Art Institute of Chicago
You can't (and shouldn't) miss the Art Institute: The signature pair of bronze lions that flank the museum's main entrance are perfect rendezvous points, and there is always a throng of people sitting on the steps on nice days. Finding the museum is easy -- it's deciding what to see that is hard. Choose a medium and a century and the Art Institute has the works in its collection to captivate you: Japanese ukiyo-e prints, ancient Egyptian bronzes and Greek vases, 19th-century British photography, masterpieces by most of the greatest names in 20th-century sculpture, or modern American textiles. For a good general overview of the museum's collection, take the free "Highlights of the Art Institute" tour, offered at 2pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays.If you've got limited time, you'll want to head straight to the museum's renowned collection of Impressionist art (including one of the world's largest collections of Monet paintings); this is one of the most popular areas of the museum, so arriving early pays off. Among the treasures, you'll find Seurat's pointillist masterpiece Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Your second must-see areas are the galleries of European and American contemporary art, ranging from paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media works from Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Salvador Dalí through Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol. Visitors are sometimes surprised when they discover many of the icons that hang here. (Grant Wood's American Gothic and Edward Hopper's Nighthawks are two that bring double takes from many visitors.)Other recommended exhibits are the collection of delicate mid-19th-century glass paperweights in the museum's famous Arthur Rubloff collection and the great hall of European arms and armor dating from the 15th to 19th centuries. Composed of more than 1,500 objects, including armor, horse equipment, swords and daggers, polearms, and maces, the collection is one of the most important assemblages of its kind in the country. (If you do head down here, don't miss Marc Chagall's stunning stained-glass windows at the end of the gallery.)The Art Institute goes the extra mile to entertain kids. The Kraft Education Center on the lower level features interactive exhibits for children and has a list of "gallery games" to make visiting the museum more fun. When I was a kid, I was entranced by the Thorne Miniature Rooms, filled with tiny reproductions of furnished interiors from European and American history (heaven for a dollhouse fanatic).The museum also has a cafeteria and an elegant full-service restaurant, a picturesque courtyard cafe (open June-Sept), and a large shop. There is a busy schedule of lectures, films, and other special presentations, as well as guided tours, to enhance your viewing of the art. The museum also has a research library. Allow 3 hours.If you want to enjoy your favorite masterpieces in something resembling peace and quiet, put some thought into the timing of your visit to the Art Institute, a museum so popular that it draws as much traffic as our jammed expressways.Some tips for avoiding the rush hour: Many people don't realize the museum is open on Mondays; so keep this secret to yourself, and visit when the galleries are relatively subdued. Wednesdays are a close second. Tuesdays tend to draw the masses because the Art Institute is free that day and open late (until 8pm). Try to arrive when the doors open in the morning or else during the lunchtime lull. Another tip: If the Michigan Avenue entrance is crowded, head around to the entrance on the Columbus Drive side, which is usually less congested and is more convenient to the Grant Park underground parking garage. There's a small gift shop near the Columbus Drive entrance, too, if the main shop is too bustling.

City Gallery
Along with the pumping station across the street, the Chicago Water Tower is one of only a handful of buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It has long been a revered symbol of the city's resilience and fortitude, although today -- more than 130 years after it first rose to a once-mighty height of 154 feet -- the Water Tower is dwarfed by the high-rise shopping centers and hotels of North Michigan Avenue. The Gothic-style limestone building now has been reinvented as an art gallery. The spiffed-up interior is intimate and sunny, and it's a refreshing pit stop of culture on your way to the Water Tower shopping center or pumping-station tourist information center across the street. Exhibits have included works by Chicago-based photographer Victor Skrebneski. Allow a half-hour.

Historic Pullman
Railway magnate George Pullman may have been a fabulously wealthy industrialist, but he fancied himself more enlightened than his 19th-century peers. So when it came time to build a new headquarters for his Pullman Palace Car Company, he dreamed of something far more than the standard factory surrounded by tenements. Instead, he built a model community for his workers, a place where they could live in houses with indoor plumbing and abundant natural light -- amenities almost unheard of for industrial workers in the 1880s. Pullman didn't do all this solely from the goodness of his heart; he hoped that the town named after him would attract the most skilled workers (who would be so happy that they wouldn't go on strike). As one of the first "factory towns," Pullman caused an international sensation and was seen as a model for other companies to follow. The happy workers that Pullman envisioned, however, did go on strike in 1894, frustrated by the company's control of every aspect of their lives.Today, the Pullman district makes a fascinating stop for anyone with a historical or architectural bent. While many of the homes are private residences, a number of public buildings still stand (including the lavish Hotel Florence, the imposing Clock Tower, and the two-story colonnaded Market Hall). Although a fire damaged some buildings in the late 1990s, Pullman has thankfully been recognized as a unique historic site, and much-needed repairs are underway. You can walk through on your own during opening hours (stop by the visitor center for a map), or take a guided a tour at 12:30 or 1:30pm on the first Sunday of the month from May through October ($4 adults, $3.50 seniors).

Four Points by Sheraton Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile
Nearby Airports: * Midway Airport - 13 Miles * Chicago O'Hare International Airport - 17 Miles Nearby Cities: * Chicago - 5 Miles * Evanston - 12 Miles * Skokie - 14 Miles * Glenview - 18 Miles * Oakbrook Terrace - 18 Miles * Downers Grove - 25 Miles * Northbrook - 25 Miles * Schaumburg - 30 Miles * Naperville - 33 Miles * Gurnee - 39 ...

Comfort Inn & Suites Downtown
Along Michigan Avenue. Shopping, dining, entertainment, historical building. Modern amenities; suites and standard rooms. Complimentary Breakfast, fitness center. Parking: 25.00 usd/night including in/out privileges. Check into hotel first to receive your transmitter. Airport shuttle service is called: Continental Air Transport. Please call Airport Express direct at 1-800-654-7871 for information on Chicago airport shuttle ...

Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown North
Located in the heart of Chicago. Two blocks fom Michigan Avenue, better known as the ''Magnificent Mile''. Michigan Avenue is the address for some of the world' premiere retail stores, specialty shops and restaurnats (with in walking distance over 40 different restauants to choose from). The Hilton Garden Inn is conveniently located four blocks to the ''Loop'' Chicago's finacial district. McCormick Place is three miles. Merchandise Mart is is three blcks west. Hilton Towers is located ...