Go Scuba Diving in Lake Michigan… Create New Ice Cream Flavors… Solve CSI Mysteries and More…
If you’ve done even a bit of pre-trip research, you know all about the “usual suspects” on your sightseeing list. Here are a few you might have missed!
• Go scuba diving in Lake Michigan. Anybody can enjoy a stroll along the Lake, but it’s the more adventurous traveler who’ll don scuba gear and slip beneath the water for a unique perspective on the city. Why, you ask, would anyone want to scuba dive in the Lake? Well, it’s reportedly filled with old shipwrecks, not to mention other intriguing “stuff”. A local company, Dive Chicago, offers wreck diving charters, as well as scuba instruction and sightseeing tours. But you can dive with a pal, provided that you follow the rules. (You can’t just slip on a wet suit and slip into the Lake on your own.)
• Solve a crime. The city offers a variety of “crime tours” but one of the hottest tickets in town is the new CSI: The Experience at the Museum of Science & Industry (through September 3). Based on CSI, TV’s successful crime drama (and it’s spin-offs, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY), it showcases the processes and methodology followed by crime scene investigators, forensic scientists and police as they try to identify the criminals behind the crimes. Visitors can review crime scenes and evidence and use scientific principles and CSI techniques to catch the hypothetical bad guys.
The museum’s Forensic Saturdays will offer a closer look at an arson investigation, fingerprint analysis, entomology and drug chemistry. And for real fans of the show who were spellbound by last season’s “miniature” killer storyline, there’s a display of six miniature crime scenes like the ones Grissom and crew dissected for clues.
• Create a new ice cream flavor. If you want to indulge your passion for ice cream and your creativity (You’ve always harbored a desire to be a flavormaster at Ben and Jerry’s, haven’t you?), the Fairmont Hotel is offering a special package that includes a consultation with Chef Noah Bekofsky to design your dream flavor. For $12 a pint, it will whip up your custom flavor. (FYI: You don’t have to stay at the hotel. Call in your list of ingredients 48 hours in advance of when you’d like it. Two days later, voila, your one-of-a-kind ice cream is ready to be picked up.)
• ”Eat” an espresso. Chicago is the only place in the US where you can enjoy Lavazza’s solid, mousse-like espresso, called espresso. The treat, a combination of traditional espresso paired with sugar and a secret ingredient, is eaten with a spoon. Invented by Ferran Adria, the chef at El Bulli, it’s served up at three Chicago locations. Purists may scoff but there are plenty of coffee lovers who are thrilled to have this European treat stateside.
• Unwind at one of the city’s oldest blues clubs. You never know what blues legend may show up in the wee hours at Kingston Mines, one of the city’s oldest blues houses, but even the scheduled acts won’t disappoint (nor, for that matter, the Web site’s musical tracks). Open later than the city’s other clubs (Closing is past 4am), it’s a perfect late-night, early morning retreat. You can tame your hunger with a slew of appetizers, salads or more hearty fare, including New Orleans-style ribs. Check out the Drinks section for a list of weekly specials.
• Indulge your inner oenophile. If you love wine, but are put off by venues run and manned by snobby owners and waitstaff, head for Bin 36. The restaurant pairs its food and cheese (some 50 types) menu offerings with wine in an attitude-free environment. There’s also a separate wine bar that serves 50 wines by the glass and a selection of American artisan cheeses. Want more? There’s a wine market (You can purchase the wines you’ve tried, along with wine accessories.) and regularly scheduled wine events.
• Laugh out loud at ImprovOlympic (IO). Chicago is known for its improv troupes, most notably Second City, but it was IO that birthed Amy Sedaris and a slew of Saturday Night Live stars including Tina Fey, Horatio Sanz, Tim Meadows and Rachael Dratch. The IO lineup features pure improv and enough shows — over two dozen spread over a week — to satisfy a variety of tastes.
• Hang out with other baseball fans. If you’re a baseball lover (but not necessarily a Cubs fan), you’re sure to have Wrigley Field on your must-see list. But you may also want to kick back with other fans at some of the city’s baseball bars. There are venues for Red Sox, White Sox, Cubs and Cardinals fans. In addition to food and drink, some offer memorabilia, multiple big-screen TVs for game watching, pool tables and other diversions. But for most folks it’s the beer and camaraderie, not the ambiance, that matters.
• Go for the dog. The city’s deep-dish pizzas may get all the attention but you don’t want to leave without chowing down on a Chicago style hot dog (Check out HotDogChicagoStyle.com‘s reviews for suggested eateries.). Definition: A boiled or steamed, Kosher hot dog topped with yellow mustard, chopped onions, pickle relish, sport peppers, celery salt and a tomato slice plopped onto a poppy seed bun, and served with a pickle spear. Many folks swear that Wiener’s Circle, a crowded and rowdy Lincoln Park greasy spoon, is one of the best places for an authentic dog (and cheese fries).
But if only the Polish kielbasa Chi-town is known for will do, check out these restaurants known for their Polish cuisine.
© Cheapflights Ltd Marlene R. Fedin
