SUSAN GLASER
cleveland.com
TRAVEL
Pick your perfect view: Sitting alongside the Chicago River, watching the sightseeing boats motor past. Or sitting on one of the boats, watching the skyscrapers roll by.
Or pick both, like I did on my recent trip to Chicago.
This was my first trip to the city since 2019, before the COVID pandemic upended many American downtowns.
I was in town for only of couple of days, so I had to be strategic with my time.
My top priorities: a river cruise and a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago.
We window shopped along Michigan Avenue, dined outside and explored Northerly Island Park, which occupies the city's former Meigs Field airport.
And between those activities, we walked miles along Chicago's Lakefront Trail and the Riverwalk, two pathways that set the standard for urban waterfront access.
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In the evening, we checked out the new digital light show "Build Up the House," part of the Art on the Mart public art project that launched in 2018. The show features animated light projections across the south facade of the massive Merchandise Mart, set to music. The current offering, by Brendan Fernandes, celebrates the 40th anniversary of house music. Best seen from the south side of the Riverwalk, the show runs Thursday through Sunday from 7:30 to 8 p.m. through Nov. 20. It's free.
Finally, we spent an evening at Chicago's Nederlander Theatre watching a terrific production of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."
All in all, it was one excellent weekend in Chicago.
Chicago River cruise
If you have time for only one experience in Chicago, make it this one. Chicago is often referred to as the city of architecture because of its terrific display of skyscrapers. The best way to see them: from a Chicago River cruise.
I booked our cruise with the Chicago Architecture Center, which uses trained volunteers to lead its 90-minute river tours. Kent Foutty, who by day is an accounting professor at Loyola University, was our guide.
Because the history of architecture can't be separated from the history of a city, Foutty's tour covered some key points in Chicago's past -- notably, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which eventually made way for the city's first skyscrapers; and the decision in the late 1800s to reverse the flow of the Chicago River away from Lake Michigan, to keep the city's water supply clean.
We motored by buildings formerly occupied by some of the city's biggest employers, all long gone -- including the Wrigley Chewing Co., Montgomery Ward and Sears. But their buildings still stand in testament to their former prowess.
We motored by dozens of architectural marvels, including Marina City, the iconic circular towers designed by Bertrand Goldberg in the 1960s and built to attract middle-class Chicagoans back to the central city from the suburbs.
Other highlights:
■ The Trump International Hotel and Tower, a glassy spire, completed in 2009 and initially planned to be the tallest building in the world. But after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, plans were scaled back. It's currently the second-tallest building in Chicago, after Willis Tower.
■ The future home of the city's first casino, a $1.7 billion project that includes a Bally's Casino and adjacent 34-story hotel, set to open in 2026.
■ The elegant St. Regis Chicago, designed by Jeanne Gang, a gorgeous, glassy three-tiered tower. At 1,198 feet tall, it's the third-highest building in Chicago (and the tallest in the world designed by a woman). Foutty pointed out the uninhabited "blow-through floor" near the top of the tower, added to reduce wind-induced sway.
Cruises are $54 and are offered numerous times daily through Nov. 23.
For an extra $5, river cruisers gain admission to the Chicago Architecture Center, 111 E. Wacker Drive, with exhibits on the history of Chicago architecture, a large model of the downtown skyline, architects who shaped Chicago and more. Info: architecture.org
Art Institute of Chicago
The next day, we queued up at the art institute to be among the first to enter at 11 a.m. when the museum opened. Our first stop: the Japanese Prints gallery, temporary home to what is popularly known as "The Great Wave," an iconic work by Katsushika Hokusai created in 1831.
The work, formally "Under the Wave off Kanagawa," has become a cultural touchstone, imitated but never duplicated, featured most recently in the New York Times bestseller "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow."
The work, which features a towering wave with Mount Fuji in the background, is a print, not a painting. According to the Art Institute, there are about 100 prints in existence -- and the Chicago museum has three.
Because the print is so fragile, it's on display for only a few months every four or five years.
It's not a large image, 10 inches by 14 ¾ inches, displayed behind special glass in a small, dimly lit room. Get to the museum early to see it without a crowd.
We headed upstairs to wander among the institute's eye-popping collection of works by Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas, Picasso, Van Gogh and others. The museum houses the largest collection of Impressionist and Postimpressionist art outside of the Louvre in Paris. Don't miss it.
Other stops on our tour: Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks," Georgia O'Keeff e's "Sky Above Clouds IV" and Grant Wood's "American Gothic."
We finished in the Contemporary Gallery before heading outside to explore nearby Millennium Park and the Lakefront Trail.
Adult admission to the museum is $32. Info: artic.edu
'Harry Potter' on stage
For one final Chicago experience, I bought tickets to see "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" at the James M. Nederlander Theatre (formerly the Oriental Theatre) downtown.
The play, written in 2016, takes place 19 years after the events of J.K. Rowling's final Potter novel, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
The story's protagonist is Harry's son, Albus, who finds himself time traveling with Hogwarts mate Scorpius Malfoy in an attempt to correct (what he believes is) a wrong perpetrated years before.
The play was first performed in London in 2016, in two parts. It has since been condensed into one performance -- playing on Broadway since 2018 and opening in Chicago in September.
The special effects are extraordinary -- even from the balcony -- including flaming wands, flying characters, quick changes and other wizardry.
The show runs in Chicago through early February, when it will head out on tour. Trust me, you won't regret it. Info: broadwayinchicago.com
If you go
Where we stayed: Because we took the train from Cleveland, we wanted a hotel within easy walking distance of Union Station. Our home for two nights: the well-located CitizenM, open since 2022 on E. Wacker Place, within a half-block of both the Chicago River and Michigan Avenue. Part of a small European chain, the hotel features small, well-appointed rooms with large, comfortable gathering spaces. We paid about $275 per night, but rates are cheaper during the week.
Where we ate: This was no foodie tour, but we ate well -- at Havana for cocktails and Cuban food; Ryo Sushi for quick, tasty Japanese fare; Pizano's for deep-dish pizza; and Wildberry Cafe for a morning meal that filled us all day. All were within walking distance of our hotel.
Info: choosechicago.org
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