Celebrating the 4th of July in Chicago

In a couple weeks, the shores of Lake Michigan will burst with brightly colored lights and scores of people. Celebrating the 4th of July in the city of Chicago can be both an exhilarating and exhausting experience. There is so much to do and see, not only on Independence Day, but all summer long in Chicago that the City of Big Shoulders has become a popular tourist destination. One can easily plan a week's vacation around Chicago's 4th of July celebration.

The major firework display will take place on the eve of Independence Day at the usual place, off of Monroe Harbor, just east of the nightly light show at the spectacular Buckingham Fountain, which is a must see for an visitor to Chicago. The musically synchronized fireworks show, sponsored this year by Macy's (a sacrilege to some/most Chicagoans), will culminate a full day (and belly), of the annual Taste of Chicago. The Taste is held in the spaciousness of Grant Park, a few short yards west of Buckingham Fountain. All quite convenient. View the pyrotechnics while eating a Chicago style hotdog bathed in the red and green spray of the Fountain. Or listen to the Grant Park Orchestra synchronized extravaganza while lying at Monroe Harbor sipping an ice-cold beer with brilliant, multi-colored explosives over heard.

Lest you miss the Macy's Independence Eve Fireworks spectacular, you can catch just as impressive a display on the exact night of July 4th at Chicago's Navy Pier. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the sky over Chicago's lakefront is filled with a dazzling exhibit of lights and sounds every Wednesday and Saturday night. Only in Chicago, I believe, can you celebrate the 4th of July in grand fashion two nights in a row.