Ten Places I'd Like to Visit in Chicago

Chicago has so many attractions to see, so it took a bit of research to see which places I most wanted to visit. Eventually, I narrowed it down to these ten:

Shedd Aquarium

1.    Shedd Aquarium

Once the largest indoor aquarium in the world, it was also the most visited aquarium in the country in 2005 and was the most popular cultural attraction in Chicago in 2007. The aquarium received awards for best exhibit from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for Amazon Rising in 2001, Wild Reef in 2004, and Seahorse Symphony in 1999. I love sea creatures, especially turtles, and would want to visit a place that houses them.

2.    Willis Tower

One of the tallest buildings in the world, Willis Tower stands at 108 stories and 1,451 feet. Besides space for companies and businesses, its views over Chicago (such as the Skydeck), make it a popular place for tourists to visit. I’d love to visit the thrilling Skydeck and see Chicago from above.

The Tilt

3.      360 Chicago

The fourth tallest building in Chicago, 360 Chicago (formerly known as the John Hancock Center) stands 100 stories, 1,127 feet tall. It houses offices, restaurants, condos, America’s highest indoor swimming pool, the Observatory (an attraction that has Chicago’s only open-air SkyWalk), and a new attraction, the Tilt (a window that extends outwards from 1,000 feet). I’d love to visit just for the thrill of walking on the SkyWalk and tilting over The Magnificent Mile.

4.      The Magnificent Mile

The Magnificent Mile is considered a melting pot of global flavors and offers a variety of restaurants to choose from. Bars, cafés, gourmet and casual restaurants offer American, Italian, Asian, French, Indian cuisine, among others. Eating Chicago’s cheesy-caramel popcorn mix, traditional Chicago hot dogs, and deep dish pizzas at the Magnificent Mile are definitely on my to-do list.  

The Magnificent Mile and the types of food you can eat

5.      The Field Museum of Natural History

One of the largest natural history museums in the world, the Field Museum has diverse, high quality exhibitions feature the earliest fossils, past and current cultures, and interactive programming to demonstrate our present conservation needs. In Chicago, I’d enjoy seeing the museum’s extensive artifact collection.

Navy Pier

6.      Navy Pier

Chicago’s number one tourist attraction, Navy Pier runs 3,300 feet along Lake Michigan. Today, attractions at Navy Pier include sightseeing tours, dinner cruises, fireworks, fairs, expositions, and seasonal festivals. I’ll make it a point to visit Navy Pier when at Chicago, to visit the Chicago Children’s Museum and watch fireworks.

7.      Art Institute of Chicago

An art museum in Grant Park, the Art Institute in Chicago holds Impressionist, American, Asian, and modern art, among others. It is the second largest art museum in the U.S. I’d love to visit to see the various art pieces they hold.

Millennium Park

8.      Millennium Park

Considered the world’s largest rooftop garden, Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago. It features several public art and has received awards for its green design and accessibility. After seeing pictures of Millennium Park, I’d love to see the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the Cloud Gate, and the Crown Fountain, some of the many famous attractions there.

9.      Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum

The mission of America’s first planetarium, the Adler, is to inspire understanding and exploration of the universe. To do so, it has three full size theaters, space science exhibitions, and antique scientific instruments. In 1931 it was given the gold medal of the American Institute of Architects and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1987. After hearing about the Doane Observatory, where people can see planets, stars, and galaxies in person, I’d love to visit.

10.  Cadillac Palace Theatre

Located in the heart of the Theatre district, the Cadillac Palace Theatre shows extremely popular Broadway musicals such asThe Lion King, Les Miserables, and Wicked. The Last Ship and Charlotte’s Web are two shows that will be playing during our stay in Chicago. I hope the Chicago cohort will be able to watch a play or musical there!

 

The Cadillac Palace Theatre

Northwestern University

Founders John Evans, Orrington Lunt, and Grant Goodrich.

This summer, along with attending the University of Chicago, I will be visiting four different universities with my cohorts. One of the universities that we will be visiting is Northwestern University located in Chicago. Northwestern is a private research university located in Evanston Illinois founded by nine men whose key leaders were John Evans, Orrington Lunt, and Grant Goodrich. These men didn't have much and they all had to work hard to get the support and money needed for the school to run. On January 28, 1851, Northwestern was officially established and they began enrolling students in November 1855.

