I am from IL, and lived in Chicago for about 6 years when I was much younger. The last few years we have stayed in the city after visiting family. My husband and I will be there by ourselves to celebrate my birthday. He has to be there for work, and I will be alone one day, and then we will have two days together. We have done the architectural tour (my husband is an architect and he loved it!), the aquarium to ad nauseum, the history museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, the science museum, Millenium Park, and Wicked. Our trips have been children focused for the most part.

So it is just the two of us, and we will definitely spend a day at the Art Institute which is a favorite of mine. We have tickets to Jersey Boys one evening. What are some things to do that would be unique? We love the arts, we enjoy theatre, history, great dining experiences and unique bookstores (maybe architecture focused for him). I will have one afternoon to myself, and we will have two full days together (however, one will be spent at the Art Institute). We will be back again, of course, so all recommendations are truly appreciated!

How about a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House & the University of Chicago?

http://www.gowright.org/robiehouse/tours.php

The first self sustained nuclear reaction happened in the CP-1 nuclear reactor under the bleachers at the University of Chicago. Enrico Fermi supervised. I have heard that Fermi was calling out the theoretical numbers as the reaction occurred. Just in case the reaction got out of control there was a man standing by with an axe. He would cut the rope holding up the control rod to shut down the reactor. In fact, there is an acronym still used today in the nuclear industry to indicate an uncontrolled reactor shutdown - SCRAM stands for Station Control Rod Axe Man.

I know this is more than you ever wanted to know about nuclear reactions. LOL.

I will probably get flamed for this but Geja's in Lincoln Park is a favorite restaurant of mine. It serves fondue. I love it. It is very dark & romantic & I love the live acoustic guitar music.

along the same lines - what are the best things to see in Chicago (other than aquarioum and zoo) for a 2-3 day trip? also no children will be with us!

mosey, when are you coming to Chicago? The Great Places and Spaces weekend is May 17-18 this year.

That being said, here are a few suggestions for your consideration:

For architecture:

Tours:

You already know about the Chicago Architecture Foundation, it appears. They add new tours from time to time (for example, the one done by Segway) or you might take one of the older ones in an area where you have not previously explored (for example, a trip to Graceland Cemetery at Clark/Irving Park). Since you are going to the Art Institute, stop in at the CAF ArchiCentre (located in the Sante Fe Building) right across Michigan Avenue from it. You'll see that they post all of the tours of the day on their board. They also have lectures at other venues around the city. Check their website.

You can DYI going north on Astor from Division up to North Avenue and then south on State. Take a look at the Gold Coast Neighbors website for the information of the Charnley-Persky House and Madlener House Tours by The Society of Architectural Historians on Wednesdays and Saturdays, as well as The Graham Foundation for the Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.

Or maybe you'd like to explore Old Town or the DePaul University area in Lincoln Park.

If you are unsure which area might hold the most appear, take a look at the City of Chicago's website under landmarks, where they briefly describe these areas and what can be found in each.

The Chicago Greeter program is free. Pick your interest and/or neighborhood. Reserve in advance.

Don't know when you are coming, but Wrigley Field has tours as well on certain days when the Cubs are playing away.

All the theatres in the Loop have tours, on certain days, including the LaSalle Bank Theatre, where Jersey Boys is playing. IMHO, the Auditorium's is one of the best.

Guided bike hikes, such as Bobby's Bike Hike. Or, if you are coming the Sunday of the Bike the Drive event - lots of fun!

Architectural Bookstore:

The Prairie Avenue Bookshop near the Harold Washington Library. One of the largest in the world for architecture.

Perhaps the Printer's Row Book Fair is an option, depending if it occurs when you are coming.

Art:

The Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA). You'll sometimes see the banners on N. Michigan Avenue touting one of their exhibits. Located at 820 N. Michigan.

Down at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park are the Smart Museum of Art and the Oriental Institute. Hyde Park also has some good bookstores in which to browse. I also think the Osaka Japanese Garden, near the Clarence Darrow Bridge, is a lovely place and you get an excellent photo op of the MSI.

Of course, there is the Museum of Contemporary Art in Streeterville as well.

Theatre:

Are you asking about Broadway-type musical theatre experience? You might check the Broadway in Chicago website to see what will be playing when you are here. Note: Controversy about "Shout!" in Chicago - see the Chicago Tribune blog. Suggest you review.

I really recommend that you attend a true Chicago theatre experience. Again, hard to recommend because you didn't indicate your dates. It will probably be in one of the neighborhoods, though (and probably on the north side, as that is where the majority of them are located). As a rule, the Goodman is be an excellent choice if you preferred to be downtown - quality productions. However, the Steppenwolf has an excellent calendar. And your husband might be interested in the renovation of the historic Biograph Theatre (house venue of the Victory Gardens Theater troupe) - consider "Four Places" if you are coming before May 4.

The other venues you should keep in mind in or near the downtown area:

The Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theatre in Millennium Park has performances until the open-air concerts at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. (See the Grant Park Music Festival for information on the latter.)

Chicago Shakespeare Theatre at Navy Pier, if you and your husband haven't been there.

If you are coming shortly, the Auditorium, Civic Opera House still have dance performances.

Dining:

Of course, an obvious suspect is the Atwood Cafe, it being in the historic Reliance Building (Hotel Burnham). Perhaps you are staying there?

