Page 389 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

CHIC A GO , ILLINOIS  387

Visitor Information Center 360 Chicago (formerly the world when built in 1916. Over
(163 E Pearson St) and café. Hancock Observatory) on 20,000 timber piles were used
Across the street, Water Tower the 94th floor. Here, 1,127 ft in its construction.
Place contains eight floors of (344 m) above the Magnificent Originally a municipal wharf,
upscale boutiques and rest au- Mile, an open-air (screened) the pier was used for naval
rants. Other “vertical shopping skywalk offers spectacular views training during World War II.
malls” on the street include The of the city. The elevator ride to After a four-year renovation,
Shops at North Bridge. the top at 20 mph (32 km/h) is Navy Pier opened in its
Slightly south, the Gothic- one of the fastest in the US. present incarnation in 1995.
style Tribune Tower, office of Designed by architect Bruce Navy Pier Park has an old-
the Chicago Tribune, holds rock Graham of Skidmore Owings fashioned carousel, an outdoor
fragments from world-famous and Merrill and engineer Fazlur amphitheater, ice skating, and an
sites, such as St. Peter’s Basilica R. Khan, the center houses IMAX® 3D theater. Among one
in Rome, the Forbidden City in offices, condominiums, and of the tallest in the US, a new
Beijing, and even a 3.3-billion- shops in 2.8 million sq ft 196-ft (60-m) Ferris wheel with
year-old piece of moon rock (0.26 million sq m) of space. 40 climate-controlled gondolas
embedded in its exterior walls. carries up to 414 passengers.
At the southernmost end of
the street is the beloved two- 5 Navy Pier
part Wrigley Building. This Map D2. 600 E Grand Ave. Tel (800) 6 Chicago
white terra-cotta structure 595-7437. @ 29, 56, 65, 66, 120, 121, Children’s Museum
features a giant four-sided clock 124. Open 10am; closing times vary
and a quiet courtyard, which is by day & season. Closed Thanksgiving, Map E3. 700 E Grand Ave. Tel (312)
open to the public. Dec 25. 7 0 - h n Lake 527-1000. @ 29, 56, 65, 66, 120, 121,
Chicago visitor centers cruises: ∑ navypier.com 124. Open 10am–5pm daily (until
(www.explorechicago.org) offer 8pm Thu). Closed Thanksg., Dec 25.
& (free first Mon of month). 7 =
details about walking and bus Navy Pier is a bustling recreational h Special activities daily.
tours of the city. and cultural center. Designed by ∑ chicagochildrensmuseum.org
Charles S. Frost, the 3,000-ft-
(915-m-) long and 400-ft- (120-m-) Chicago Children’s Museum,
4 John Hancock wide pier was the largest in the focusing on activating the
Center intellectual and creative
potential of children ages 1 to
Map D2. 875 N Michigan Ave. 12, is an activity center for the
360 Chicago: Tel (888) 875-8439. whole family and has many
q Chicago (red line). @ 145, 146, hands-on and interactive
147, 151. Open 9am–11pm daily. & exhibits. The Dinosaur Expedition
to observatory (children under 3 free).
7 0 h ∑ jhochicago.com is where children can dig for
bones in an excavation pit,
Affectionately called “Big John” or simply slide, climb, and
by Chicagoans, the 100-story, jump around. Children can
cross-braced steel John Hancock also climb on a ship,
Center stands out in the Chicago hide in a treehouse,
skyline. The tapering obelisk and make art to
tower’s major attraction is The giant Ferris wheel, Navy Pier Park take home.

Neo-Classical style
has classical Greco-
Roman elements, as
seen in the Chicago
Cultural Center.
Queen Anne style, once
a popular design for
Chicago residences, is International Style
exemplified by row stresses severe geometry
houses in Crilly Court. and large expanses of
glass. Willis Tower is a
Chicago School, fine example.
developed here, led to an
engineering and aesthetic Post-Modern architecture, an
revolution with eclectic style without strict
commercial skyscrapers rules, is seen in the Harold
like the Reliance building. Washington Library Center.

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