Navy Pier would be my choice to while away a lazy Chicago summer day. Trouble is, I paid a visit on a decidedly chilly late April afternoon. But although my timing was off, the pier is poised—once the weather warms up—to assume its role as the city’s No. 1 outdoor family-friendly entertainment destination. 

The day started out brisk and sunny, but by noon the sky had started to cloud over. By the time I headed up Michigan Avenue and then took the short jog over to the pier, the sun had vanished and low clouds were obscuring the tops of skyscrapers. I zipped up my hoodie, pulled my knit cap down over my ears and leaned into the raw wind that was whipping off Lake Michigan. What happened to those nice blue skies?

The first thing I noticed was that many of the attractions—water taxis, tour boats, concession stands—weren’t open yet. And visitors were conspicuously absent except for the odd pack of roving teenagers (and shouldn’t they be in school on a Wednesday afternoon?), a few joggers and roller bladers, and couples with their arms around each other for warmth. “Cruise on the river, guy,” a tour boat operator called out half-heartedly as I passed. I declined with a smile and a head shake.

Yellow tape stretched across the fence fronting the Navy Pier Beer Garden, which was forlornly empty. The wooden snack huts advertising funnel cakes, fried dough, elephant ears and other fattening goodies were all shuttered. A red and white Ferris wheel stood out against the now leaden gray sky, its seats starkly empty, a lone staff member standing at the ride entrance with her hands jammed into her pants pockets. Meanwhile, songs like “Spill the Wine” by Eric Burdon & War, “Love Will Find a Way” by Pablo Cruise and “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae blasted out of the speakers along the pier—all feel-good, breezy summertime tunes that sounded ironically amusing given the distinct lack of crowds.

By the time I reached the end of the pier the wind felt freezing. Fog was rolling off the steely green lake. The Grand Ballroom, one of several special event and exhibition spaces, was empty. But the gloom gave the Chicago skyline a brooding quality that was good for some evocative photos. It was much too cold to remain comfortable while standing gazing back at the tall buildings or out over the water—and besides I needed something to eat, so I backtracked to my starting point.

There was the usual assortment of retail shops and eateries in the Family Pavilion complex at the base of the pier. I wandered through the food court, but nothing caught my eye until I spied an outlet for Connie’s Pizza, a local chain. Among the menu items was a mini deep-dish barbecue chicken pizza. As soon as I placed my order the bored-looking young woman behind the register reached down, opened a drawer, pulled out a suspiciously frozen-looking pie and popped it into a small oven to heat. Alas, it was premade—but despite being overpriced at $7.24 (that includes Chicago’s steep restaurant tax) it was still pretty good, an okay on-the-run snack.

If all this sounds like a generally glum picture, I should remind you that from Memorial Day through Labor Day Navy Pier is buzzing with things to see and do. You can visit the Chicago Children’s Museum or the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows. Take in a performance at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. There’s lots of kid-friendly stuff like the Amazing Chicago Funhouse Maze, the Wave Swinger ride and the Navy Pier IMAX Theatre. Shoreline Sightseeing is one of several cruise boat operators lined up along the pier, ready to take you on a Chicago River sightseeing tour for an up-close look at the city’s world-famous architecture. And of course there are souvenir shops and cart vendors galore—in a couple of weeks, that is, when everything revs up for the summer season.

One final note: Fans of “The Bob Newhart Show” will want to check out the Bob Newhart Statue in Gateway Park, near the pier entrance. Oak Park native Newhart’s best-known role was that of Chicago psychiatrist Dr. Robert Hartley on this classic ’70s sitcom. The life-size statue depicts him in a traditional pose—seated in a chair next to an empty sofa, presumably listening to one of his patients. It’s your chance to use one of the show’s catch phrases: “Hi Bob!” 


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