The Magnificent Mile

 

To end the day, we walked the Magnificent Mile, admiring its luxury shops, landmark hotels, and architecture.

The highlight was the LEGO Store, complete with a detailed LEGO model of the Willis Tower. The shop is far more impressive than our local one in Australia. 

Next door to the LEGO Store Chicago is Unicorn World, a colourful and sparkly children’s boutique, unapologetically targeting rainbow princesses as its customers.

We also stopped by It'Sugar Chicago, a candy lover's paradise packed with every sweet imaginable. This type of store seems unthinkable back home in Australia.

Just as we turned the corner towards our hotel, we spotted the massive four-storey Starbucks Reserve Roastery.

We knew we were getting close to our hotel as we began crossing beneath the elevated tracks of the 'L'.

Skydeck - Willis Tower

 

Perched on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower, the Skydeck delivers sweeping, unobstructed panoramas of Chicago, the vast Lake Michigan, and the wider metropolitan region, stretching across Illinois and three neighboring states.

Conditions could not have been better for visibility, with clear skies and no trace of haze or pollution to dull the view.

Millenium Park.

From the Skydeck, we had a great view of the museum campus at the far end of Grant Park. The standout features are easy to pick out, the brown dome of the Adler Planetarium at the tip of the peninsula, the Shedd Aquarium in the middle with its distinctive semi-circular atrium housing the Abbott Oceanarium, and the sheer scale of the Field Museum.

Stepping onto 'The Ledge', a glass balcony that juts more than a metre beyond the building's exterior, sparked of nostalgia, recalling a scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

The Shedd Aquarium

 

After our visit to the Field Museum, we headed back to the Museum Campus, this time to explore the Shedd Aquarium. Although the building itself isn't especially large, it cleverly accommodates around 1,500 aquatic species within a series of impressive habitats.

We arrived at the Shedd Aquarium right as it opened and stopped at the Stingray Touch Lagoon just inside the entrance. The lagoon features both stingrays and eagle rays, and getting up close to these graceful creatures was a cool, hands-on experience.

Once inside the building, we made our way down to the Abbott Oceanarium, home to the beluga whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins.

The belugas were cruising around, seemingly just as interested in us as we were in them.

These unique creatures captivate with their gracefulness, agility, and, most of all, their intelligence.

Sharing the Abbott Oceanarium is an acrobatic pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins, instantly recognisable by their striking black-and-white markings.

We stayed for a while and watched the dolphins run through a series of skills with their trainers. They are an incredibly active and agile species, bursting with energy.

From the underwater viewing area under the Oceanarium, we could watch the belugas and dolphins from below the surface—where they are truly in their element.

Adjacent to the underwater viewing area is the Polar Play Zone, home to both Southern rockhopper and Magellanic penguins.

The Abbott Oceanarium can be quickly transformed into a show arena by dropping curtains in front of the panoramic windows overlooking Lake Michigan. Images and videos are then projected onto the curtains, creating a colourful backdrop.

We moved up to the main floor of the Shedd Aquarium, where an array of large aquariums showcases wildlife from a wide range of ecological zones across the planet. The variety is staggering, with aquatic plants and animals displayed in an expansive and thoughtfully designed space.

From vibrant tropical reefs to Amazonian freshwater rivers, each exhibit offers something completely different.

The Wild Reef, features a vast enclosure filled with sharks, rays, and a host of large fish, including grouper.

The Shedd Aquarium is a surprisingly impressive facility, especially considering the relatively small footprint available.

As we left the Shedd Aquarium, we discovered that some of the best views of the city are from the Museum Campus. The only way to truly take in the full skyline is from a bit of distance, where the skyscrapers come together as a single, impressive panorama.

On our way back into the city, we stopped at the Eleven Diner, a well-known local favorite that quickly lived up to its reputation.

We enjoyed burgers, fries, and a sandwich, all flavorful, well-priced, and satisfying. With friendly service and quirky décor, it felt like a true Chicago hidden gem. I had food envy when I saw a Rueben Sandwich on a neighbouring table.

Architecture River Cruise

 

We chose the sunset Architecture River Cruise, a calm, scenic ride through downtown on the Chicago River.

Seeing the city from the water gives enough distance to properly take in its buildings and bridges. 

Each structure stands out like The St Regis Chicago hotel, but together they create a unified skyline that reflects Chicago's deliberate balance of design and function.

150 North Riverside stands out for its unusual, eye-catching design. Its inward-sloping base make the structure appear almost unstable. Most buildings widen at the base to support their height. This one does not.

Riverside Point, next to 150 North Riverside, also features an inward-sloping base, though its front and back are curved. It sits at the junction where the North and South branches of the Chicago River meet.

One building along the river stands out for the wrong reasons: Trump Tower. The building carries a growing stigma that continues to overshadow it.

In contrast to the towering skyscrapers, the bridges share a largely uniform design, creating striking visual patterns as you drift along the river. Most of the bridges serve a dual purpose, carrying road traffic while the upper level is dedicated to the city's "L" trains.

The north branch of the Chicago River contains some of the city’s older bridge infrastructure, including the decommissioned Chicago & NW Railway Bridge (above) and the Kinzie Street Bridge (below).

Moving along the South Branch of the river, the tall skyscrapers give way to more residential buildings and industrial areas.

Chicago's architectural landscape ranges from the elegant Art Deco designs of the 1920s to the bold contemporary structures of today. Dominating the skyline is the Willis Tower, once known as the Sears Tower. Finished in 1974, it held the title of the world's tallest building until 1998.

THe cruise was a really nice way to end a very busy day.