For years, people have been talking about Navy Pier’s untapped potential. Today, they’re still talking about it.
One month after its ballyhooed “grand opening,” Navy Pier remains very much a work in progress. Many of its principal attractions have yet to open. Others are open but are glaringly far from finished.
Walk along Navy Pier’s promenade (the walkway on the south side of the pier), and your eyes will behold a seemingly endless parade of construction barriers, “Wet Paint” signs, empty planters (currently used as waste receptacles by lazy but resourceful visitors) and temporary retail and food stands. The aroma of freshly applied drywall compound is in the air.
Call it the Most Festive Construction Site in America, because the lack of a finished product has not deterred thousands of visitors each week.
“The construction delays are obviously upsetting,” says general manager Jon Clay. “But the pier has been wonderfully active since the beginning of May, averaging 15,000 to 20,000 people daily. Everybody seems to enjoy themselves tremendously.”
The truth is, Navy Pier has been dormant for so long that half a Navy Pier–minus many attractions but still offering some restaurants, rides and entertainment–is still something pretty special. Once the other features are up and running, the pier could become an irresistible magnet for tourists and natives.
Clay sounds confident when he predicts that just about all the attractions will be open by Sept. 1. But why wait? The main restaurants are open, the big wheel keeps on turning and the summer breezes are blowing now.
Here, then, is a guide to what’s ready and what’s still to come:
Sights
If there were nothing else to do on Navy Pier, people would still come for the view. Few cities can match the view Chicago offers from the lake; perhaps no city offers as much free public space from which to enjoy that view.
So stroll the promenade and gaze at the beautiful shoreline. Gawk at your fellow visitors; people-watching on the pier, where you’ll see everything from biker shorts to tuxedos, is fascinating. Stick around for the fireworks display, at 10:15 p.m. every Friday and Saturday through Labor Day. It doesn’t cost a thing.
Also free for the viewing is the Crystal Garden, a soaring, glassed-in space boasting majestic palm trees and other fancy flora. Though not complete, the garden is already a very pretty place. Duck in from the heat (the air conditioning keeps the place pleasantly cool even on blisteringly hot days, of which we’ve had more than our share lately) and plop yourself down on one of the table-sized benches scattered throughout the garden. The view will be even prettier when the fountains, scattered throughout the sprawling space, are installed–perhaps by Labor Day.
Just east of the Crystal Garden is a shallow reflecting pool, another pleasant resting spot. In the winter, the pool will be converted into an ice rink, and a nearby shed will rent skates.
Gateway Park, which sits in front of Navy Pier’s entrance, ought to be completed by Labor Day. Included in this landscaped area will be a fancy fountain with computerized water jets capable of many special effects. The fountain will be “interactive,” meaning that visitors may frolic amid the dancing waters. Kids ought to love this on hot days.
And for a glimpse of Navy Pier as it used to be, go all the way to the east end. Vintage benches and streetlamps, stunning views, few people, no music.
Rides
The most visible attraction on Navy Pier–visible from quite a distance away–is the World’s Slowest Ferris Wheel. Actually, that’s not its official name, but this enormous wheel carries 40 six-passenger, glassed-in gondolas on a one-revolution, 7 1/2-minute sightseeing ride. When your gondola reaches the apex, you’re about 150 feet up–and the slow speed is a blessing for photographers. At $2 per ride, it’s not a bad deal at all, which explains the often long lines.
There also is the carousel, a very colorful, very traditional ride for kiddies and parents. The ride is pretty short, but so is the line. And tickets are only $1.
Navy Pier also is home to five cruise ships. You can sign up for a pricey but stylish dinner cruise on the Odyssey or the Spirit of Chicago. The Anita Dee and Anita Dee II offer private charters. And for a quick, inexpensive sightseeing tour, there’s Shoreline Marine, which operates half-hour cruises for $6 adults, $3 kids.
For those who prefer a self-guided and self-propelled tour, there’s a shop at the west end of the pier that rents bicycles and in-line skates, which are permitted along the promenade. Renters are not required to demonstrate competency, a fact that is apparent to anyone observing the neophyte skaters wobbling about, so stay alert. (Stroller and wagon rentals are available, too.)
Attractions
For free entertainment, you have but to look for impromptu performances along the promenade. The Navy Pier Players performs improv comedy and a cappella music; Pier Pressure is a jazz quartet.
Also along “Dock Street,” another name for the promenade, you’ll find free performances by various artists each weekend, including parts of the Magic City Festival this Friday through Sunday.
That very futuristic-looking tented structure is the Skyline Stage, a 1,500-seat open-air pavilion that has been bringing in top-name acts since it opened a year ago. Upcoming shows include Ben Vereen on Friday, Robert Cray and Ivan Neville on Monday, Buckwheat Zydeco on Aug. 18, Kathy Mattea on Aug. 28 and Ramsey Lewis on Aug. 30.
Coming soon–Labor Day, coincidentally enough–is the new IMAX theater, a 440-seat theater whose huge screen provides you-are-there entertainment. The IMAX theater is in the family pavilion on the pier’s west end, as is the Chicago Children’s Museum, which will move from its North Pier home into a sprawling, 50,000-square-foot space on Oct. 7.
There also are ticketed events offered from time to time in the Grand Ballroom, and at the pier’s East End.
Dining
You won’t starve on Navy Pier. Its four principal restaurants are now open, and the food court, offering everything from Connie’s Pizza to King Wah Chinese food, should be open for business by–sing along if you know the words–Labor Day.
The destination restaurant on Navy Pier is Riva, which sits at about the halfway point of the pier. Every one of Riva’s 300-plus seats has a view of Lake Michigan and the skyline, thanks to the dining room’s floor-to-ceiling, second-story windows. The menu emphasizes seafood, plus there are a good number of steak and pasta dishes. Though not stuffy, the white-tablecloth decor is definitely elegant. You’ll want to spiff up a bit for this place.
Far more casual is Widow Newton’s Tavern, a restaurant that combines elements of old cathedrals, libraries and gothic architecture. The menu is far more contemporary, pairing rack of lamb with celery root remoulade, and seared tuna with soy vinaigrette-dressed greens. The outdoor cafe overlooks the unfinished Gateway Park fountain.
For a quick burger and a brew, and other pub fare, there’s Charlie’s Ale House, a re-creation of the Lincoln Park original. Perchy’s, a very casual restaurant featuring fish sandwiches and the like, is a sort of substitute for Rocky’s, the old fish-sandwich shack that once did business near the pier. Near the east end of the pier, there’s an outdoor beer garden, where you can get hot dogs and hamburgers as well.
You’ll want to take the kids into the McDonald’s restaurant here (right, like you have a choice) for a peek at the futuristic decor and the once-an-hour, 6-minute light-and-sound show in the middle of the dining area. Focused around a large energy ball (like those artificial-lightning novelty gadgets), except this one’s 2 feet in diameter, the show includes pulsating music from a cranked-up sound system, related videos displayed on a wide screen and a laser-generated light show.
Navy Pier is a labor of love, and you’ll love it by Labor Day.