Northwestern is on a quarter system and what makes it unique is that its students take four courses each quarter except the engineering students who are allowed to take five. Their popular majors include communications/journalism, social science, and engineering while their strongest programs are chemistry, engineering and economics. Economics is definitely something that I would be interested in studying at Northwestern because I am already interested in that area of study and their economics program is considered one of the best.

There are different groups and activities that are available at Northwestern. They seem to be really big on arts groups since they have a choral group, concert band, jazz band, marching band, theater/drama group, film society, and many more of that nature. Northwestern also has a healthy sports community. They are a member of the Big Ten conference playing in Division 1 and their athletic teams are nicknamed the Wildcats. What surprised me the most about Northwestern was that they had not only a rifle team but also a squash team.

A new tradition at Northwestern is the March Through the Arch to welcome new students to campus. The marching band leads all new students on a celebratory walk through The Arch, the symbolic entrance to the University. New students are welcomed by current students and faculty who line the pathway to cheer and welcome them. I really like this tradition a lot because going to college is a really big step for anybody and that can scare some people, this is a perfect way to make the new students feel welcomed at their new school. 

The March Through the Arch

I am really excited to visit Northwestern University over the summer. I hope that we will get the opportunity to hear firsthand from the students what their experience at Northwestern has been like. Least appealing to me is their quarter system but that might be because I’m so used to a semester schedule like we have at El Cerrito High. Hopefully we get to meet some students who can share their experiences with the quarter schedule. 

Ten Places to go in Chicago

The Navy Pier

I researched some places I would like to visit while in Chicago and I found myself getting more and more excited to leave. The city has so much history and culture, and I can't wait to experience it. Here are ten places I hope to make it to while I am back east.

1. Navy Pier - Technically, this is not just one place to go because there are so many things to do within the pier, but I suspect I will be visiting the pier quite a few times while I am in Chicago for the three weeks. The Navy Pier has fireworks on Wednesday and Saturday nights, as well as a huge Ferris wheel, a musical carousel, and other rides. Many events take place at the pier. For example, there are boat shows and flower shows at the pier. 

2. The Sears Tower (Willis Tower) - Willis Tower, which is still commonly known as Sears Tower, is one attraction of Chicago that I am really looking forward to. Specifically, I cannot wait to go to the sky deck and look out on Chicago from the glass balcony. Willis Tower is the eighth tallest tower in the world right now, and until 1998, was the tallest building in the United States.

By the Water, Renoir (1880)

3. Art Institute of Chicago - Since my Dad is a painter, I have always been surrounded by visual art, and if I go to the Art Institute of Chicago, I will be able to see so many of the original paintings I have seen pictures of my entire life. Some of the artists that are in the permanent collection at the Institute are Renoir, Picasso, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and so many more. The museum also has architecture and sculptures. The Art Institute of Chicago is the largest art museum in the United States besides the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

4. John G. Shedd Aquarium - I cannot even remember the last time I visited an aquarium. This aquarium sounds fantastic from what I have found out about it so far because of the variety of exhibits it has. One exhibit in particular sounds really interesting to me, which is the Amazon exhibit. This exhibit is a re-creation of sorts of the Amazon rivers and has many of the same species, including anacondas, piranhas, and stingrays. I have always been interested in animals and biology, which is also why I wanted to go the this next place…

5. Lincoln Park Zoo - Zoos are a lot of fun, and this one even has free admissions, so it sounds like even more fun now. There are about 1,000 animals and 200 species.

6. Montrose Avenue Beach - This is just one of many beaches in Chicago, but it appealed to me because many people consider it the premier beach of Chicago. Lots of people play beach volleyball there, and people can bike or walk around the area. There are also lifeguards, and places to grab a bite to eat, so it sounds like a really nice to place to spend an afternoon.

A Sunny Day at the Montrose Ave. Beach

7. Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - If I am going to Chicago, I cannot come back without trying some Chicago-style deep dish pizza. This restaurant's food looked delicious, and trying Chicago cuisine is a must.

8. Tuesdays on the Terrace - At the Museum of Contemporary Arts, on Tuesdays, there are jazz concerts and dinner. This is definitely an event that I want to get to eventually because jazz is such an important part of Chicago's culture and history. 

