#12 best destination in the world

 

Art Institute of Chicago

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  • Museum founded in 1879 in Chicago
  • One of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States
  • #17 of the top 25 museums in the world
  • Has a permanent collection of nearly 300,000 works of art

 

Cahokia

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  • Pre-Columbian Native American city dated from 600-1400
  • Includes 120 manmade earthen mounds
  • The settlement began 1,000 years before European contact
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Millennium Park

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  • Public park originally intended to celebrate the third millennium
  • Previously occupied by Illinois Central rail yard and parking lots
  • The final cost of the park was $475 million, of which 50% was paid for by Chicago taxpayers and private donors
  • The cost of the park was so high because of construction delays, cost overruns, poor planning, many design changes, and cronyism

 

  • Public sculpture made of stainless steel plates constructed from 2004-2006
  • Nicknamed The Bean because of its shape
  • Design inspired by liquid mercury

 

The Magnificent Mile

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  • Upscale section of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue
  • Currently Chicago’s largest shopping district, various mid to high-end shops line this section of the street
  • Approximately 3,100,000 square feet are occupied by retail, restaurants, museums and hotels

 

PT Murphy Magic Theater

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  • Magic show performed by magician PT Murphy in his private 24 seat theater

 

Oz Park

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  • Features many statues fashioned after characters in The Wizard of Oz, a book which was authored by Chicago reporter L. Frank Baum

 

Tiffany Dome

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  • Largest Tiffany dome in the world
  • Completed in 1897
  • Exhibits the zodiac signs in pieces of colorful glass

 

Woolly Mammoth Antiques and Oddities

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  • Retail store that showcases taxidermy, anatomy, medical, books, toys, skulls, bones, skeletons, military, funerary, art, charts, maps, tools, specimens, and natural history

 

Wicker Park Secret Agent Supply Co

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  • Benefiting a nonprofit creative writing center, this shop sells spy-related gadgets & gifts

 

Willis Tower Glass Platform

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  • Four glass boxes that hover over 1,000 feet to give visitors an unparalleled view of Chicago
  • Opened in 2009

 

Costs

Number of Days: 14 days

Best Time To Fly: April-May, Sept-Oct

Airline tickets: $314

Seattle -> Chicago (round trip) = $314

Food: $45/day x 14 days = $630

Rental Car: $47 x 5 days = $233

Gas: $57

Entertainment: $99

Airbnb: $171 x 13 days = $2,228

TOTAL: $3,561