Navy Pier

Reviews 4

JO

John Crass

STRAIGHT TO THE POINT: Our civilization is in collapse. This collapse is well-documented: philosophers, scientists, politicians, military strategists, economists, and even NASA have begun sounding the alarm for ecological catastrophe, the technological singularity, and the general collapse of life as we know it. The news anchors appear no less panicked than the environmental and survivalist fringe of the past: the Arctic is melting, Japanese teenagers refuse to have sex, a private company wants to build a colony on Mars, Europe is being looted by hooded protestors, and humans may be extinct by the end of the century. Through all of this, at the precipice of insanity, there are those who are organizing to save mankind by dissolving all civic life into a continuum of warfare. Urbanists work alongside military specialists. SmartGrowthers and green capitalists hope to maintain present levels of exploitation without the parking lots and fossil fuels. Cyberneticians can no longer conceal their imperial fantasies: ”imagine uploading a criminal mind onto a computer to simulate eternal imprisonment! Think of all of the resources we could save!” Holding it all together are the citizens who long for quiet, who will defend this civilization and its false ideas just as so many peasants once fought for Louis XVI, Tsar Nicholas, and a million other dying regimes. And yet, a global struggle - a tremendous global struggle - has emerged fro this crumbling edifice. An insurrectional wave has washed over every inhabited continent. Tunisia, Egypt, Spain, Greece, Italy, the United States, Libya, Syria, France, Chile, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Turkey, Bosnia, Taiwan, Ukraine, and beyond. Everywhere people have decided to fight for another way of being - for a life actually worth living. The same techniques appear across the globe and have been refined for local conditions: the occupation of plazas and buildings, flaming barricades, the reappropriation and automatic communization of food and clothing, masked demonstrations, molotov cocktails, street clinics, information hacking and leaks, highway blockades, and strikes. In 2008, we watched in awe as Greece was engulfed in flames. Today, scenes like this are astoundingly normal. We do not expect this scenario to end soon. In sum, there is a side organized to preserve this civilization through every crisis that signifies its impending collapse, and there is a side getting organized to usher in a very different future from the one in store for us. These two sides, situated on either pole of a collapsing order, are the forces that constitute a global civil war. This conflict cannot be reduced to a debate over who should run the government, nor what sort of government we ought to have. This conflict transcends questions of the economy or social inequality. This conflict has to do with the future of human and non-human life, of what it means to be alive in a time where all social interaction produces computerized information. We have entered a new geological age marked in its emergence by a fantastic tragedy. We must grapple with the real questions of our time: What does it mean to be human in the 21st century? How will we feed ourselves in a desert, in a nuclear wasteland, in the ashes of a city? How do we shut down a metropolis? How do we meet with those trapped in the rural-suburban mess? How do we pursue our desires? With whom do we live - and how? How do we learn? How do we love ourselves and each other? We must be willing to see our situation for what it is and to provide practical answers to these questions. The whole world is at stake.

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BO

Bob Franco

I dont understand why people love this place so much. I visited this nightmarish location on May 22, and let me tell you that it was anything but pleasant. First, I walked up to the boardwalk entrance and a craggy old man walked up to me wearing nothing but flip flops. He asked me if I knew I was going to die soon. I told him "no" and that I didnt want to, but he told me that I would die in 7 years from thrombosis. Rude! I walked past that weird old man and made my way to Margaritaville. When I got there, I witnessed 5 kids throw up simultaneously on their plates, while their mother squawked like a crow. She then took out her phone and proceeded to call "The President" and told him that her liver was failing. So, no lunch there for me. So, I went to the IMAX theater but on the way there I passed the Build a Bear workshop, where a child was using a defibrillator on a stuffed bear while shouting "come to life, Brother Bear! Rejoice in the world of the living!" When the paddles hit the bear, it promptly got up, started dancing, and used a green crayon to draw a pentagram on the floor. Forget the movie! On my way out of Navy Pier, a young woman stopped me and pleaded for me to let her go. I asked her what she meant and she told me that shed been a slave at Navy Pier for a decade, and that she couldnt leave because there were invisible walls boxing her in. She said she needed a man to let her out who had "the Chicago key." I told her with a sad face that I couldnt help her, and she proceeded to sob until the floor was completely glazed in tears, which the nearby janitor mopped up with his tongue. Needless to say, Im never returning.

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AN

Ankita Kuila

As we headed out from the Millennium Park, walking along the shorelines of Lake Michigan, we made our way to the Navy Pier. I loved the yacht and the other boats anchored along the shorelines. Wow! The view from here is really refreshing - with the skyscrapers along the shorelines and the chilly winds breezing against your face, WOW!! It is a sight to see the water boats sail through. The Navy Pier Children Museum is a must visit - there are hoards of people out there, and me being the typical Indian, it is indeed brightening to see such a crowd. There are loads and loads of shops, eateries lined up inside. There is this Richard Heus Stained glass painting gallery which is an interesting stop by - to see the pieces of art. The room was darkened a little to enhance the beauty of the glass paintings. The giant wheel - Ferris Wheel is iconic and adds an aura to the picturesque view. It is about 45 m high. The Navy Pier is a recreational facility located on shoreline of Lake Michigan. It has parks, garden, play area , shops and loads of restaurants. Nice place to spend the evening by - watching the city lighten up. Do opt for the Shoreline classic lake tour - the best 40 minutes to view the entire city of Chicago and the lake Michigan. The ride through the boat is entertaining with the continuous commentary and the anchor keeps the riders quite enthralled. Cheers to life!! ~Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step! :)

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JE

Jeanette H

Ive been to Chicago a few times now but never made it to Navy Pier. Today I was able to fly in and take advantage of the nice weather & go check it out. Unfortunately there is a lot of construction which takes away from things. Like the entire pier is under construction. Im sure it will be lovely when its finished but for now its an eye sore & takes away from the experience. I was meeting a colleague & got turned around (directions are hard) and ended up walking practically the entire thing. It would be nice if there was a map or directory somewhere on the pier. That would have helped this first time visitor find her way to her colleague. At that point it could have told me to download an app to find my way & I would have. Signage is important & hopefully part of the renovation project. Once I found my colleague we didnt stick around too much longer. I was over it by that point (patience is a virtue I dont have). It was very easy to find the taxi line & we didnt have to wait long. While walking to the line we got solicited by someone offering a "free" gift of mineral cosmetics. Said gift was not free & the guy got an attitude because we didnt want to spend the $20 on what he was offering. *eye roll* All in all a decent experience & not crowded. Until the construction is done I wont be going back.

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