Navy Pier, Please!: Travel + Tourism: Kate Rockwood: CenterstageChicago.com

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Navy Pier, Please!

An inner-kid smorgasbord at this carnival by the lake.

Monday Oct 16, 2006. By Kate Rockwood

Travel + Tourism Feed

Though I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and have lived in the city for the past six years, I'd been to Navy Pier only once, as a nine year old, before last week. My memories of that day don't extend much beyond the thick lines of spazzy kids, the thin line of my mother's mouth as she shelled out more money than she'd planned and my just-under-five-foot grandma clinging to the rail of the Ferris wheel as we were lifted 150 feet into the air.

When my sister finally moved from Joliet into an apartment in Bridgeport this year, I couldn't wait to play tour guide. Her only request? That we hit up Navy Pier and take another spin on the Ferris wheel. I distracted her as long as possible with my favorite city spots—Green Zebra, the Double Door, shopping in Bucktown—but when we were arranging to hang out recently she put her foot down. "Navy Pier or nothing," she told me, and I could tell by her tone she meant it.

Being sans kids, in my twenties and on a limited budget, I wasn't expecting to have more than a passable amount of fun at the entertainment behemoth on the lake. But like most things, it's all about attitude.

My sister and I met on a Thursday evening, planning to avoid the long lines and the bulk of tourists driving in from the 'burbs (hey, just because you used to be one doesn't mean you can't avoid them). To our delight, Navy Pier was near empty when we arrived and any lines we'd endured as kids were now nonexistent.

Tickets to most outdoor rides at Navy Pier cost $5, but value tickets save a bundle (a bronze value ticket buys you three rides for $9; silver buys four for $10; gold buys five for $11). My sister and I scanned our ride options and quickly settled on the Ferris wheel, wave swinger and miniature golf, meaning a bronze ticket would get us on all three rides for $9.

The Ferris wheel was an obvious starting point. With 40 gondolas seating six passengers each, the Ferris wheel can hold a breezy 240 people, but on our autumn evening we were two of only 12 people on the ride. You board the wheel while it's still in motion (an embarrassingly terrifying feat) and get to enjoy one slow rotation before jumping back off. As cheesy as it sounds, the views from the top—of both the lake and the city—are breathtaking. "I can't believe you never come here," my sister said at the top of the ride, as we peered out onto the twinkling skyline.

Having my younger sister snub my too-cool-for-school attitude definitely helped me let my hair down a bit for the rest of the evening. We went inside to the long hallway crammed with vendors selling everything from temporary tattoos to food to magnets, and bought hot churros to munch on before playing miniature golf, 18 tiny holes that weave between the different outside attractions.

Following a decisive victory for my little sis, we headed to the wave swinger, where the thought of being twirled 14 feet in the air was making that churro seem like less than a good idea. Stomach flip-flopping, I wedged myself into the kiddie-size seat and let out a tiny yelp when our swings jerked into motion and I momentarily envied my nine-year-old self, who had ridden the wave swinger without hesitation no less than six times in one day.

With an hour left before Navy Pier closed, we ordered overstuffed burritos from the Twisted Lizard in the food court and split a giant cone of Ben & Jerry's pumpkin cheesecake ice cream. At my request, we strolled through the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows while we devoured our sweet treat. Though the 150 windows, most of which were originally installed in Chicago area buildings, were beautiful, the contemplative gallery couldn't compete with the lights and noise of the rest of the pier.

My sister suggested we take one last walk past the outdoor attractions before calling it a night and I didn't hesitate a bit before agreeing.

Guidebook rating: If you've got even a smidge of inner-kid left in you, expect to enjoy the slew of outdoor attractions and sugary treats. Even if you're grown up through and through, the skyline view from the Ferris wheel is well worth a trip to the pier.

Stats: Navy Pier is open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with extended summer hours. The Ferris wheel operates year-round (weather permitting). Parking is plentiful, with a flat weekend fee of $22. For more information, visit www.navypier.com.

Untrapping Tourism is a monthly feature that pits Centerstage's native and nearly native writers against the city's most stereotypical tourist traps.

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