9. Millennium Park Summer Film Series - On Tuesday nights, for free, many people in Chicago gather at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion to watch movies outside one the grass. There is an advanced sound system and a huge screen. The movies that will be playing while my cohort and I will be there are O Brother Where Art Thou? , Field of Dreams, and This is Spinal Tap. I hope I make it to the pavilion at least once while I'm there.

10. Garfield Park Conservatory - I am usually not super interested in things like botany, but I saw pictures of the conservatory, and it was just beautiful, and I would love to be able to see it while I am in Chicago. 

The Big Dinner

The Group Photo

Yesterday was an exciting experience to meet new people. After taking the BART to San Francisco to go to the dinner at Prospect restaurant, we had to walk a short distance to get there. As we got to the restaurant, there were alumni, school board members, our chaperone, and other special guests who met us there. My cohorts and I got to meet the alums of UChicago before we all sat down for dinner. Tammy Spath, Elspeth Michaels, Gal Oppenheimer, and Andrew Stevens were much appreciated by my cohorts and I because they told us about what the school looked like, what it will be like in Chicago, and how their experience was  there.



Mr. Ramsey's Speech

It's nice to hear that the summer is the best time to go to Chicago because everyone there is going to be happy that it isn't cold and I'm excited to take the courses at the school and to explore the places in Chicago. It's refreshing to hear that the dormitories are somewhat like the ones in the Harry Potter movies and I'm so excited because I've been a big fan of Harry Potter since elementary.

At the dinner, I was seated at a table with Gal Oppenheimer, Carol Langbort, William K. Holsman, my dad, Norman Lewak, and Sewellyn Kaplan. We talked about the course I am taking and what the school was like a while ago. The alums at my table told me about the Sears Tower which is now called Willis Tower. The Willis Tower is a 108 stories high, 1,451-foot skyscraper in Chicago. Norman Lewak also talked about how UChicago was called The College. It was awesome to hear about what the school was like in the past and what it's like now.

After taking pictures with all the alumni and my cohorts after the dinner and having a great evening, I thank all the people who made this opportunity possible. Hearing the speech from Mr. Ramsey and Judith Blackwell, who couldn't make it to the dinner, was so inspiring and without Mr. Ramsey, the donors, and school board members I wouldn't be in this position to go to Chicago.

 

A Fancy Dinner and New Information

The dinner was, to say the least, eye-opening.

After travelling on BART and a quick walk to Prospect, the restaurant in San Francisco where our dinner was held, our Chicago cohort soon met and talked to University of Chicago alumni and sponsors who met us there.

Dinner at Prospect

William K. Holsman

The first person I had a conversation with was William K. Holsman, a lawyer and University of Chicago alumnus. He told me how he worked for the Navy before attending UChicago, how rigorous the University’s education system is, and how UChicago changes regular, ignorant students into intellectuals. He also told me that the University of Chicago supplies students with original manuscripts of people such as Thomas Hunt Morgan, allowing students to read life-changing breakthroughs firsthand, allowing students to independently formulate their own ideas about major discoveries.

When I asked what he majored in, he explained that when he attended UChicago, he (as well as Dr. Norman Lewak, a pediatrician) participated in a different undergraduate system put into effect by Robert Maynard Hutchins. In that program, Mr. Holsman took several general education classes and took exams to pass (I believe he said the requirement was 14) then specialized in law.

Before tonight, I had never heard of the Hutchins program. It was interesting to find out about the program and see the differences between the University of Chicago today and the University of Chicago about 60 years ago.

Elspeth Michaels

I talked to other alumni afterwards, two of which were Elspeth Michaels and Andrew Stevens. Elspeth told me her experience at UChicago—how she visited and just knew it was the place for her (which she assured me would be one of the ways I’d determine which college is right for me), how her Art History major helped her determine her art preferences, and how much she loved it at UChicago. She, as well as Andrew Stevens and Dr. Michael Lowenstein, elaborated on the dorm life they experienced. They were separated into houses, much like Hogwarts students are separated into houses in Harry Potter (in fact, many things in UChicago are Harry Potter-esque. Students have castle-like dorms [besides other modern dorms], are separated into houses, and have the phoenix as their mascot).

