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.

The Green Mill is Chicago's oldest Jazz club, open since 1907. Today it is an authentic link to past visitors like Al Capone and his henchman “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn who was the club’s former manager.

This is Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's first domestic structure in the United States, and it is a beautiful example of Minimalism. The house is located outside Chicago, but is worth the drive and the tour guides are pretty great. Due to flooding, the house and the property will undergo major preservation changes beginning in the next decade, so it's hard to tell how long the house will remain in it's current state.

Founded in 1956, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts fosters the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society. The Graham realizes this vision through making project-based grants to individuals and organizations and producing exhibitions, events, and publications.

This is my favorite music venue in the city. It's on a unassuming strange corner, has the perfect amount of dirty-ness, good beer, and great music. I've spent many nights here watching some of my favorite bands.