It is estimated that some eight million visitors descend on Navy Pier each and every year. And there were times during our recent visit when I thought sure they had all chosen the same day as my family.
Navy Pier is sort of the place to go in Chicago for visitors. For some, it’s in the same “must do” category as the chocolate shops around the old Water Tower, the Mag Mile, the view from atop the John Hancock Center and dinner at the bottom of the same place – in the Cheesecake Factory.
I’m guessing that for Chicago residents it’s a quick and easy fix for eager out-of-towners. Don’t get me wrong. I loved visiting. But given a city the size and variety of Chicago, I’m just not sure I want to go frequently.
I tend to want to “collect” experiences rather than caress them, so to speak. That is, I’m not likely to return to the same place (read: attraction, hotel, restaurant, etc.) again and again. It’s why I could never be content with going back to a cabin on a lake (even a favorite lake) year after year.
Looking for a way to sum up the Navy Pier experience? One word does it for me: Carnival. That’s what I thought of when I walked up and down the pier. Lots of people and lots going on in a pretty feel-good kind of place.
There’s plenty to do and see at Navy Pier. One of the big draws is the 15-story Ferris wheel, made all the more enjoyable if you’ve read Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City and the story of how the original Ferris wheel became a landmark of the 1893 Columbian Exposition in the Windy City.
There is also a carousel, rotating swings (very refreshing on a hot day) and some kids’ activities. Lots of restaurants and tons of shopping, but not necessarily the kind you’d do along Michigan Avenue. Think sunglasses, hats, t-shirts and the like.
Admission onto the pier is free, but most of what you do there has a charge. The prices don’t seem out of line with Chicago itself. But if you’re comparing them to small towns in West Michigan, you’ll probably think they’re pricey.
But you can have a great time and not spend much. In fact, one of the most popular things to do at Navy Pier costs nothing. It’s taking pictures. A favorite of all visitors is to walk out on the pier, which stretches out into Lake Michigan, and then take photos of each other against the backdrop of the city skyline.
Navy Pier is also a point of departure for several kinds of boat tours, and water taxis from other points in the city will deliver you here. More about that – plus the twice-a-week summer fireworks – in another post.
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Article Comments
Katie says:
Oh man, I remember the day we visited–not only did it seem like all 8 million annual visitors were there that day, but it was also about a billion degrees!
You’ve got it exactly right–we locals like to take visitors here so they can walk around the pier with an ice cream cone, take some photos of the cityscape, and ride the ferris wheel.
It’s a nice and cheap way to spend the afternoon, but Chicago has lots of other adventures to offer, too.
April 28th, 2010 at 10:54 pm ::
Bill says:
Yes, indeed. And I was the only one in the group who didn’t pack shorts. Lesson learned.
April 30th, 2010 at 3:17 pm ::
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