The University enjoys a metropolitan environment which offers many cultural and recreational advantages. Chicago is known for its beautiful skyline, and its architecture is justly famous. Lake Michigan- a few blocks from the campus- offers swimming and boating, and an extensive system of parks and forest preserves provides facilities for golf, tennis, horseback riding, hiking, and other recreational activities.
Chicago sports fans have been noted for their perseverance and loyalty. Though the Super Bowl victory of the greatest ever NFL team, the '85 Bears, was not repeated in our heart-breaking loss to the Colts in Super Bowl XLI (2007), Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester gave us quite a show. And we have had much to cheer about of late.The White Sox only lost a single game in the playoffs and finished with a World Series sweep in 2005- a post season run that was one for the ages! And though the Cubs perennially break our hearts, they have had some better teams of late and (who cares anyway when) you take in a ball game at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. The Black Hawks are on the mend in 2007-08 and the newest major league franchise, the Chicagao Fire Soccer Club not only won the the "double" in 1998, winning both the MLS Cup and the U.S Open Cup, they are the most successful club in the modern era of U.S. soccer, winning U.S. Open championships in 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2006. And finally, our beloved Chicago Bulls are back in contention after a tough 7 year period following the magnificent run of the Bulls and six NBA titles in the 90's that ended with the retirement of Michael Jordan.
Chicago's nightlife is wonderfully diverse. Jazz and blues grew up here and can be sampled all over the city. Cuisine to suit all tastes is plentiful and a variety of night clubs offer the latest in musical and comedy entertainment. Chicago's progressive artistic community has spawned new movements in theater, dance, art, film and journalism.
Cultural resources are legion, including the Chicago Symphony, the Lyric Opera, the Art Institute, Ravinia Festival, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Science and Industry, The Shedd Aquarium, and numerous other museums, galleries, theaters, and concert halls.
Chicago has always been home to the biggest and best that artists have to offer. In addition to classics such as the 50 ft high "Chicago Picasso" in the Daley Center Plaza, the famous mobile by Alexander Calder in the lobby of the 107-story Sears Tower, the magnificent 70-foot mural by Marc Chagall, "Four Seasons" which resides in the First National Plaza, not to forget the world's largest fountain, the beautiful "Fountain of the Great Lakes" by Loredo Taft, the traditional spectacular centerpiece of Grant Park, Chicago's world famous lake front Grant Park is now home to the Millenium Park, an ambitious mélange of gardens and three world famous artistic/archtectural gems: the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, a band shell designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, the Cloud Gate, a three-story, 110-ton steel sculpture that has been dubbed by Chicagoans as "The Bean," the first large scale U.S work of world-renowned artist Anish Kapoor, and the Crown Fountain, which you have to see to believe- imagine a three story sheet of water cascading over a video background of one of a thousand Chicago faces and when the person purses his or her lip, the fountain spews water from a point in the video display that makes it appear as though the person is spitting the water out- amazing to witness- an artistic masterpiece!
The campus itself is an important source of intellectual and cultural life for the city. A continuing program of concerts, plays, exhibits, lectures, and other attractions draw visitors from the entire metropolitan area. The Music Department is one of the most exciting in the nation and has made the University a major center for contemporary works.
When you visit, stop by the Oriental Institute and see a remarkable collection of Middle Eastern artifacts. Pieces of sculpture, including works of Henry Moore and Antoine Poncet, dot the campus. Architecturally, the University is represented by Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and others. During your time here, the city and the University of Chicago will provide a vibrant, stimulating environment.
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