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.

This museum is so culturally diverse in that it has everything from Asian, Indian, Middle Ages, Impressionism, Egyptian exhibits, and so on. There is literally something for everyone. I love the Arms and Armor room, where they display swords throughout the ages and from different countries. Also, there are many other battle type items such as shields and axes. This museum is a must see in Chicago. It has works from famous artists such as Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Piccaso, Wood, Matisse, Okeef, etc. Just a great place to see.

This is third time I've been to the Art Institute. The last time I was here, I was able to spend the whole day and take in every nook and cranny. This visit we didn't arrive until 3:45pm and didn't realize that the museum closed at 4:30pm. Not only does it close at 4:30pm, but the museum actually starts kicking people out of the exhibits at 4:15pm so they can get everyone out of the building by 4:30pm. That was okay because I only wanted to see one painting.

TRAVEL TIP: Because it was so late in the day, the ticket person asked us what we wanted to pay to get into the museum. We said $4, and we meant $4 each, for a total of $8. However, the ticket person charged us only the $4! So, if you arrive with less than an hour before closing, you can get in without paying full price. Just make an offer.

With our tickets in hand we went straight upstairs to the Impressionist Exhibit to see A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat, a painting most people remember from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and the painting the museum is most known for. I absolutely love this painting, not just because of the scene, but because of the technique. The painting is comprised of hundreds of thousands of tiny dots (think of a dot-matrix printer). At 10 feet wide and 6 feet high, imagine the time and energy spent doing that by hand. We spent what little time we had viewing this painting and all the Impressionist paintings, such as Monet and Renoir, and more modern works, such as those of Picasso.

MUSEUM TIP: Do not use the flash to take photos. Light from the flash will fade the paintings. You can take photos without flash because there is plenty of light inside the museum.

Upon leaving the museum, we made many purchases in the gift shop, including a miniature replica of La Grande Jatte, a miniature Monet, and some postcards. Outside on the front steps, we were treated to a concert of young street performers who played buckets like drums and had quite a crowd of museum-goers putting money into their hats. They played until a cop car drove by and blared his siren at them, and the boys picked up their drums and ran across the street (where we saw them 5 minutes later dividing up the money). We guessed they didn't have a permit to perform for money on the street. What an afternoon; Ferris Bueller eat your heart out!