LeRoux

Located 25 miles west of Chicago in Lisle, Illinois, the Morton Arboretum is just west of Interstate 355 and north of I-88 on Illinois Route 53. Founded by J. Sterling Morton (as in Morton Salt), the Arboretum is an engaging and fun 1,700-acre garden of trees and other woody plants from around the world. Its many exhibits include the Maze Garden and the Schulenberg Prairie, fully restored to the state in which the wild prairie existed when the pioneers first came to Illinois.

http://www.mortonarb.org/

Brookfield Zoo beats Lincoln Park Zoo hands down! Located just twelve miles from Downtown in the southwest suburb of Brookfield, Illinois, Brookfield Zoo is home of the first performing dolphin show ever built away from an ocean. At over 200 acres, it is larger and has more to see than it’s cousin in the city. Just take the Eisenhower Expressway from Downtown and exit at First Avenue. Proceed south to 31st Street.

Here’s the website:

http://www.brookfieldzoo.org/default.asp

The “Cell,” as we locals refer to it nowadays, is nowhere near the pastoral scene that is Wrigley Field. The best thing about it is the 2005 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox. The next best thing about it is the food, even though it’s overpriced. If I wasn’t a Sox fan, I wouldn’t recommend the place. I really miss the atmosphere of the Old Comiskey Park. (See Photo)

The best food anywhere! My main complaint is that it’s overpriced, for what you get. That said, everyone who visits Chicago the week before the Fourth of July should experience the Taste at least once.

Second City has sent many of it’s Alumni on to bigger and better things, such as Saturday Night Live. Both John and Jim Belushi launched their careers here.

Midway Airport is located on the Soutwest Side of Chicago, on Cicero Avenue just south of the Stevenson Expressway (I-55). It is much easier to get around than O’Hare, parking is much closer to the terminals, and traffic (both auto and pedestrian) is much lighter than that at it’s larger cousin to the north. I highly recommend flying out of Midway instead of O’Hare whenever possible, especially if one lives south of the Eisenhower Expressway.

See plants and flowers from all over the world in this completely enclosed Garden of Eden. For lovers of the world’s flora, this is Chicago’s best kept secret. Parking is free and pleniful, and the Conservatory is seldom crowded. It’s a great place to go and relax. I was so impressed I bought a membership!

Chicago’s Chinatown has the best Chinese restaurants and neatest shops of any Chinese enclave in America, including San Francisco … and I’ve been to both.

If you’re into science experiments and knick-knacks, this is the place for you! Every time I’ve been to either the Milwaukee Avenue or Geneva store, I find something new. This place is a veritable candy store for science geeks!

http://www.sciplus.com

The Adler is home to more than 35,000 square feet of exhibits. It is the only museum in the United States with two full–size planetarium theaters, the StarRider Theater and the historic Sky Theater. The famous Zeiss Planetarium projector is capable of accurately reproducing the movement of every aspect of the night sky.