New & Noteworthy in Chicago

Since Barack Obama went from being an Illinois state senator to the nation's president, his home in Chicago's Hyde Park is off limits to tourists, but the neighborhood is not. Hyde Park is experiencing a resurgence in interest -- consider a walk around the University of Chicago campus or the Oriental Institute Museum, a showcase
of artifacts from the ancient Near East.

Chicago has also recently landscaped its museum campus, moving vast swaths of parking lots underground and replacing them (happily) with parks. It makes for an enjoyable stroll along the lake as you're visiting the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium.