CITY STORY

My art professor wants us to visit the Art Institute, and write a paper about the work of our choosing. How unoriginal. He gives us a tip, however: the Art Institute accepts any amount of money as a donation for entry. When I get to the Museum, I hand over one dollar at the entrance gate just to see if my professor really knows what he's talking about. He's right, of course. Pretty nifty. Now for the task at hand, I need material for my paper - the faster, the better. I end up in a room with a pointillism painting by Seurat. Look at all those dots - that's amazing - I certainly wouldn't have the patience to do that myself. What else is here? I am strangely drawn to a smaller painting in the room. The different shades of blue are so intense. The work depicts an older man dressed in ragged clothes, sitting cross-legged strumming a guitar. His neck is bent severely to the right. He looks sad. As I draw closer to the painting, I realize he's not frowning, but simply intent on playing his music. In fact, he seems quite content. His music gives him life. I am awestruck at the simplicity of the painting, and its portrayal of the beauty of life and art. The meaning is quite profound. I go home to write my paper, forever changed. I still visit "my" painting, The Old Guitarist by Picasso. It gives me much inspiration.

Chicago is a city filled with different facets of culture. From its people to its architecture and its art, the city speaks to everyone. All you need to do is listen, and look.

Chicago is known as the "working city". Take some time to see real Chicagoans doing their jobs well.

Chicago Board of Trade
141 W. Jackson, 312-435-3590.
Free daily tours M-F, 9:15am-12:30pm.

Chicago Tribune
777 W. Chicago, 312-222-2116.
Free tours of the printing facility Tu-F, 9:30am-1:30pm.

Eli's Cheesecake Factory
6701 W. Forest Preserve Dr, 773-736-3417.
Daily tours M-F, 10am-3pm. $3 adults, $2 children.

Chicago's architecture is amazing, as is its public transportation system. Take in both facets of the city on the Loop Tour Train, narrated by the Chicago Architecture Foundation.

Randolph & Washington el station,
312-744-2400.
Saturdays, mid-June to mid-October, 12:15pm-2:15pm. Free tickets distributed at the Visitor Center in the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph.

Summer in Chicago would not be the same without these signature events. Admission, people-watching and music are free.

• Grant Park Music Festival - featuring the Grant Park Orchestra
• Chicago Blues Festival
• Chicago Gospel Festival
• Chicago Country Music Festival
• Venetian Night - boat parade and fireworks along Lake Michigan
• Chicago Air & Water Show
• Chicago Jazz Festival
• Chicago Latin Music Festival
• Chicago Celtic Music Festival

• On Mondays, visit the Shedd Aquarium or the Chicago Historical Society with no admission charge.
• On Tuesdays, head to the Art Institute of Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, the Notebaert Nature Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art or the Terra Museum of American Art.
• Wednesdays call for a free trip to the Field Museum to see dinosaurs and ancient Egyptian mummies.
• A trip to the DuSable Museum of African-American History is free on Thursdays.
• On Fridays or the weekend, visit the Lincoln Park Zoo or Navy Pier's new Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows. Admission is free at both places every day of the year.