Soon everyone sat in their respective spot at the tables. I shared a table with Ms. Kronenberg, Reginald Terrell, who is a lawyer as well as a sponsor and panelist for the ILC, Dr. Michael Lowenstein, a psychiatrist who graduated from UChicago in 1981, Elspeth Michaels, who now works for UChicago and graduated in 2009, Jimmy, Mr. Guerra, and my dad.

Andrew Stevens

We talked about the University of Chicago’s exciting dorm life, the uniqueness and quirkiness of UChicago, places in Chicago to definitely visit (such as Shedd Aquarium and Millennium Park), and other topics.

Besides Chicago-related topics, we covered various others—the way certain college admission committees function, how much work ILC panelists have to do, the pros and cons of businesses requiring employees’ Facebook passwords, and more.

All in all, it was a great evening. Alexa, Simon Cohen, and Mr. Ramsey’s speeches were inspiring, as was the letter we received from Ms. Judith Blackwell. I learned about Chicago and the University of Chicago, what to expect there, and heard firsthand of the experiences of several alumni. As Ms. Kronenberg and Dr. Lowenstein pointed out, it was the first time alumni who graduated about 60 years ago attended the ILC dinner. That’s a new record—it shows how much people who have attended the University of Chicago love it there.

There are several other sponsors, alums, and special guests I had the privilege to meet that I haven’t mentioned (such as Sewellyn Kaplan, Tammy Spath, and others). Everyone I talked to tonight had a new piece of information or advice that I had yet to hear. The food was absolutely delicious, and paired with the people I was surrounded with, it made for a great evening.

A New Beginning

Chicago Alumni, my cohorts and me holding the Chicago flag.

I just got back from the best dinner in my life at Prospect restaurant, in San Francisco , but I hope it won't be the first or last one. When I said dinner, I am referring to the food that's why is worth its price. The steak was pretty good, but what really made my tummy happy was the rocky road sundae dessert. It was the best sundae I have ever tried. It came with chocolate ice cream, Tahitian vanilla, and dark chocolate accompanies with marshmallows, chocolate covered almonds, and balsamic caramel. Well enough with the food and let's get down to business.

First of all, I want to thank the sponsors, School Board members, our chaperon, Ramsey and finally Don for this opportunity to represent not just only the program but my district and community. For making possible for my cohorts and me to have this opportunity and to be the first one to go Chicago to show them where we come from, who we are and to know about us, that we are dedicated students trying to reach for the stars and land in the moon. As one of the members of the ILC mentioned it when he introduced himself. This inspiring quote reminds me of a quote by Paul Brandt that goes, “Don't tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon.” I love this quote because there are two meanings for it. One is that there is a whole world out there waiting for you and staying in the same place can make you lose the chance to explore and meet new people around the world. Another meaning is that you need to challenge yourself and always have high self expectations or goals.

Lets come back to the dinner now. We were all suppose to be at BART of El Cerrito Plaza no later than 5:20 PM. Myself along with my cohorts were ready around 5:30 PM and we managed to catch and early train which was very convenient because the more earlier we get there the faster we get out. During my ride on the train, on my way to the Prospect restaurant, I got to mingle with Josephine mom which was very interesting because we talked about her experienced the first time she ride on an airplane and she traveled on the airplane for more than 25 hours. Oyins' mom took off first from Nigeria, where she's from. After taking off from Nigeria it took her 10 hours to arrive in London were she waited four hours. When the four hours passed, she then took off from London to San Francisco for a total of 15 hours. We started talking about airplane because I told her that this was my first time for everything meaning; get to travel on an airplane, first time getting out of the state, first time visiting Chicago and the list keeps on going. This is all possible because of ILC.

Josephine With my dad

When we arrived at our destination, we needed still to walk a few blocks to get to the Prospect restaurant. It took us at least 5 minutes or less to arrive at the restaurant and that's where Alie, my chaperon, was waiting for us at the front of the restaurant. When everyone went inside the restaurant, one of the server took us where the dinner was going to be held at. Ramsey was finishing the last touches on getting the table organized with name tags. After a couple of minutes the alumni started coming in and we started introducing to them and exchanging basic information such as my name, what school I go to, and what course am I going to take in the summer. In the beginning I was not mingling with the alumni because they were already talking to some of my cohorts and I did not want to be rude and get in their conversation. Alie I saw that I was not interacting with other people and she gave me three good question to start a conversation. That was very helpful for me because I am not very good at starting conversations.

