The 95th floor of the Hancock tower is a noisy, faux-classy tourist trap bar/restaurant, but the elevator ride (94 floors at 1800ft/min) and the view make it worth spending money on an expensive cocktail at the bar.

I'm usually too busy to do this but when I can, getting out to the lakefront at night is truly one of the best things ever. There's something about the night sky, the water, wind and the city behind you that calms everything down.

The South Gardens at the AIC are magical––go in the middle of the summer when the whole gardens are lush, the flower pots are overflowing, and the leaves have came in on all the trees to form a sun-dappled canopy. Make sure to look at the Fountain of the Great Lakes––each woman in it personifies one of the Great Lakes of the region, and when the water is turned on, their seashell basins flow into one another in the same direction of the real lakes.

DePaul Art Museum (DPAM) is a world-class museum located in the heart of Lincoln Park on DePaul University’s campus. DPAM is open to the public and presents four to nine temporary exhibitions per year with a permanent collection of more than 3,500 objects with strengths in international modern and contemporary art. DPAM enriches the university’s commitments to excellence, diversity and social concerns.  Built in 2011, the LEED-certified building was designed by Antunovich Associates.

The Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance is Chicago’s primary residence for music and dance, connecting diverse audiences with outstanding artists from across the city, the nation, and the world.