Cheap Thrills: Inexpensive Things to do in Chicago Part II

As I indicated in my previous post, my love of a great deal has led me to discover a lot of low-budget ways to enjoy the city of Chicago. Here are a few more. Chicago has a ton of outdoor public art by world-renowned artists. You can take yourself on a very pleasant walking tour in the Loop and view several of the most famous ones:

• Chagall’s “The Four Seasons” mosaic in the plaza outside Chase Tower, 10 S. Dearborn
• “The Picasso” (Is it a bird? Is it a woman?) in Daley Plaza, at Washington and Dearborn
• Miro’s “Moon, Sun, and One Star” (also called “Miss Chicago”), on Washington just west of Dearborn
• Calder’s “Flamingo” in front of the Kluczynski Federal Building, 50 W. Adams
• Dubuffet’s “Monument with Standing Beast” outside the James R. Thompson Center, 100 W.Randolph
• Anish Kapoor’s “Cloud Gate” (aka “The Bean”), Crown Fountain (which my family calls “the spitting fountain”), and, through October, the sculptures of Mexican artist Yvonne Domenge, all in Millenium Park

The Tribune Tower, 435 N. Michigan, contains its own mini tour of historically important structures throughout the world, built right into the stone exterior of the building. You’ll see labeled stones or other fragments from the Parthenon, the Taj Mahal, the Notre Dame, the Berlin Wall, the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramid, Independence Hall, the World Trade Center, and more. If all of this touring is making you thirsty, you can visit Just Grapes, 560 W. Washington Blvd.,which offers free wine tastings on Saturday afternoons from 2:00 to 4:00. Of course you must be at least 21 years old to imbibe. For more information, see www.justgrapes.net. Both Garfield Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave. (west of the Loop) and the Osaka Garden, in Jackson Park (south of the Loop, near the Museum of Science and Industry) are fabulous free options for garden lovers. Find more info at www.garfieldconservatory.org and http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/things_see_do/attractions/park_district/osaka_garden__in_jackson.html, respectively. Finally, if you want a great view from high above the city, take an elevator ride to the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Tower. Although the menu items aren’t cheap, it’s probably a better value than paying the $15 general admission fee to visit the John Hancock Observatory two floors down. For about the same cost, you can leisurely enjoy a snack or a drink in the lounge, while simultaneously enjoying the view. That’s what I call multi-tasking! Linda Kelley is a member of the STC Chicago 2012 Host Committee and currently serves as the Vice President of the STC Chicago chapter.