We waiting at least half and hour until we were told that the tables were ready and we can start sitting down. In my table I was sitting with two alumni they were Elspeth and with Michael . With Reginald one of the sponsors of the ILC. Last but not least with Madeline, Eleazer (Danis' dad) and Dani. Elspeth gave me some recommendations of what places I should go visit in Chicago. Elspeth graduated from the University of Chicago in 2009 with a major in arts. Michael graduated in the year of 1981 at Chicago with a major in chemistry.

After, the food was served and my cohort Alexa gave a speech about how this program is helping her and what's the goals for this program. The speech that really inspired me was Ramsey speech because i could of tell that he was speaking with his heart. My favorite part of the speech was when he said that you have to believe in yourself and with confident you can go way bigger than you're dreams and you will show the people who doubted you since day one that you can do or be what ever you want.

This dinner gave me the sensation of unbelievable because I still can't believe that I am very lucky to go to Chicago and that this is really going to happen. To have this opportunity to go travel and visit others colleges. To open our eyes that there are a lot more opportunities out there for you.

Thank you for all the people that were available to go to the dinner it really means a lot to me that I can share this precious moments with all of you.

Food, Fun, and Alumni

Tonight was a very exciting night for me. I attended a dinner at Prospect in San Francisco along with my Chicago cohorts. In attendance at this dinner was one of our parents, sponsors, alumni, School Board members, our chaperon, and special guests. At this dinner, we got to meet those who were able to make this trip a possibility for us and we also got the opportunity to meet University of Chicago alumni who were able to shed light on what our experience might be like.

A couple of the alumni shared with us what life in the University of Chicago is like. A really interesting thing that most of the alumni told me is that the dorm rooms looked like the dormitories in the Harry Potter movies. Being a Harry Potter fanatic, I am really excited to be able to say, "I slept in a Harry Potter style dorm room." I also learned that the weather is either really hot or freezing cold, there never seems to be an in between weather that we are so lucky to have here in the Bay Area. Apparently summer is a really nice time to go to Chicago because everybody is really happy that it isn't freezing. Along with sharing what the rooms are like, the alumni gave us advice about college in general. The biggest piece of advice that stuck to me was given to me by Andrew Stevens who graduated in 2012. Andrew told me that it was alright if I went into college not knowing what I wanted to do, and he also advised me to take an intro class in whatever it is that I am interested in so that I know weather I actually like that subject or not.

At a point during the evening, the dinner conversation turned into places that I must visit when I am in Chicago. On that list is the Art Institute of Chicago and the Oriental Institute Museum. Of course restaurants were suggested and Uno's pizza was suggested by Simon Cohen, soon to be a University of Chicago alumni. As a fun challenge, Tammy Spath told me that I have to choose my favorite gargoyle from the University of Chicago. Hopefully I'll be able to pick one that I really like.

During the dinner, we had Mr. Ramsey come up and speak to us about how this Chicago program arose. He shared with us that he was going through tough times but he decided that he wouldn't mope around and he would try to do something productive and that would benefit others. This led to him traveling to Chicago and forming a relationship with the school which in turn allowed them to offer the Ivy League Connection scholarships to the University of Chicago for their summer programs. This taught me that sometimes we need to not dwell too long on whatever hardships that we are facing and that it is also important to push through during tough times so that we can do something wonderful for those around you. Without Mr. Ramsey pushing through his tough time and traveling to Chicago, I wouldn't have this opportunity to attend the University of Chicago, and personally, I am extremely thankful that he made that decision.

Chicago Group Photo

I can honestly say that this evening made me realize even more how incredible it is that me and my Chicago cohorts are able to visit the University of Chicago this summer. Without the support of everyone who attended this dinner tonight, this trip would not be possible. Everyone there in one way or another made a sacrifice so that this could be possible. Everyone in that room wants to see us succeed and are willing to help us in any way to make it possible for us. I feel like the amount of times I say "thank you" isn't anywhere near enough to show my gratitude for the group of people who made all of this doable. One day, I hope that all of these people will see through my actions how truly grateful I am.