CHICAGO -- To anyone in the food business, the very mention of Chicago brings to mind the massive Food Marketing Institute held every year at this time.
But that's not the only image the Windy City conjures up: Chicago also brings to mind the one-time hyper-successful basketball team -- the Bulls -- along with a plethora of other cultural and social activities.
Indeed, anyone who has experienced a stay here can easily attest to the fact that there is much more to the city than basketball and breeze.
Chicago offers to visitors the conveniences that might be expected to form the major city it is, coupled with the relaxed atmosphere of the midwest; it's a big city minus the hustle and bustle.
But where to start? To find out, SN compiled a guide that FMI attendees will find useful during their stay.
ATTRACTIONS
Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park, Congress Parkway. Daily evening light shows.
John G. Shedd Aquarium, 1200 Lake Shore Drive. (312) 939-2438.
John Hancock Observatory, 875 N. Michigan Avenue. (312) 751-3681.
Lincoln Park Zoo, 2200 N. Cannon Drive. (312) 742-2000. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, free admission.
Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave. (312) 595-7437. Features more than 50 acres of parks, gardens, shops and restaurants on Lake Michigan. It is also home to an Imax theater, giant ferris wheel, carousel and more.
Sears Tower, 233 S. Wacker. (312) 875-9696. The Skydeck Observatory is open daily, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
MUSEUMS
Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive. (312) 922-7827. Open Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Avenue. (312) 443-3600. Special exhibitions include "Beyond the Photographic Frame" and "The Ordinary Made Extraordinary: African Textiles and Decorative Arts." Open Sundays 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Tuesday 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Field Museum of Natural History, Lakeshore Drive at Roosevelt Road. (312) 922-9410. Special exhibitions include "The Art of Being Kuna: Layers of Meaning Among the Kuna of Panama" and "With Patience and Good Will: The Art of the Arapaho." Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Avenue. (312) 280-2660. Special exhibitions include "Charles Ray," "Jim Nutt: Portraits" and "MEDI(t)Ations: Adrian Piper's Videos, Installations, Performances, and Soundworks, 1968-92." Open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
SPORTS
Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field. (312) 831-CUBS for tickets. At home, May 1-5. May 1 and 2: against the San Diego Padres; May 3 through 5: against the Colorado Rockies.
