Summer Breeze in the 'Windy City'

Second to none in beauty, Chicago offers up water, water everywhere

Another thing that makes the "Windy City" such a breeze to visit is that so many of the sights and attractions are right on the broad north-south thoroughfare of Michigan Avenue.

North Michigan Avenue (aka "The Magnificent Mile") hosts loads of fancy shops like Saks Fifth Avenue, Louis Vuitton, Burberry and an Apple store that seemed to have a perpetual line stretching around the block. It's also where you'll find the John Hancock Tower (www.hancock-observatory. com) with its thrilling 94th-floor observatory. We visited on a Sunday evening, when the crowds were sparse and the sparkling nighttime view especially romantic.

Cross the Chicago River and head south on Michigan Avenue to visit Millennium Park, a marvelous green space that opened in 2004 with playful fountains, whimsical video screens, a funhouse-mirror Cloud Gate sculpture (known locally as "The Jellybean") and a fantastic Frank Gehry-designed stainless-steel outdoor concert venue called the Pritzker Pavilion.

A most imposing skyline Photo by Aaron Dalton

On a whim, we joined a crowd of children and their parents at the Pritzker Pavilion one Sunday morning to see a free giant puppet show. The show was great fun and proved to be a sneaky way of getting the kiddies to sit through a 45-minute-long classical piano music concert (Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition") that accompanied the frantic puppet action.

Just a bit further on you'll reach the famous Art Institute of Chicago (www. artic.edu/aic), one of the most prestigious museums in the country. Unfortunately, renovations and the construction of a new wing meant that many of the most famous Impressionist paintings were not on display during our visit, but they should be back on view in December.

We did get to see a few excellent Van Goghs and enjoy a tasty lunch in the outdoor section of the Art Institute's charming Garden Restaurant.

For the Ethnic Set
For Jewish travelers, there's another exciting attraction on Michigan Avenue -- the new Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies that opened to the public in November (www.spertus.edu).

Puppet shows at the Pritzker Pavilion Photo by Aaron Dalton

Founded in 1924 as a college for Jewish studies, the Spertus Institute now encompasses a museum, a 400-site theater, the hippest Judaica gift shop in the city and a library with more than half-a-million Jewish-related books, films, music, artworks, artifacts, rare antique maps and archival items.

There's even a kosher cafe managed by Wolfgang Puck Catering, where you can pick up tasty noshes, including egg-salad sandwiches, turkey spring rolls or even a nice brisket on rye.

From Sept. 26 to Jan. 18, the institute will host an exhibit called "Twisted Into Recognition" that examines stereotypes and clichés around Jews and other groups. The exhibit has already been shown in Berlin, and will travel to Vienna after its display in Chicago.

Whether you come to use the library, pick up a mezuzah in the gift shop, catch a show in the theater, view an art exhibit or just grab a bite at the kosher cafe, you should definitely stop by Spertus to marvel at the institute's new building. The multifaceted glass facade lets sunlight stream into the building, while providing gorgeous views of the lakefront and neighboring Grant Park.

The Spertus Institute Photo courtesy of Krueck & Sexton Architects

Families visiting Chicago soon might want to inquire with Spertus as to whether the new Children's Center -- focused on letters, language and storytelling -- has opened yet. (It was under construction still when we visited in mid-July.)

After visiting the Spertus, head across Michigan Avenue through Grant Park and toward the lakefront to watch the massive Buckingham Fountain put on its hourly water-jet performance. (At night, colored lights enhance the show.)

And if you visit before October, keep an eye out for the seasonal Bobtail Ice-Cream kiosk just southeast of the fountain, where we enjoyed creamy, delicious gigantic scoops of vanilla ice-cream at picnic tables that provided perfect views of the fountain and the muscular Chicago skyline beyond.

Staying at the Center of Things
Where to stay? It's no surprise that some of Chicago's best hotels are located on or near North Michigan Avenue.

The lobby at the Conrad (www.conradhotels.com) was under renovation when we checked in, but we loved the gigantic 42" plasma-TV screens (two of them in our suite) and the mood-setting Bose sound system.

A little further up Michigan Avenue, the Chicago Park Hyatt (parkchicago. hyatt.com) sits right next to the Old Water Tower, a water-pumping station in the shape of a castle that was built in 1869, and is one of the few structures that survived the Great Fire of 1871, which burned down a large swath of the city.

After a bit of strolling around town, we loved coming back to use the Park Hyatt's uncrowded seventh-floor indoor swimming pool and dining at the hotel's acclaimed restaurant, NoMI. Ask for a table near the panoramic windows overlooking Michigan Avenue.

For more information, visit: www. cityofchicago.org/tourism.