Lisa & Nihir
Chicago
Millennium Park
FREE ADMISSION! Millennium Park is right across the street from our Catholic ceremony venue on Saturday. There's the Bean, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion with free concerts, the Lurie Garden, and Maggie Daley Park.
Chicago Cultural Center
FREE ADMISSION! Only a few blocks north of the Palmer House and The University Club. Preston Bradley Hall features the largest Tiffany glass dome in the world, it's spectacular! Contemporary art exhibits are diverse and there are short tours of the Cultural Center's history.
Architecture River Tour
The best river architecture tour of Chicago led by knowledgeable docents. Check out the Riverwalk for restaurants, ice cream, and cocktails!
Shedd Aquarium
Located in the South Loop, where Mary and Paul currently live and Nihir's home for 15 years! This magnificent aquatic world holds 5 million US gal and is home to about 32,000 animals. Which includes dolphins, otters, octopus, starfish, and sharks! The Oceanarium is the largest indoor marine mammal facility in the world. The historic rotunda space has a new exhibit, Wonder of Water.
Field Museum
Also in the South Loop! Exhibits include natural wonders and cultural artifacts. SUE the T.Rex will greet you at the entrance! Griffin Halls of Evolving Planet has more on the dinosaur extinction, Inside Ancient Egypt has mummies, and Grainger Hall of Gems has the precious stone adornments.
Adler Planetarium
Next to the Field Museum on Northerly Island, it's America's first planetarium with sky shows and space exhibits to inspire the next generation of space explorers!
The Art Institute of Chicago
A world famous comprehensive art collection of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, 20th-century and contemporary art, American art, and Asian art. Don't miss: Grant Wood's American Gothic, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, George Seruat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Vincent van Gogh's The Bedroom, Pablo Picasso's The Old Guitarist, Monet's Water Lilies 1906, Renior's Two Sisters, and the iconic Hokusai’s The Great Wave. Check out the Throne Miniature Rooms, a Schneider family favorite!
Museum Of Contemporary Art Chicago
Across the street from Lisa's home in Streeterville. A quaint art museum of obscure interactive exhibits and culture. You can stop by the small coffee shop and Marisol for brunch, lunch, or dinner inside ($$$).
International Museum of Surgical Science
At the end of Michigan Avenue in Gold Coast, this is the only museum devoted to surgery in the United States run by The International College of Surgeons. This mansion showcases the art, science, and history of surgery since 1954 along with various aspects of Eastern and Western medicine. There are exhibits specific to anesthesia (Nihir), nursing (Lisa), and radiology (Paul, Lisa's dad)!
Lincoln Park Zoo
FREE ADMISSION Located further north in Lincoln park (take CTA bus 151). Founded in 1868 and is the second oldest zoo in the United States. Home to nearly 200,000 animals including: lions, leopards, alpacas, penguins, reptiles, and gorillas! All in the middle of the city of Chicago at Lincoln Park!
Lakefront Trail
Enjoy walks or bike rides along the 19-mile lakefront trail or visit one of Chicago's many beaches. There are cool sculptures, a few restaurants, and bars along the way!
Navy Pier
An iconic Chicago spot with the Ferris Wheel, The Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Chicago Children's Museum, The Butterfly House, bike and boat tours, with restaurants and shopping.
The Richard H. Driehaus Museum
Only steps from the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave) in Gold Coast, a stunningly restored Nickerson Mansion, renowned as Gilded Age Chicago's “Marble Palace." The home showcases art, architecture, and design from the late 19th and early 20th century
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
Located in Hyde Park, south of the Loop. It is the former Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Descend into a coal mine, board a WWII submarine, and check out a Flight Simulator.
Garfield Park Conservatory
This lovely and lush botanical garden opened in 1908. With 10 acres of outdoor gardens, the Palm House, the Fern Room, Desert House, there is a garden for everyone to enjoy! Try to find the "sensitive plant", mimosa pudica (Lisa's favorite).
Frederick C. Robie House
Built in 1910 by Frank Llyod Wright, it is a masterpiece of the classic Prairie House style. Tours offer a first-hand experience of its amazingly contemporary spaces.
Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum
If you're in the area to see the Robie House, this fascinating collection is a short walk away! Ancient Cultures from West Asia & North Africa are studied at the University of Chicago's interdisciplinary research center. Galleries with 350,000 artifacts are from Egypt, Nubia, Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria, Anatolia, and the Levant.
