Chicago Visitor Recommendations!

I recently had out-of-town friends ask what to do during a long spring weekend in Chicago. These were just a few off-the-cuff ideas.

For fancy hotel drinks in a luxurious setting:

The Peninsula Hotel Chicago Lobby Bar
www.peninsula.com
108 E. Superior St.
Chicago, IL 60611
312-337-2888

Art lovers should not miss the new art wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. A drink in Terzo Piano on the top floor of the new wing is suggested with a walk down the beautiful bridge by Italian architect Renzo Piano over Monroe St. as the capper:

Terzo Piano
www.terzopianochicago.com
159 E. Monroe St.
Chicago, IL 60603
312-443-8650

This leads you to dinner al fresco right smack dab in the middle of Millennium Park before a concert at the Frank Gehry designed Pritzker Pavilion:

Park Grill in Millennium Park
55 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60602
312-742-5222

Another fantastic view for drinks at sunset is the second tallest building in Chicago:

Signature Room – Hancock Building 98th Floor
875 N. Michigan Ave.

There aren’t many reasonably priced restaurants that still have live music, but this Michigan Ave. favorite continues to feature nightly instrumental jazz:

Bandera Restaurant
535 N. Michigan Ave. – 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60611
312-644-3524

If the weather is balmy, this outdoor cafe is right on the sand overlooking Lake Michigan:

Oak Street Beachstro
www.oakstreetbeachstro.com
1001 N. Lake Shore Dr.