Places bshea Wants to Go

You can take a class, browse the library, or visit the lavish lair of an international men's humor society.

Not to be confused with the iconic New York City skyscraper, this Chicago building is a vibrant hub for artists.

The 30,000-volume library is one of the world's most impressive poetry collections.

A military museum and library dedicated to the citizen soldier.

This bronze sculpture on a former squash court marks the secret origins of the Atomic Age.

Former bath house turns gastropub.

The iconic Chicago sculpture hides a beautiful and easily overlooked plaque on the backside.

These mansions date back to Chicago's days as a brewer's paradise.

A shining sculpture made of 3,115 lights, the number of visible stars in the Northern Hemisphere.

Built to house a chapter of the Knights Templar, this grandiose building is a relic of Freemasonry in Chicago a century ago.

Combination beer garden and music venue in the heart of Wicker Park.

First planned industrial community in the United States.

A little-known subterranean street runs under some of the best-known buildings in Chicago's River North.

Beloved bar home to musicians of all eras and reputations.

A European-style bath house in Chicago.

This $3 million model train takes you through Chicago, Seattle, and the thousands of miles in between.

At Chicago's revered Field Museum, visitors are invited to learn about and literally explore DNA.

This historic hotel invented the chocolate brownie.

Years of archaeology, just chillin' by the water cooler.

This museum celebrating the almighty dollar lets visitors literally stand in the shadow of a million bucks.

What was once one of the country's largest confectionary plants is now an abandoned ruin, but is still pretty sweet.

What's left of the ruins of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition, or World's Fair, also known as the White City.

The site of the first couple's first kiss is commemorated by the most adorable presidential monument ever.

A century-old hotspot for jazz, frequented by everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Al Capone.