Chicago Navy Pier, Illinois

USA

Seen from Lake Michigan, the line of skyscrapers resembles a wall of glass and steel laid at the water's edge, so tall it seems to hold back the sky. It is by this grandiose façade that Great Lakes ships approach the metropolis. Depending on the company, the ship docks directly at Navy Pier or anchors behind the breakwater, with transfer by tender to the jetty. Either way, you disembark in the midst of one of the city's most-visited places.

Navy Pier Itself

Navy Pier itself merits lingering for a moment: lakeside promenades, a great wheel, Shakespearean theatre and lively pavilions occupy this historic jetty advanced into Michigan's waters. Families can spend half a day there without boredom, between street performances, excursion boats and ice cream tasted facing the sailboats. But downtown calls, and it lies within walking distance.

The Magnificent Mile and the River

Leaving the jetty westward, about twenty minutes' walk leads to the Magnificent Mile, a stretch of Michigan Avenue where great shops and emblematic towers succeed one another. From there, you reach the Chicago River and its arranged promenade, the Riverwalk, which winds between the towers, dotted with cafés and floating docks. The architecture cruises that depart from the river rank among the city's most-appreciated activities: an hour on the water to understand how Chicago, risen from its great fire, invented the modern skyscraper. The volunteer, passionate guides tell each façade like a biography, and even travellers indifferent to architecture leave it won over.

Millennium Park and the City's Mirror

Continuing south, Millennium Park brings together gardens, performance venues and monumental works, including the bean-shaped mirror sculpture that has become every visitor's photo stop. The skyline reflects itself gently warped, and children run under the park's screen-fountains. The Art Institute of Chicago, one of America's great museums, borders the park for those who prefer impressionists to mirrors.

The Lake: The Other Horizon

The metropolis lives turned toward its lake, so vast it imposes a seascape horizon in the heart of the Midwest. The riverside path running along the urban beaches lends itself to a walk or bike ride, with the line of towers on one side and freshwater stretching to the horizon on the other. In fine weather, sailboats leave by the tens and the waterfront takes on the look of an unexpected seaside resort. A pause is warranted to taste the local classics: thick-crust pizza cooked in a pan, called deep dish, or hot dog dressed in local fashion, never with ketchup—purists insist.

Reference Points for the Port-Call

A Metropolis at Human Scale

What strikes you at Chicago, beyond the vertical excess, is the ease with which you move about on foot and the disarming kindness of its residents. A day's port-call allows you to grasp the essentials: the architecture, the park, the river, the lake, and that smiling energy of the Midwest that puts everyone at ease from the first conversation. Returning to the water at sunset, when the towers ignite one by one, most passengers remain on deck until the last light disappears. Few departures engrave themselves so lastingly in memory.