“My Chicago” ABA Annual Meeting, August 2020

My Chicago is a great and exciting place to visit in the summer, and hopefully, we will find ourselves free to roam, explore and spend time in close proximity with others by then! It’s unclear what the pro sports seasons will look like by July but if luck should have it, there’s nothing like catching a Cubs or White Sox game at home. Stroll Michigan Avenue to shop and stop in at one of our fabulous hotels or restaurants for afternoon snacks and cocktails. Spend an afternoon at the Chicago Art Institute which boasts one of the world’s vastest collections with over 300,000 permanent works. Spend time walking the lakeshore and beaches, watching boats and volleyball. Take an architectural tour along the Chicago River (http://www.architecture.org). Visit Millennium Park and the Bean sculpture. Head to the top of one of the world’s tallest and most famous buildings and relish the view of Chicagoland from every angle. Whatever you choose to do in my city, you won’t be disappointed.

World-class restaurants, theaters, museums, and art and culture festivals will entice all senses. Some sources for activities and events are Time Out Chicago (http://www.timeoutchicago.com), Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/c/chicago-event-calendar-cfyzxpy/), Chicago Magazine (http://www.chicagomag.com/Things-to-Do-in-Chicago/), Metromix (http://www.metromix.com), and the Chicago Reader (http://www.chicagoreader.com). Consider venturing out of downtown to another neighborhood for a festival, shopping, dining, and drinks, most of which are accessible off the public transportation lines from downtown (http://www.chicagotransit.com).

For music, whether it’s blues, rock, jazz or a piano bar, live music abounds in Chicago. And in the summer, you can enjoy music outside at many venues including Millennium Park. Live music venues throughout the city include The Green Mill, Schuba’s, Kingston Mines, and B.L.U.E.S. to name a few. Go online for their offerings during your stay. If you are looking for a lounge or piano bar head to the Zebra Lounge, Howl at the Moon, or the Redhead Piano Bar, all close to downtown. You might also consider taking a train up to Highland Park, north of the city, to enjoy a popular or classical concert under the stars at Ravinia, a 36-acre park nestled in the woods and the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (http://www.ravinia.org).

As you all know, Chicago is a restaurant city! There’s something for everyone of any style and cuisine! Search ahead at OpenTable (http://www.opentable.com/ChicagoGuide), Zagat (http://www.zagat.com/chicago), Chicago Magazine (http://www.chicagomag.com), or the other sources listed above. Book in advance for any of our 23 restaurants awarded Michelin Stars in 2019 https://bit.ly/2RBp425) and 54 restaurants selected for the Bib Gourmands for 2020 (https://bit.ly/2ycQzb8).

If you want theater, My Chicago has it all. The Goodman Theatre (http://www.goodmantheatre.org) will offer The Outsiders, based on the novel and movie. The Broadway Playhouse will offer Six, a musical remixing of 500 years of historical heartbreak about the six wives of Henry VIII into “an exuberant celebration of 21st-century girl power!” And the Tony Award-Winning Dear Evan Hansen will be playing at the CIBC Theater (check out http://www.broadwayinchicago.com). There’s always the incomparable Second City where many of the country’s best comedians got their start (http://www.secondcity.com). And be sure to see what’s happening at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier (http://www.chicagoshakes.com). There are also countless small theaters in Chicago offering something for everyone which will need our help once we emerge from this crisis. Information about many of our smaller theaters is available at http://www.theatreinchicago.com.

My Chicago’s museum campus is within walking distance from our hotel. In addition to the Chicago Art Institute, the Field Museum of Natural History (http://www.fieldmuseum.org), the giant tanks and Beluga Whales at the Shedd Aquarium (http://www.sheddaquariam.org), the sky show at the Adler Planetarium (http://www.adlerplanetarium.org), and the installations at the Museum of Contemporary Art (http://www.mcachicago.org) are equally amazing. And in the summer, the walks to all of these places are beautiful with wonders along the way!

If your kids are with you, head to the Museum of Science and Industry (http://www.msichicago.org), further south down Lake Shore Drive. In July/August the museum will feature several movies and Dream It, Design It, Fab It!, Numbers In Nature: A Mirror Maze, Science Storms, and the VR Spacewalk, among other exhibits. Navy Pier and the Chicago Children’s Museum is right at the lakefront. The Willis Tower Skydeck and “ledge,” and the John Hancock observatory and Signature Room on the 95th floor, provide awe-inspiring views of the city and lakefront.

Whatever you decide, Chicago in summer is an amazing place to explore! My Chicago welcomes you back with big shoulders and open arms!