This museum is WONDERFUL, particularly if you like the Impressionists and/or Post Impressionists. Renoir, Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Degas and Gauguin are all well represented. Make sure to see Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte-1884". His technique of dots and lines can really be appreciated when seen closely. Gustave Caillebotte's "Paris Street; Rainy Day" takes up a whole wall and the couple in the foreground seem ready to walk into the room with you. There are a large number of Picasso paintings and a few by Toulouse-Lautrec (including "At the Moulin Rouge"). Grant Wood's "American Gothic", as well as Edward Hopper's "Nighthawk" can be found on the second floor of the museum. Do not miss the Thorne Minature Rooms on the lower level. Tiny replicas of sitting rooms, living rooms and kitchens are displayed for different countries (England, France, USA) and times (15th, 16th centuries etc.) The detail is amazing and though the area is a bit warm when crowded, it is a "must see". Try to visit the museum early if visiting on a Saturday. We arrived shortly after opening and the lines started notlong after. Large bags and long umbrellas must be checked. If possible,plan what you would like to see in advance. I recommend buying the pocketguide in the store next to ticket sales. It is only a few dollars and will help guide you to what you'd like to see and give you some information about the paintings and sculpture. Go to those paintings that you really want to see first and avoid the crowds (when passing by the Seaurat at a later time, it was packed!). Their web site is : www.artic.edu Enjoy!

This is one of my favorite museums in the world!! They have Night Hawks by Edward Hopper, a lot of Impressionists. My favorite is downstairs. The miniatures. There are about 30-40 miniature houses in different periods almost like doll houses. A must see. Example (a 1800 Massachusetts parlor)or a 1750 Virginia kitchen. They have a lot of detail, down to the hairbrush on the dresser. In the summer they have a wonderful garden restaurant outside.

Chicago’s Art Institute boasts of over 5,000 works, and by the time I’d spent four hours here, I was in a starry-eyed daze. There are many galleries, but the ones I can recommend are:

European Prints and Drawings, and European 1400s, 1500s-1600s, 1700s, and 1800s. A collection, spanning centuries and countries, with works ranging from the icon-like paintings of the 1400s, through the opulent mythological depictions, dreamy landscapes, still lives and portraits of later years. Along with famous names like Caravaggio, Tiepolo, Murillo and Turner, are lesser known painters - Karl Blechen’s Interior of the Palmhouse at Potsdam is in every conceivable shade of green, with brilliant light and shade. Alberto Passini’s Circassian Army Awaiting its Commander at a Byzantine Monument is full of life - down to the pigeons pecking at grain!

The collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art is mind-blowing, too. All the heavyweights are here - Monet and his waterlilies; Van Gogh (Self portrait, Bedroom at Arles); Toulouse-Lautrec (The Jockey, At the Moulin Rouge); Millet (Among others, The Song of the Lark - a peasant girl standing in the half-light, sickle in hand, listening intently - and the equally rural Bringing Home the Newborn Calf). Another monumental work is Georges Seurat’s painstakingly perfect pointillist masterpiece, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.

Chinese, Japanese and Korean Art converge in a glorious display of carved jades and serene Buddhas, ferocious warriors and mettlesome ceramic stallions glazed in vivid yellows, greens, and browns. There are delicate silk paintings, brocaded costumes - and most abundant of all - porcelain. These range from delicate green teapots to pale blue jun pottery, glazed with purple-red.

Beyond the Paperweight Collection, which houses hundreds of largely French glass paperweights in floral designs, lie the European Arts. These galleries contains everyday art: carved furniture, ornate mirrors, crystal, and porcelain- Wedgwood, Dresden, and Sèvres.

The American Arts galleries, similarly, have furniture, silverware, paintings, and sculpture. Many stalwarts are represented - John Singer Sargent (Mrs George Swinton is very impressive); Winslow Homer (the silvery fish in The Herring Net almost writhe as they’re hauled into the tossing boat); and one of my favourites - Mary Cassatt. The Bath, depicting a mother bathing her little girl, is heartwarmingly tender. Another must-see in this section are Frederic Remington’s metal sculptures. One is of four cowboys, racing their horses so fast, only six of the sixteen hooves touch the ground!

And if you have children in tow, do check out one last gallery, the Thorne Miniature Rooms. Each room, only about a foot each side, is a perfect miniature replica of a typical historical room - mainly American or European, though there are Chinese and Japanese rooms too. There are bedrooms, living rooms, libraries, drawing rooms, dining rooms, even kitchens, all the way from Louis XIV through Victorian England, to 1930s Paris, to New Mexico, Virginia, wherever. Everything- furniture, upholstery, utensils, books, toys, paintings - is a perfect miniature. Utterly enchanting!

The Institute is open from 10am to 5 or 6pm, depending upon the season. Tickets are $12 per adult; there are discounts for senior citizens and students.

From its very humble begins as the Chicago Academy of Design in 1866, the Art Institute of Chicago has grown into a world-class Art Museum and School. It has hosted many traveling exhibits over the years, in addition to its own very fine collection. The current main building was designed in 1893 by the Boston firm of Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge. The building has been expanded and added to over the years but still holds true to its neoclassical design.

What they are known for in particular is their collection of Impressionists, both American and French. Though their first major acquisition was a collection of Dutch masters.

Visiting here does not come cheap, with entrance at $12 a person. Thursday evenings from 5 to 8pm are free. In addition, you will want to take the headphone tour, which is an additional $6. There are discounted rates for seniors and children. There is a special tour, especially for children. We accidentally listen to several of the offerings, and they are very good. We found the director's tour particularly interesting.

Let me begin by saying this is a beautiful museum, and the rooms are light and bright and well set up. Having said that, this has got to be the most confusing museum I have ever visited. Because it is made up of several different buildings, the flow is not easy. It is very difficult to find some of the galleries, and the maps are not much help. There are two different sets of elevators to the upper floors, and to see the full collections you need to use both of them. Don’t be afraid to ask for directions.

We began our visit in the café, which is in the far rear of the lower floor. When we left, it seemed natural to view what was the closest which was the ancient art section. There was a beautiful collection of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman items. I am always in awe of the glassware that has survived 2,000 years; mine at home seldom survives 10 years. The audio tour was our guide to the import pieces in the collection.

From here, we passed through a small exhibit of Renaissance jewelry, which led right into the modern furniture of Frank Lloyd Wright. The desk is of particular interest, since he didn’t do a lot of office furniture and this was done for the Johnson Wax Co.

There is a particularly nice section of American historic paintings and furniture. It is done very well and highlights the work of Winslow Homer on one whole wall. If you have ever wondered where Grant Wood’s "American Gothic" is located, look no further.

The Old Masters Collection is very deep here. Two Rembrandts, Rubens, Goya, Cranach, and much more.

Allow 3 or more hours for your visit here.

Go to Art Institute for general information. The Art Institute does not have its own parking—keep that in mind.

This art gallery is the ultimate in my opinion. With treasures from all time periods, there is something from everyone's taste. My friend who is not "into art" was even drawn in by the number of "poster" pictures (pictures he has seen prints of in art books and people's living rooms). This is stop no. 1 in Chicago for anyone who visits the city.