposition, windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany, John LaFarge, Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Franz Mayer and F.X. Zettler of Munich and many others, all fully labeled, easy to understand, and in beautiful installations. Free guided tours of the Museum are available by appointment. Please call 312.595.5024 for further information.
If you end up renting a car, the Bahai Temple north of Chicago in Wilmette is worth seeing and then you'll be able to check out the amazing homes along the lakefront. Just follow your nose heading north and west along the lake.
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