The Crown Fountain shows Chicago's citizens on its two 50 ft. tall towers.

Most Chicagoans generally think of Millenium Park as a place for tourists and suburbanites.  To a certain extent, those folks are right.  But beyond the cameras taking shots of the Bean, there’s a lot more to Millenium Park than what you may have seen.

The Jay Pritzker Pavilion is one of the more impressive outdoor music venues you’ll ever see.  Be on the lookout for any number of free concerts in the park.  The Lurie garden is 5 acres in size and features a walkway of 15 ft. tall hedges.

If you’re just looking for a nice walk, walk over the BP Bridge and head towards the lake.

Beyond all the attractions, Millenium Park is just a nice place to be when the sun’s out.

USE YOUR U-PASS: The park is near the Adams/Wabash train in the loop or you can follow Google’s directions.

Millenium Park

The Ornamentation on the roof of the library was added in 1993.

After you’re done exploring the whole of the Richard J. Daley Library on campus, there’s another giant library not far away.  The Harold Washington Library was built in 1991 and named after the city’s late mayor.

Not only is the Harold Washington Library a fully functioning library with free wi-fi and nine floors of books, it’s one of Chicago’s most recognizable pieces of architecture.

If you’re a Chicago resident, you can get a library card at no cost.  Even if you’re not, it may be possible to get a card based on other criteria.  Bring your Driver’s License as well as possibly your i-card, and check in with the main desk.

USE YOUR U-PASS: The Library is directly next to the Library-State & Van Buren stop on the loop trains, but there’s a bunch of different ways to get there.

One of the many zoo entrances. This entrance is on Canon Dr. near the Conservatory.

Many of the best zoos in the country cost upwards of $35 for daily entrance.  The Lincoln Park Zoo may not have Panda Bears, but it’s still one of the best zoos out there…and it’s absolutely free to get in the park.  Like most zoos you’re used to, it has it’s assortment of outside space where the giraffes and elephants and duikers can roam.  The zoo also features indoor houses for lions, reptiles, primates and more.  There’s also the ever popular seal tank.

Beyond actually being a zoo, the Lincoln Park Zoo is a really terrific place to take a walk when the weather’s nice.  If you have a nice coat, it’s also a terrific place to take a walk when the weather’s not as nice.  The zoo is open every day of the year.

While the animals are the main attraction, there’s also a fairly large paddleboat lake near the south end of the zoo.  They rent 4-person boats that you can take for a spin to the area over by the ‘Farm in the Zoo.’

USE YOUR U-PASS: Toy around with Google’s directions.  There’s no nearby train station, but plenty of ways to get to the zoo from UIC.

Lincoln Park Zoo

Almost everyone has had Chinese food in their life.  Everyone has not, however, had Chinese food from Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood.  Swing down to Chinatown for lunch one day and you’ll have your choice of over 60 restaurants.  Beyond the restaurants, there are also some cultural sights like the Nine Dragon Wall and the Chinatown Square Mosaic.  There are also a seemingly unlimited number of small shops selling everything you can imagine.

No matter where you eat, make sure to stop at one of the many restaurants that serve fruit smoothies or bubble teas.  They make for a most excellent, and relatively healthy, dessert.

For a really unique dining experience, consider one of the restaurants that serve dim sum.

USE YOUR U-PASS: Take the red line to the Cermak-Chinatown stop or follow Google’s directions.

Chinatown