If things are normal in Chicago, and they seldom are, the last week of December should feature some snow and cold weather. perhaps even subzero temperatures, with a sharp wind blasting out of the northwest or directly off Lake Michigan. During the 1984 AHA convention the gods of weather blew a surprise: a heat wave in Chicago with temperatures raising to the 60s.
But with courage, a warm coat, and perhaps your new holiday boots, downtown Chicago can be charming, reinvigorating, and loads of fun. The many department and specialty stores on State Street and North Michigan Avenue will be featuring post-holiday sales and will be anxious to satisfy any needs you have.
If you are staying at the Hilton or the Congress, you are just south of the Loop. Within a mile or less you can visit Chicago’s famous Art Institute (at Michigan Avenue between Adams and Monroe Streets) with its new American wing as well as many renown Impressionist and post Impressionist works. On South Michigan Avenue, just a few blocks north of the Hilton, is the Spertus Museum of Judaica which holds a number of significant Judaica art and religious items. Not to be missed is the new, gargantuan, and state of the art, recently opened Harold Washington Public Library on State Street between Congress and Van Buren Streets. After many years without a decent library, Chicago now has one of the finest.
For those whose walking legs have under gone considerable practice before arriving in the Windy City, a two mile walk north on Michigan Avenue will take you as far as Chicago Avenue. Walk north on one side of Michigan Avenue and south coming back and you will pass hundreds of stores both on the ground level and on the upper floors of many of the buildings. The Rand-McNally Map Store (at 444 North Michigan Avenue) is a fantastic place for anyone who has a curiosity in maps and things geographic. A number of art galleries featuring modem American artists are also set on North Michigan. The hotels along the way have restaurants ranging from high priced dining rooms to coffee shops with moderate prices. Also along Michigan one finds a number of national fast food chains as well as some local bake and coffee shops.
By the time you arrive at North Michigan and Chicago avenues you are within a block of such shopping emporiums as Marshall Fields, Nieman Marcus, I. Magnin, Bloomingdales, Lord and Taylor, and Saks Fifth Avenue along with many specialty clothing, jewelry, and linen shops. At the corner of Michigan and Chicago avenues, you will see the old Water Tower directly ahead of you on the east side of Michigan. This is one of the few buildings left that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and houses a local tourist information office. If you want to do some sightseeing and the night is clear, an elevator ride to the top of the John Hancock Building (north of Chicago Avenue on Michigan Avenue) is always rewarding. For those with limited budgets, riding the escalator and circular elevator at the Water Tower Place (the same building which contains Marshall Fields) also satisfies the “ooh and ah” response of people at holiday time. North Michigan Avenue is generally decorated with miniature Italian lights which add to the holiday feeling especially if there is light snow falling.
A block west and north of Chicago and Michigan, you can find the Rush Street nightclub neighborhood. Sometimes the entertainment is good but often overpriced since it is mainly for the expense account crowd and the Yuppies.
If walking is not to your taste, there are some alternatives. A number of commercial touring companies run sightseeing trips to different parts of the city during the day and night (American Sightseeing Chicago, Chicago Motor Coach Company, Gray Line of Chicago, and London Motor Coach). All of these can be contacted through your hotel for schedules and prices on various tours.
A number of corporations and businesses, including the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Sun Times, and the Chicago Tribune offer tours, although the Board of Trade and Mercantile Exchange are not likely to be open on the weekend. For further information about these tours check by phone at your hotel.
Next to San Francisco and New York, no other city offers a greater variety of restaurants representing every ethnic taste bud. A cab ride will take you to many of these restaurants in different parts of town-from soul food on the South side to Chinatown (at 23rd and Wentworth Avenue), to North Lincoln Avenue where there are a variety of ethnic restaurants up and down one of the most interesting streets in Chicago. Two cautions: I would not go to any ethnic restaurant (especially on a weekend night) without a reservation and don’t be late (to Chicagoans, eight p.m. means eight p.m.); most of these require a cab ride or at least good knowledge of and confidence in the public transportation system. If you want specific suggestions, stop in at the Local Arrangements Office (Private Dining Room #5 at the Hilton) or see the concierge at your hotel.
Downtown Chicago also has marvelous examples of the leading lights of American architecture from Louis Sullivan to Ludwig Mies van der Rhoe. The Chicago Architectural Foundation of Chicago (330 South Dearborn; telephone 312/922-3431) has a daily walking tour of downtown which begins at 1:30 p.m. at their headquarters, takes two hours, costs seven dollars ($7.00), and requires no reservations. There are also tours of a number of Frank Lloyd Wright homes located in Oak Park, the first suburb directly west of Chicago. Oak Park is accessible by public transportation (the Lake Street line of the El) or by cab. The Frank Lloyd Wright Tour Center can be contacted at 708/848-1978.
Three miles north of the Hilton, at the corner of North Avenue and Clark Street is the Chicago Historical Society, which has the most wonderful museum and archives dedicated to the study of Chicago. It is definitely worth a visit. In addition, Chicago offers dozens of specialized museums celebrating its varied ethnic and racial traditions. Most of these are open on weekends and the admission charges are minimal.
Good food, a magnificent variety of buildings, galleries, and museums, stores catering to every whim and budget, museums and libraries exploring every intellectual and artistic taste, sports teams that always struggle for champion ships (and sometimes even win), and many community and professional theaters make Chicago a city that is fun and rewarding to visit. Come this year and come back soon and often.
Albert Erlebacher is a professor of history at DePaul University in Chicago and is chair of the 1991 Local Arrangements Committee.
