During our time off from camping trips, we’re enjoying Chicago! This week was particularly busy…we spent Wednesday afternoon at an Andy Warhol exhibit at a local college, and all day Friday in the city.
Starting with Warhol, it was a fantastic exhibit, featuring lots of information about his childhood and early life, some of his most famous works, a replica of Studio 54 where he spent so much time, and a replica of NYC’s Central Park since he lived nearby.
Brillo soap pads inspired this… 
He’s so famous for his paintings of Campbell’s Soup 
He painted these because he ate soup for lunch most days as a child 
His silkscreen “Flowers” 
Some of his silkscreen portraits 
Andy Mouse, a collaboration with Keith Haring in 1986, a tribute to their shared love of Walt Disney.
For Friday, I had booked tickets for one of the Chicago Architecture Center’s walking tours; when I saw the forecast, I decided to also book a river cruise since it was going to be absolutely perfect weather….low 70s, dry, sunny! May as well take advantage of the weather and make the most of the train ride into town! We generally take the Metra commuter train when we go into the city – the station is about five minutes from home, and it’s between a 30- and 50-minute trip depending if we catch an express train or not. For $6.50 round trip each, it’s a bargain and means we don’t have to deal with traffic and parking which is priceless! It was a nice walk from LaSalle St. station to the river…and of course, I stopped to take a few pictures along the way!
Our river cruise was also offered by the Chicago Architecture Center (we’re members because they have a huge variety of amazing tour options that we love!), and it focuses on all the architectural history of the beautiful buildings along the Chicago River. The cruise includes all three branches of the river (main, north, and south), and goes to the mouth of the river, near the lock that separates the river from Lake Michigan…so we covered a LOT of territory and many buildings in 90 minutes!
I’ll use captions on photos to tell the story…it’s definitely not the same as being on the cruise, but hopefully you’ll enjoy!
The Wrigley Building (the chewing gum people), built in 1921; the first major office building north of the river 
London Guarantee Building and Michigan Avenue Bridgehouse 
Wabash Avenue bridge and the Jewelers Building 
Marina City, 1960s (residential) 
The Riverwalk; each section of the river is a ‘room’ along the riverwalk 
One of the 29 movable bridges over the river; Chicago has more than any other city in North America 
The “L” train passing over the river 
Another “room” of the riverwalk and 225 West Wacker
This bridge is no longer in use on the north branch, but was left there as public art 
The curve of this building mirrors the curve of the river as it heads south 
The confluence of the main and south branches 
I love how the white building is reflecting in the glass building on the left 
So many architectural styles along the south branch 
Willis Tower in the middle – Chicago’s tallest building 
The architect wanted to do something unique, so this is a map of the Chicago river; the red spot is “you are here”
The Mart – largest building in the world when it opened in 1930; built for Marshall Fields Dept. Store 
Bridgehouse, LaSalle St. Bridge and Reid Murdoch Building 
Can’t get enough of the massive American Flag on the Wrigley Building 
Looking back at the city from the mouth of the river 
The St. Regis, recently built and one of my favorites! 3rd tallest in Chicago. 
What a fun tour on a beautiful Chicago day!
Once we were back on land, we grabbed some lunch and headed to the Architecture Center for our afternoon walking tour, “Must See Chicago”. This is the third walking tour we’ve done with the center; each has a different theme (one was art deco, another was “historic treasures”) and there are probably another 30 or 40 different tours they offer…which says a lot about how much interesting architecture there is in the Windy City! The tour featured a few buildings and then focused on public art so it was a nice change!
Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower, plus Michigan Avenue bridgehouses 
One of the many beautifully landscaped plazas in Chicago – so much greenspace to enjoy! 
Aqua, a residential tower designed by Jeanne Gang; the St. Regis was also designed by Gang and is nearby – these are my two favorite buildings! 
Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park – designed by Frank Gehry, such an artistic concert pavilion! 
“Cloud Gate”, aka The Bean, designed by Anish Kapoor. The site of so many selfies! 
“Four Seasons” mosaic by Marc Chagall in Chase Tower Plaza 
Untitled Picasso art at Daley Plaza; 50 feet tall!
With about six miles covered, it was a fun, educational, and interesting day in Chicago…and there’s still so much more for us to see in our adopted hometown!
July 8, 2023, 9:16 pm
Great post, so many gorg buildings and a Kodak sign to boot!
July 9, 2023, 11:45 am
Great post! You take the BEST pictures.