Must See Chicago, the City of the Bad Rap

Must See Chicago, a walking tour given by the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) www.architecture.org, highlights some of the best Chicago architecture from its many architecture periods. I’m really glad that they’re giving this tour to highlight some of the best that Chicago has because this city deserves a much better reputation than it has.

When we lived in Israel in the 1970’s, my husband would tell people he was from Chicago and they’d invariably make a gun sign with their hands and say, “Al Capone, bang, bang.” I learned after a short time that that was the reaction people had to Chicago about 99% of the time. It got better for a few years when people associated Chicago with Michael Jordan and then President Obama. Unfortunately, that respite was short-lived.

In recent years, Chicago is again associated with gun violence and murders. When we travel outside the Unite States now, people ask us if we’re planning to move soon from our dangerous city. What most people don’t see is how many beautiful things there are in Chicago. I tell them that most tourist areas don’t see any of the violence and that tragically, the violence involves a small segment of the population. The economic and social inequities that give rise to this are the subject of many other posts and shouldn’t be minimized. Nevertheless, the beauty of the city shouldn’t be negated either.

The CAF does a great job of showing off some iconic Chicago buildings and giving people a great overview of downtown Chicago. We took the Must See Chicago tour on a beautiful sunny day and so it was especially enjoyable. And because the pictures speak for themselves, here are a few.

The Wrigley Building, completed in 1924

The Tribune Tower, completed in 1925

The Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Millenium Park

Chicago has been providing free concerts several times per week during the summer months for over 80 years. This is the newer band shell and the acoustics are fabulous.

Marina City, opened in 1968

This mixed use apartment building brought people from the suburbs back to the city where they could live near their work.

along the Chicago Riverwalk

the Chicago Art Institute

the Chicago Cultural Center, formerly the main library

This is a phenomenal building. It was opened in 1897, one of the first free open public libraries in the United States. The collection became too big and the main library was moved to the Harold Washington Library. This building besides having beautiful mosaic ceilings houses many free cultural events including art exhibits and weekly noontime concerts. Visit Chicago and you'll see many more beautiful things. You won't be sorry you came.