In a recent post, I mentioned an interesting and tasty few near the Loop Theatre District. I think that Sepia, Powerhouse, and Mercat a la Planxa (the last being located in the historic Blackstone, just reopened) might especially be interesting to your husband for their spaces, in addition to the dining experience itself. The chef of Mercat is a Kendall College alum. It might be hard to get reservations for these as they are really popular, but you could try for brunch.

Sixteen (in the Trump International Hotel & Tower) is one of the newest. If you don't want to dine there, you could go for a drink and the view.

The breakfast places I recommend are Yolk (on S. Michigan), Orange on Harrison (Printer's Row), Flo (on W. Chicago). I see that one of the co-hosts of Top Chef Chicago gave a very nice rec for Lula Cafe in Logan Square.

You might also consider a visit to Fox & Obel (near Navy Pier) for breakfast. Or maybe stop in at Pastoral: Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine at 53 E. Lake in the Loop, if you'd like to pick up a nice sandwich and/or salad to enjoy in, say, Millennium Park.

Intelligentsia for coffee perhaps - Three locations are around town - one in the historic Monadnock Building on W. Jackson; one between Macy's and the Chicago Cultural Center; and the flagship's location on N. Broadway in Lakeview.

In lieu of Garrett's, stop by Nuts on Clark (several locations around town - the original is just north of Wrigley Field on N. Clark, hence the name).

I always highly recommend a visit Hot Doug's, especially on Fridays or Saturdays when he has the duck-fat fries, but it's really not close to anything. Suggest a cab ride there and back if you are going.

mosey,

the first time to visit your own blog, it is good!

i am from China!

There is a series of articles in today's Chicago SunTimes online about the area of the Lakeview neighborhood where they are filming scenes for Johnny Depp's new movie, "Public Enemies", as well as filming in Chicago in general.

Thank you all so much! cheribob, your ideas are great, and I think I will save them for when I have my children with me since the U of Chicago tour would be enjoyable for them. That's so funny about Geja's. I used to go there when I lived in Chicago. I loved their wine selection at the time. I was in my early 20's (it was the early 80's), and I was just getting into wine. Thanks for the memory! They are booked for when I will be there, but I will remember for another time.

exiledprincess, from where are you exiled? Thank you so much for your detailed information. Believe it or not, Spring, Powerhouse, and Mercat have availability the night I want so.....I looked at all of the websites and they all look good to me, expecially Spring and Mercat. Maybe Mercat....have you heard much about it since it reopened? It's my birthday dinner so I am being kind of obsessed about this. Location (meaning ambience) and great food are probably equally important - what would you recommend? I am so glad you brought up Garret's. I loved Garret's when I lived there. I will have to find a Nuts on Clark to try. I was considering going to The Lounge in the Peninsula for the Chocolate Buffet after "the birthday" dinner just because of my love of chocolate, and just what fun. Would you agree? Is it good or just trendy? I am going to look into the Chicago greeter program, especially for the afternoon I am alone. You have given me much research for the "things to do" category. I will research and get back to you, but what a wealth of information when I come back for future visits. Thank you!

When one is exiled, one wanders the world - or, at the very least, some portions of it!

Chicago is named as the 8th best dining destination in the world by Food and Wine Magazine (May 2008 issue). But more about that later.

Is the day of the Jersey Boys performance your birthday as well? Mercat is closer, of course, to the theatre, if that's your ultimate destination.

You know, it's tough reviewing a newly-opened restaurant (uneven service, working out the kinks, that sort of thing). I usually don't go until a couple of months after any opens - but, by chance, was invited to Mercat by two different groups (8 in one, 6 in the other) within several days apart. We all enjoyed it on both occasions.

I see from Metromix that there are some mixed reviews shuffled in with the 5 stars (just OK ratings, for example, on price and quality - a couple of the less-than-that variety). I agree that the portions are smaller than usual.

There was also an article of the Chicago Tribune (can be viewed online as well) about the renovations to the Blackstone which had photos of the decor.

I haven't been to Spring in a rather long time so it's not really fair for me to comment (but, for the record, I thought it was just fine the last time I went). I don't usually get out to Bucktown/Wicker Park way too often (maybe once every 5-6 months or so). That's why you usually don't see reviews of places there from me for that area. Although one of my ex-bosses lives in the neighborhood, we usually go to some place newly opened somewhere else around town. The recent reviews on Metromix for Spring are still stellar, though.

On the other hand, Sixteen just got a 3-star review by Phil Vettel from the Chicago Tribune. I've only gone for drinks - so no comment on the cuisine - and for the view, of course.

I'm guessing that you aren't on an especially tight budget dining-wise, since these are the type of restaurants in which you show interest.

A couple of other restaurants which I'd recommend are BOKA (especially convenient if you go to the Steppenwolf) and North Pond. Both Avec's and BOKA's chefs were honored by Food & Wine for the Top 10 New Chefs in America 2008.

And Sepia is named as one of the top 10 dining destinations in Chicago by that publication, as well. Blackbird (Avec's sibling) made that list as well.

If you are coming before May 10, and are going to the Art Institute anyway, you may want to go to their website and get a timed Edward Hopper Exhibit ticket. Two people who just went here said it was one of the best they had ever seen.

Also within the last year the Chicago Historical Society reopened that venue with Riverview and other gems in it, I hear. I haven't been yet. You may be interested.

Oh, JJ5, thank you so much. I got right on it, and the time I wanted was already sold out so I picked another time and got tickets! Thank you!

Could you elaborate on what you are talking about with the Chicago Historical Society and the venue with Riverview? Thanks!