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Where great interiors open on to a Great Lake.
Chicago in summer offers visitors whiplash-inducing enticements. There are architectural masterpieces, first-rate restaurants, and outdoor concerts on lush lawns. You can buy Indian silk on Devon, feast on cannoli at an Italian bakery on Grand, go for a sail on Lake Michigan, or bike along the 29 miles of park that border it. The beach and the baseball stadiums offer stiff competition. Stretch out on a patch of sand in the heart ofthe city, or warm a bench at Wrigley Field, the ivy-covered home of the Cubs. What follows is an excuse to take a break from NeoCon (at least to visit one ofthe city's exceptional theaters or museums). Take heart, you can squeeze a lot into a short visit. And we know you'll be back next year.
THREE MUST-SEES
Crown Hall
In this virtually transparent building (1952-56), Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's work in America reached an expressive peak. The entire structure appears to levitate, rising above a floating terrace and stairs, and the boundary between interior and exterior blurs. The building is still occupied by the Architecture School at the Illinois Institute of Technology. 3360 S. State. Open Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Auditorium Theater
This early building by Lou is Sullivan (1887-1889) displays the heavy massing, organic ornament, and fine detailing that characterized the architect's career. The vast Auditorium Theater was recently restored. To lend grandeur to the day, take time to descend the stairs in the Michigan Avenue lobby. (And to see more ofS ullivan's work, stop...