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
FREE ADMISSION! Jane Addams opened Hull-House in 1880s as a place to offer art and literary education to the emerging Chicago neighborhoods with Italian, Irish, German, Greek, Russian, and Polish immigrants. When the United States entered the First World War in 1917, Jane Addams founded the Women's Peace Party (WILPF), which became the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in 1919. She was the WILPF's first president. As a result of her work, she was awarded the Nobel in Peace Prize in 1931. It is kept at the Hull House.
National Museum of Mexican Art
Located further west in the Pilsen neighborhood, these exhibitions capture the wide range of Mexican cultural expressions and art forms, from ancient to modern times.
MUSEUM OF ICE CREAM
In the Tribune Tower on Michigan Ave. Enjoy the only immersive museum where you can play like a kid and enjoy unlimited ice cream together! Perfect for families, it's a unique museum fun for all ages. 14 interactive installations to spark joy and create memories.
Chicago Children's Museum
Chicago Children’s Museum is three floors of fun for kids and their families at Navy Pier. Dig for dinosaur bones, tinker in the DIY space, or become a firefighter and put out a “fire.” There are programs in the Art Studio, Great Hall, Pritzker Playspace, and Tinkering Lab.
Water Tower Place
In Lisa's old neighborhood, Streeterville. A treasured landmark constructed between 1867 and 1869, it was one of the few buildings to survive the destructive path of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It's home to the LookingGlass Theatre, Richard Gray Gallery with Modern, Post-War, Contemporary American, and European art.
Skydeck Chicago
This tourist attraction is not really our thing (in fact, neither of us have done it!) But some out of guests may be interested. The Willis Tower (it's still the Sears Tower to us) has views from the 103rd floor, including "The Ledge," a glass box extending from the building. YIKES!
360 CHICAGO
Again, not really our thing and a popular tourist attraction. Lisa's Streeterville condo is right across the street from the John Handcock Center but she isn't keen on heights. This observation deck offers a panoramic view of the city and Lake Michigan on platform known as the TILT.
Old St Mary's Catholic Church
For those that would like to celebrate Palm Sunday mass on 3/29/26, mass times are: -8:30 AM -11:00 AM
Restaurants/Bars
Around the hotel/venue: Le Colonial (Vietnamese-French, Gold Coast, $$$), Russian Tea Time (Eastern European, Loop, $$), Eleven City Diner (Classic American diner, South Loop, $$), Victory Tap (Italian, South Loop, $$), Flo & Santos (Italian-Polish, South Loop, $$), Cindy's Rooftop (Local fare, Loop, $$$) Lettuce Entertain You: Tre Dita (Italian, River East, $$$$) Hog Salt Group: Armitage Ale House (Indian, Lincoln Park, $$$), Bavette's (Steakhouse, Loop, $$$$), Trivoli Tavern (Italian, West Loop, $$). BOKA Group: Boka (American, Lincoln Park, $$$), Alla Vita (Italian, West Loop, $$), Momotaro (Japanese, Fulton Market, $$), Cira (Greek, West Loop, $$). Monteverde (Italian, West Loop, $$) Avli (Greek, Lakeshore East/River North/Lincoln Park, $$) Havana Grill (Cuban, River North $$) Cocktails/Bars: Chicago Athletic Association (Loop), Dorian's (Wicker), Richard's (West Loop), The Drifer (River North), The Green Mill (Uptown), Centennial (River North, Our first date!!)
Music/Events
Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Loop): 3/21 & 3/22 Classical Elements 3/22 Ravi Shankar Ensemble 3/26 Multi Conducts Tchaikovsky and Rota Harris Theatre for Music and Dance (Millennium Park): 3/30, Beyond the Aria-Program IV Jazz Showcase (South Loop): TBD Buddy Guy's Legends (South Loop): TBD The Music Box (Southport, Independent movie theatre): TBD Lyric Opera House (Loop): 3/22, 3/25, 3/26 Madama Butterfly 3/24, 3/26 El ultimo sueno de Frida y Diego Broadway in Chicago: In March 2026, you can expect to see long-running Broadway hits like Hamilton, The Lion King, Wicked, and Aladdin, along with new productions such as The Outsiders and Death Becomes Her. New shows scheduled to begin previews, such as the plays Becky Shaw, GIANT, and Proof, will also be available.