Top architectural sightseeing and landmarks of Chicago - ideas on city exploration routes

» The Museum of Science and Industry was opened in 1933 on the initiative of D. Rosenwald, a rich businessman and fan of scientific and technological progress.
»  The museum is a very interesting modern complex that attracts a lot of visitors. There are 75 halls that house 35 000 exhibits.
»  The most attractive thing here is that visitors can touch any exhibits and even take part in phenomena and processes.
»  In the museum, permanent and temporary exhibitions are organized. Not so long ago, an exhibition where natural phenomena, e.g. tsunami, tornado, and Tesla coil, are demonstrated. Also, there are: a full-size replica coal mine that uses original equipment of 1933, German submarine U-505 captured during the Second World War, and the first Apollo 8 spacecraft.
»  The number and variety of exhibits is really huge. In the Omnimax Showroom, you can watch contemporary popular-science films.

» The Field Museum is named after Marshall Field who founded a charity organization in 1894 and donated a million dollars for the construction and opening of the museum. At that time, 600 first exhibits were collected.
»  Now, the museum fund contains 21 million exhibits collected in all parts of the world. The most unique exhibits are skeletons of dinosaurs and scarecrows of such big animals, as African elephants and lions.
»  In the museum, there are 30 permanent exhibitions. You can also see here artifacts from Ancient Egypt, Tibet, China, and Africa.
»  Visitors with children who visit the Underground Adventure can become 100 times smaller and look for the way among plants’ roots like spiders, earthworms, and grasshoppers.
»  The museum offers an interesting promotion: everyone can stay overnight when the museum is closed. They get a sleeping bag for it.

» Wrigley Field is a baseball and football stadium that was opened over 100 years ago. The stadium was opened in 1914.
»  It can seat 41 000 people. This baseball stadium is one of the best in the world.
»  To maintain the authenticity of the construction, its scoreboard is still manual. Another interesting fact is that spectators are seated on the roofs of nearby houses when the stadium is overcrowded. Owners of these houses obtain money for tickets and pay a certain percentage to Wrigley Field.
»  The ivied fence of the stadium often interrupts matches because sportsmen have to look for a ball in the bush. The wind from Lake Michigan impacts on games too.
»  At the stadium, you can see the monument to the best basketball player of the Chicago Cubs Billy Williams.

» Buckingham Fountain that is the biggest fountain in the world is a private construction. Kate Buckingham spent $750 000 on its construction and $300 000 on its maintenance.
»  The monument is dedicated to Kate’s dead brother and officially named the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain. It was opened in 1927.
»  The pool of the fountain is over 80 m in diameter and contains 5.5 million l of water. The main statue is 45 m high. The water pressure is controlled by a computer.
»  In summer, Buckingham Fountain operates with color-light shows. It has 820 spotlights.
»  The fountain is constructed of pink marble and resembles a wedding cake. During wedding ceremonies, couples love taking pictures near the fountain.

» Trump Tower was built in 2009 at the expense of Donald Trump, a millionaire and US President. In 2001, Trump met architect Adrian Smith and expressed a desire to build the highest tower in the world.
»  He had to change plans when the plane fell to the towers in New York. The 360-meter skyscraper is the third in the USA.
»  In the tower, there are shops, a hotel, a restaurant, a garage, and 486 luxury apartments and penthouses on the upper floors of the building.
»  The Sixteen Restaurant is two-Michelin-starred and is considered to be the best restaurant in Chicago.
»  The tower appeared in such films, as “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and “The Dark Knight”.

» The Chicago Children's Museum in Chicago is an interesting place for children and adults. It does not look like a classical museum.
»  It is a big playground where children can do everything their parents do not allow them to do, for example, play with water or construct “houses” of pieces of furniture (sofas, chairs, drawers, or blankets).
»  Here, they can become a seller, a pilot, or a driver.
»  The museum is divided into sectors where children of all ages study the world and conduct experiments.
»  The museum has an “open house” once a week.

» The United Center is a sports arena built in 1994 near its destroyed predecessor Chicago Stadium. The idea to build a new stadium belonged to Bill Wirtz and Jerry M. Reinsdorf, the owners of sports teams.
»  The construction was sponsored by United Airlines. The arena is named after this airline company. When it was constructed, a special acoustic system was used.
»  The stadium is the home arena of two teams: the Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, and the Chicago Bulls, NBA. The Bulls have never lost in the NBA final. There is a monument to the famous player Michael Jordan.
»  At the stadium, different sports and other public events are held. For example, Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Beyonce, Shakira, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, and other famous people performed here.

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Facts: » The Rockefeller Memorial Chapel was built on the initiative of John Rockefeller who donated much money to the University of Chicago founded by him in 1890. Rockefeller wanted the chapel to unite students of different religions and to be the spiritual center of the university.
»  It was built in 1928. The impressive construction designed by architect Bertram Goodhue has no chancel.
»  In the huge hall, there are rows of oak benches. The hall seats 1 700 people.
»  In the chapel, there is a big carillon that is the second biggest carillon in the world. Its bells weigh 100 tons. The students’ choir has performed “Mass” for over a century.
»  Around the building, there are a hundred sculptures that symbolize different scientific directions and religions.
»  Today, different events are held in the chapel: university conferences, concerts, film screenings, and even wedding ceremonies.