In my opinion, there are three tragically underrated snacks for the human mind on Michigan Ave, should a frantic shopper need to take a break and decompress under the vast dome of human history, thought and expression. (And the Art Institute isn't one of them, I'm so bored to tears with megamall museums.) North to south, if I was cruising up and down Michigan Ave with a power shopper and I needed to exercise the little grey cells, here's where I'd seriously recommend popping into.
First, right by the river in one of Chicago's most striking buildings is the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum, which sounds insanely hokey, but isn't. I went in to check out a friend's work, absolutely expecting the fifth grade field trip experience, and while there were guys dressed as 18th century minutemen in the lobby, I was really pleasantly surprised by a serious attempt to engage with issues of freedom of expression in American history with a neutral perspective. The works of expression highlighted in this museum range from Thomas Jefferson's brief note on the right to self-determination of the American colonies the Continental Congress had messengered over to King George III appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of their intentions, all the way to NWA's similarly insubordinate opus “Fuck da Police”. As you can imagine, the banned music kiosk is probably my favorite exhibit, with a collection of samples of songs spanning decades, with an explanation of how and why particular songs were kept out of the public ear, whether by government censorship, radio station boycotts, or the whim of retailers. This is actually kind of hard to miss, it's in the giant, beautiful building with rocks from famous sites around the world like the Taj Mahal and the Moon, and across the street is the entrance to Billy Goat's, which is stimulating to the liver and the pancreas if not the mind.
Right on the south side of the bridge is another recent McCormick Tribune foundation creation, the Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum, worth a look and easy to see in under half an hour. The whole five story bridge tower is opened up to the public with an equal mix of Chicago history and modern environmentalism explained along a series of stairs and landings, starting with a view of the gigantic works that open the bridge to passing ships. The whole exhibit combines smoothly a history of the grand metropolis rising from the swampy river delta (and explains why the river defies the Tao and flows the wrong way) with a more natural view of the river. The man-made marvel of the bridgeworks that convert land to open sky and water is set against the small scale fish hotels bound to the side of the embankment, providing safe haven and breeding ground for the fish who claimed the river long before Chicago. Going up the tower, mixed into the history of the canal and lock system, the technological terror that imposed Chicago's will on several million years of erosion and drainage in North America and sends Lake Michigan water pouring into the Mississippi, is a whole explanation of how sewers and storm drains work, and what hopefully should and should not go into them to keep the river healthy. Usually that kind of pride in the ability of man to conquer nature doesn't mix with the kind of awe and respect for the natural world that drives environmentalism, so I have to admire the creators of this exhibit for finding a common voice for it. So while I wouldn't pop in here every weekend, it's worth checking out, and I can't think of a more convenient way to take in a bit of Chicago history and get a little cardio in climbing up and down all those stairs.
The last spot I've certainly raved about at length elsewhere, like in chapter six of my travelogue From Chicago to Chisago and Back Again, but I still believe the Museum of Contemporary Photography is always worth a brief detour to Michigan & Harrison. There has always been at least one image in that museum that lingered in my thoughts for days and days, for it's sheer provocative beauty, and since the first time I entered it back in March it's been an essential stop on any Chicago trip. Plus it's free, and the suggested donation box is way over on the wall so I can get by with tossing in whatever might be in my pocket, and some of the books for sale (like Larry Sultan's “The Valley”) are well worth it. Inside the Columbia College building at Michigan and Harrison, there's a whole huge park across the street, buses going by, easy access to brown and red line trains at Adams and Harrison respectively, and the Metra Electric and South Shore lines at Van Buren station for anyone needing to get back to Indiana to feed their moaning cat, so there's really no excuse not to check it out.
And if you find yourself doing some hardcore retail therapy on Wells Ave, there's no better place to fuel up before hand than Nookie's (tell 'em Crockett and Tubbs sent you) and working your way south, Amstelboy assures me there's no better place to put your feet up, wash down a couple poppers, and take in a little culture and good company than the Bijou Theatre, but you may find it hard to get up and walk back up Wells afterwards. (I have no idea what he means by that.)
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