Chicago-Have 5 hours to see the city--What to do?

[Malibu Sky]

My 16 year old son and I will have about 5 hours tomorrow to explore Chicago. It is his first trip to the city although we have been staying out in Glenview for the past few days, about 1/2 hour away. I was thinking about heading to Navy Pier, any other suggestions?

Also, I want to get him some good Chicago pizza..where should we go?

Thanks

 

[applegirl]

I would look into a Grayline Bus tour. They allow you to see a lot in a short amount of time and always reasonably priced.

Good luck!

 

[Pit]

Navy Pier and Millenium Park are nice if you want to be outdoor. If the weather is crummy (or you want something to do indoor), I suggest the Shedd Aquarium or the Museum of Science and Industry.

 

[ricoba]

It's been a long time since I've been to Chicago, but I enjoyed the Hancock tower, and the Field Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. I still remember how cool it was for me to see American Gothic and Nighthawks.

For such a short visit the tour bus doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

 

[caribbeansun]

We enjoyed a tour of the city from the river system - much nicer than sitting on a bus IMO - the same kind of commentary is provided

 

[dmharris]

I worked a trade show two weeks ago and took my 19 and 22 year old daughters and turned them loose. They LOVED Millenium park with the chrome kidney bean and fountain with faces of Chicago. It's like none other. I'd also do a boat cruise that highlights the famous Chicago Architecture. I think Navy Pier is over rated. These others are unique to Chi-town.

Can't remember the famous pizza place, ask a cab driver. ;-)

 

[Enrico]

If Navy Pier is your destination, then for pizza consider:

Genos East
Downtown - Chicago
162 E. Superior St
Chicago, IL 60611

 

[Malibu Sky]

Thanks for everyone's great suggestions...

We hit a lot of traffic which cut into our time but we went to Navy Pier and took a river architectural tour and lake speed boat ride on Seadog Cruises. It was a perfect way to see downtown and get a view of the lake all at one time. We didn't have enough time to get into downtown for pizza so we went to Bubba Gumps on the pier....not quite an Chicago original but it worked!

 

[dmharris]

Happy you enjoyed the windy city. Did you travel from the airport? O'Hare? The train is the best way these days to get into town as there is a reverse commute phenomena in Chicago where some live downtown but work in the suburbs, so no matter what time of day, traffic is a mess.

 

[ricoba]

Glad you had a good time. Thanks for taking a moment to write back.