Very cool Tiffany stained-glass dome, said to be the largest in the world. Otherwise, forget it.

Thank you very much for all your replies and tips, it is greatly appreciated, gives me a good idea how to construct the day.

From Advice given here I will skip Navy Pier, it is a bit out of the way and doesn't seem worth it.

Which tower is better Willis or John Hancock?

Have yet to try the JH Tower but I enjoyed the Sears (willis) Tower,some mentioned JH has less visitors and a possible more enjoyable experience.

And eat the food,I'm already missing that Italian beef & deep dish pizza.

Thanks for the advice, Gino's East Pizza best spot for Deep Dish pizza?

That is the only deep dish pizza place I tried and it was great,but I'm sure it's open to debate. I hope to try a different pizza place next time I'm there.

Might as well add to this thread.

How long does it take to do a reasonably nice tour of the Art Institute? Pretty much 5-10 minutes at the major art pieces, and then a leisurely stroll through the rest of the museum with the occasional hey-that's-nice stop. Mrs. Swede and I plan on being there when it opens (on a Saturday).

Can someone recommend a good deep-dish pizza place near Second City (on Wells)? Most likely will be attending an 8pm show on Friday. Nevermind: just saw that Lou Malnati's has a store nearby. ^

For a first timer, I'm guessing most would spend 2-4 hours, though you could easily spend much more time there.

I'd say give yourself 2-3 hours. There's a lot of stuff there, and even though I love art museums I find that personally I get overloaded and my brain starts to shut down after about that much time.

They periodically do guided tours of some of the highlights, so if you get there early you could check out the schedule and see if anything appeals.

The Impressionists and early 20th Century painting collection is great, as are the Chagall windows, and they've got a pretty nice amount of El Greco and Spanish Renaissance as well.

Agreed with the above advice. Picasso and Chicago exhibit is currently on display; be sure to allow 30 - 40 min or more if you are interested in Picasso.

Hancock has a bar on the 96th floor. If you're not interested in paying for an observation deck ticket, you can go there and pay for an overpriced drink instead, while enjoying the same views.

IMHO, Sears...er...Willis Tower observation deck is better. You can walk out on the Ledge and enjoy the view through the glass floor.

Thanks to the three replies above. I've been to Chicago many times, but I don't recall ever going to the Art Institute. Will make for a nice Saturday day adventure (along with a stroll in Millennium Park if it's not too hot*) before heading back to the suburbs for an evening wedding. :)

* - Going in late June, so it will probably be sweltering. :p

In late June, the weather can be anything from 40 and rainy to 105 with tropical humidity.

It'll probably be fine, though :cool:

there are 2 types of deep dish, pan and stuffed/pie.

Gino's, Pizzeria Uno (& Due), Lou Malnati: all make deep dish pan pizza (dough is in bottom of pan then ingredients go on top of dough).

Eduardo's, Giordano's: make stuffed pizza where dough is on bottom & top & ingredients are in middle like a pie.

Pan is much better than stuffed IMO.

Yup Pan is the way to go

Thanks for everyone's tips and input I had a very successful day trip this past week in Chicago.

I managed to cover a lot of ground and all of it on foot! I really loved Chicago, such an amazing city, and I was so impressed with the layout, planning and beautiful buildings. I must visit again for longer.