October 1-6th I will be in Chicago for business. Because my days will be full until about 4:00 PM I will miss out on a lot of the normal sightseeing. Does anyone have some ideas of places to visit (museums, landmarks, historic places) that I could visit in the evenings? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Lisa

Go to the top of the John Hancock tower for a great view. Afterwards walk along Michigan Ave. for top-notch shopping -- Marshall Fields, etc. You can see the old Water Tower as well.

Water Tower place is a well-known shopping mall on Michigan Ave.--(if you like that kind of thing on vacation) I would feel safer at night on some kind of organized tour. You can try looking up Grayline Tours www.grayline.com They have a brief evening tour. I know there are also carriages you can rent, I think along Michigan Ave., though I don't think you'd get an informative tour of the city. State St. is also a famous street in Chicago, but is mostly stores and shops. They closed it to cars a while back. The Sears Tower also has a viewing deck. I've been there, but never to the John Hancock, so I can't compare. It's been several years since I lived around Chicago. Sorry, I can't offer more options.

Hi- The Art Institute of Chicago is open until 7:00 on Tuesday nights.
You should also take advantage of the city's great restaurants and nightlife- go to www.metromix.com to find out what's going on here that week.

If you like contemporary art, the new MCA is right off Michigan Avenue and is open late on Tuesday nights. There is a Wolfgang Puck restaurant there where you could catch dinner.

If you are interested in dance, Chicago's own Hubbard Street Dance Company is in town the first week of October, performing at the Palace Theatre in the loop.

Also FYI, State Street is still open to cars - but Michigan Avenue is probably a better place to bide time wandering - State Street isn't quite as nice after work hours.

I don't know if it would be easy access from where you are staying but it's possible that Navy Pier would be great at night during this time period. Sunday the 1st, it is supposed to be in the 80's and warm for awhile. There is theater, music and much going on at the Pier and even if it is raining or your times don't fit right, there is always great people watching and the IMAX. You would be super safe here as last few times I was there at night there were lots of young people and families galore and Riva is decent with some good golden October lake views. Boat tours may leave from here also. Go to the room on top of the Pier and watch the fountains/ water dance.

Definitely go to the Art Institute if you have a chance! They have a fantastic collection of Impressionist paintings. The famous Seurat painting that the musical "Sunday in the Park with George" was based on is there, among many others.

Hi, Lisa! There is a great link to all of the sights and activities in Chicago ... http://www.ci.chi.il.us/. Included in this site are two great things happening while you will be here. On October 1, it is the closing day of the Chicago World Music Festival. If you look at the schedule, there are incredible performers that day from African, France, Korea, Morocco, etc. The performances run about $10/ticket and are at scattered locations throughout the city (all look to be in safe areas). And, the 36th Chicago International Film Festival starts on October 5th. The weekend section of the Chicago Tribune (www.chicagotribune.com) is devoted to an overview of the films (next Friday's paper will have more info and reviews). Any film at the Music Box Theater is worth going to see just so you can visit the cool theater and eat in one of the many great restaurants in the area.

Regarding the Art Institute, Tuesdays are late hours, but it also is a free day and usually very crowded (tho' October isn't too touristy).

Also, the weather is supposed to change ... high 70s/low 80s through Tues. or Weds., then drop to 50s. Bring a jacket and umbrella.

I don't usually visit this forum, so please feel free to email me at the address listed above if you would like any other suggestions or info.