I spent almost a week and Chicago during the first week of Fall. I explored quite a lot of places, at least the most recommneded ones and I enjoyed most of them, but nothing quite how I enjoyed the RiverWalk.

The river walk is actually what attracted me to visit Chicago. I love the long stretch of walk along the water during the day but I also enjoyed it a lot more at night when the lights are on and the vibe is very alive. I cannot think of any better place to run or walk within downtown Chicago that is accessible and safe.

Facts About Chicago

• Chicago is the largest city of Illinois and third largest city of the United States after New York City and Los Angeles.
• Chicago has various nicknames including “Chi-town”, “Windy City”, “Second City,” the “City of Big Shoulders”, and “American of big cities”.
• A unique downtown Chicago feature is its multi-leveled streets, the most well-known of which is Wacker Drive. This double-decker street comprises an upper-level riverfront boulevard and a lower-level roadway for commercial and through traffic.Chicago’s downtown area is known as “The Loop,” which refers to the area encircled by the Chicago Transit Authority’s elevated (‘L’) train tracks.The CTA operates the nation’s second largest public transportation system. In an average year, the CTA provides more than 450 million bus and train rides.

Facts About River Walk

• Location: The Riverwalk is located at E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601, United States.
• Length: The award-winning, pedestrian-friendly Chicago Riverwalk stretches 1.25 miles from Lake Michigan to Lake Street.
• Features: Along the Riverwalk, visitors can explore intimate coves, breezy cafes, wineries, bars, public art, monuments, museums, and various boat excursions on the water.
• Boat Tours: A variety of boat tours are available, including elegant dinner cruises, informative architecture cruises, and unique options like Island Party Hut Charters and Chicago Cycleboats.
• Public Art: The Riverwalk showcases permanent and rotating public art by leading artists, as well as the renowned “Art on theMART,” the largest digital art projection in the world.
• Kayaking: The Riverwalk serves as an excellent starting point for kayaking adventures, with options to rent solo or tandem kayaks and take guided tours to admire the surrounding architecture.
• Nearby Museums: Visitors can conveniently access the Chicago Architecture Center and the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum from the Riverwalk.

For more detailed information and resources, you can visit choosechicago.com.

River Walk reminds me a lot of our Waterfront area in downtown Vancouver, but 101 times better. I cannot even compare the architecture they have to what we have in Vancouver. It was simpy stunning. This is when you should know when to concede, the architecure in Chicago downtown is an attraction on its own that draw tourist to this place.

I walked the River Walk countless times, probably everyday and I walked the area different times of the day. Early morning when I do my run, noon time when I was just passing time and at night for a nice sunset and evening stroll. I have to say, walking the River Walk at different times of the day is a different experience. Yes the buildings are the same, but not the vibe. In this post, I would like to share the day walk first. I took a lot of photos both day and night walk and I would like to share as much without overwhelming the post.

River Walk Early Morning

Early morning in the RiverWalk is pretty quite. I went out for a morning run around 6:00am on a weekday and weekend and the area was very quiet as expected. It was a nice time to walk, that is if you are an early morning person like me. The good thing about it is that it is quiet, but it does not have the lively vibe that you get when you walk the area during late afternoon and evening. The photo below here is around 8:00am, the si=un is almost up but the streets are still not busy.

River Walk During Afternoon

Afternoon are quite busy, say noon to 5:00PM. There are already a lot of people both local and tourist. The shops and cafe are already open which gives a nice busy vibe to the place.

River Walk at Night

Evening from 6:00PM onwards are a very busy time especially during Fri and weekend. Evening gives a different vibe to the place. The cafe and shops are more alive, people are flock in restaurants or in the bayside sitting area. Although it is quite noisy during this time, I really like the vibe of the Riverwalk at night more than anything else. The architecture when the lights on looks even more beautiful than when you see it during the day.

General Information

• Address: Riverwalk, E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601, United States

How long does it take to walk the Riverwalk in Chicago?

You can walk the riverwalk in less than 1 hour depending on your physical condition. I you like to take you time and walk slowly and stop from time to time, 1 hour would be enough.

What to expect along the way?

Food and Drink along the River Walk

Located on the south bank of the Chicago River, the award-winning, pedestrian-friendly Chicago Riverwalk stretches 1.25 miles from Lake Michigan to Lake Street. Along the way you’ll discover intimate coves, breezy cafes, wineries and bars, public art, monuments, museums, and a boatload of excursions on the water.

Chicago River Boat Tour

Choose an elegant dinner cruise aboard a glass-enclosed vessel or hop onto an informative architecture cruise from Chicago Architecture  Center River Cruise aboard Chicago’s First Lady; Mercury, Chicago’s Skyline Cruiseline, Shoreline Sightseeing, or Wendella Sightseeing to learn the fascinating history behind the city’s soaring riverfront skyscrapers.

A few more unique boat tour options include Island Party Hut Charters, Chicago Cycleboats, and the eco-conscious Chicago Electric Boat Company. Explore all Chicago boat tours to find the one for you.

Public Art along the Riverwalk

The Chicago Riverwalk is an urban canvas where you’ll see permanent and rotating public art by some of today’s leading artists, from eye-catching sculptures to colorful murals.

Art on theMART is the Riverwalk’s artistic crown jewel. It’s the largest digital art projection in the world, covering over 2.5 acres of theMART’s river-facing façade and featuring works by acclaimed local and international artists. Catch the free show nightly from April through December.

Kayak the the Riverwalk

The Chicago Riverwalk is an excellent starting point to explore the city via kayak. Head to Urban Kayaks, where you can rent a solo or tandem kayak, paddle down the Chicago River, and admire the surrounding architecture from a one-o-f-a-kind vantage point. They also offer guided kayak tours of the Riverwalk’s skyscraper canyon, including historic, sunset, and fireworks tours.

Museum near the Riverwalk

The Chicago Architecture Center is located just off the Chicago Riverwalk at One Illinois Center, a building designed by modernist genius Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The CAC is a gateway to discovering Chicago’s architectural legacy. The center offers over 85 docent-led tours, as well as exciting interactive exhibits, including the engaging Skyscraper Gallery and Building Tall exhibit.

The five-story McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum celebrates Chicago’s famed moveable bridges and gives you the opportunity to peek inside a historic landmark bridgehouse. At river level, you can view the massive gears that move Chicago’s famous bridges up and down. As you ascend, you’ll learn all about the Chicago River. Once at the very top, you’ll be treated to magnificent 360-degree views of the city. You can also take tower tours, view the moveable bridges in action during a bridge lift, and sign up for other special tours.

Source: choosechicago.com

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