Travel Postcard: 48 hours in Chicago

By Julie Mollins

CHICAGO (Reuters Life!) - Got 48 hours to explore Chicago, the Midwest city renowned for its innovative architecture?

Chicago holds a reputation in North America for being a city of culture, with opulent art, architecture and shopping venues that appeal to people from all walks of life.

One of the best ways to enjoy Chicago is on foot, but the "Windy City" on Lake Michigan also offers transit by train, bus, cab and water taxi, which can help tourists cover a lot of terrain easily.

FRIDAY

5 p.m. - Sip a Mojito Chic cocktail made from 10-cane rum at the Lobby Bar & Lounge in the Marriott Hotel on the Magnificent Mile before setting out along the upscale shopping strip known for such iconic structures as the Wrigley Building and the Tribune Tower.

7 p.m. - Enjoy spectacular views of the city and Lake Michigan while dining in the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Center on Michigan Avenue, a 100-storey building with a screened outdoor observatory. Sample cocktails or opt to eat a range of appetizers, including the baked Brie and the chipotle guacamole, instead of a full meal.

SATURDAY

9:30 a.m. - Take the "Chicago Architecture Foundation Highlights by Bus" tour, which covers such notable areas as the Loop, Hyde Park, the Gold Coast, the lakefront and historic neighborhoods. The tour includes stops at works by such internationally renowned architects as Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Rem Koolhaas and others.

1:15 p.m. - Lunch on a salad of tomato, mozzarella, basil and balsamic dressing in the Garden Restaurant courtyard at the Art Institute of Chicago.

2:30 p.m. - Tour highlights of the art institute galleries before heading outside to wander through nearby Millennium Park and see Anish Kapoor's reflective "Cloud Gate" sculpture shaped like a bean, Jaume Plensa's "Crown Fountain" and architect Frank Gehry's Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

5:30 p.m. - Hop on the Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise at the southeast corner of Michigan Avenue Bridge and Wacker Drive for the evening tour. Sit on the outer edge of the deck, sipping a glass of wine, and take in views of Chicago's skyscrapers while listening to the historical details about the structures.

7:30 p.m. - Enjoy a draft beer at the historic Berghoff restaurant, one of the city's oldest, on Adams Street in the Loop.

8:30 p.m. - Dine on distinctive Chicago-style stuffed or thin-crust pizza at Giordano's on Jackson Boulevard.

10:15 p.m. - Watch a spectacular fireworks display from the patio of Riva restaurant on Navy Pier, a cultural center originally built as a municipal wharf and used for naval training in World War Two.

SUNDAY