DC Velocity - ProMat17 Planner

ocated hard by stunning Lake Michigan and rich in inspiring architecture, Chicago is more than just another big city. Besides its striking downtown area, which includes some of the tallest buildings in the world, Chicago has a distinctive coastline, hundreds of vibrant parks, and 77 unique neighborhoods. And Chicago’s appeal isn’t limited to its cityscape. The city is also renowned for its music, restaurants and award-winning chefs, theater, museums, and galleries. That unique mix of architectural and cultural attractions draws millions of visitors from all over the planet each year.

In fact, Chicago is such a popular destination that last year it was named the nation’s #2 travel destination in Condé Nast Traveler’s 29th annual Readers’ Choice Awards. There’s so much to do in Chicago, you could stay forever and never see it all.

Most of your time at ProMat will be spent at McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America with 2. 6 million square feet of exhibit space. However, to really experience the breadth of what Chicago has to offer, you need to step outside the convention center and explore.

Consider taking a self-guided tour during your free time. One place to begin is along Michigan Avenue at the Tribune Tower, a neo-Gothic structure built in 1925 that serves as a gateway to the Magnificent Mile, known as Chicago’s epicenter of commerce. Across from the Tribune Tower is the Wrigley Building, an iconic Chicago visual from the 1920s modeled after the Gothic-style Seville Cathedral in Spain. Farther down Michigan Avenue is the Historic Water Tower, one of the few buildings to remain standing after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, a dazzling relic of the city’s architectural roots. Keep walking to see the John Hancock Center, a 100- story skyscraper that houses the 360 Chicago observatory on the 94th floor.

In the center of the city, stroll through scenic Millennium
Park, home to the five-acre Lurie Garden and rotating pub-
lic art installations, most notably “Cloud Gate,” a polished
stainless steel sculpture nicknamed “The Bean” because of
its shape. Adjacent to Millennium Park is the newly con-
structed Maggie Daley Park (and its massive rock climbing
walls) and Grant Park, a 319-acre landscape often referred
to as Chicago’s “front yard,” separating downtown from the
Lake Michigan shoreline. If you’re looking to venture farther
northwest, the 606 is a new raised pathway that opened in
2015, adding more outdoor space to urban Chicago. The
elevated trail extends across four neighborhoods and can be
accessed from Humboldt Park, Wicker Park, Bucktown, and
Logan Square.