Our city
Chicago is a vibrant city full of life throughout the year. Chicago boasts world-renowned museums, restaurants, playhouses and musical theater, comedy clubs, blues clubs, a symphony, an opera, and numerous professional sports teams. With neighborhood parks seemingly at every corner, it is a phenomenal city to raise a family. Chicago is the home of over 2.7 million individuals and proudly supports a rich diversity of languages, races, religions, cultures, ethnicities, gender identities, and sexual orientations. The city has countless neighborhoods to explore each with their own heritage and feel.
During the summertime, the city swells with neighborhood block festivals, countless free movies and music venues in city parks, and pedestrian architectural and city tours. Our Chicago Pride Fest, Chicago Jazz Festival, Oktoberfest, and Lollapalooza are always crowd pleasers. We encourage our residents to get together after hours to explore the various neighborhoods of Chicago by train, car, boat, or foot. Our Resident Wellness Committee helps orchestrate events for the residency cohort, including two annual retreats for residents only and funded by the residency program.
The breathtaking Riverwalk is a 3.4 mile long pedestrian trail that provides stunning views of the city as if one was walking along the floor of an urban canyon. While on the Riverwalk, you can spend the day dining at outdoor restaurants and bars, perusing museums, and fishing. Rent a kayak right along the waterfront or join a guided tour to admire the juxtaposition of the gently flowing river with the fast paced life above you. Join the famous Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise to learn the history of Chicago’s iconic skyscrapers. Hop on a water taxi and relax as you navigate down to Chinatown for a sumptuous meal.
Lake Michigan is a prime destination for Chicagoans during the summertime. Sunbathe and play volley ball on one of many sandy beaches, rent a kayak and paddle out into the lake, or try your luck at windsurfing. Grab your picnic and head to the beach to watch our spectacular Air and Water show, the largest free show in the United States. Be mesmerized as the Blue Angels perform their acrobatic stunts and the Golden Knights parachute out of an aircraft from 12,500 feet in the air.
Head to Millennium Park for some good old-fashioned ice skating in the winter and outdoor rock climbing in the summer. Skating is free if you own your own skates, or you can rent a pair at the skating ribbon. Along the way, make sure you visit Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate (also known as the “Bean”) and Frank Gehry’s Pritzker Music Pavilion and BP Bridge.
If you are a foody, get ready for an adventure of a lifetime as you jump from 3 star Michelin restaurants to “hole-in-the-wall” restaurants. If you find yourself in the familiar position of being unable to try all of the restaurants you would like to, then make sure you attend our Taste of Chicago festival in Grant Park. If you happen to be out of town during that festival, then make sure you attend the Taste of River North, Taste of Lincoln Avenue, Windy City Rib Fest, Windy City Smokeout, or Windy City Wine Festival.
Walk out on the Skydeck of the Willis Tower (or Sears Tower as many of us still fondly refer to it) and experience a dizzying vista as you stand on top of a glass floor 103 stories above the city. Alternatively, grab a drink and appetizers in the Signature Lounge, located on the 96th floor of our beloved John Hancock Tower.
The city of Chicago has a phenomenal public transportation system including trains, busses, commuter rail lines, and a bike share program. While Rush does offer free hospital parking for all residents, the hospital is also conveniently located next to two different elevated (“El”) train lines.
2150 W. Harrison St.
Chicago, IL 60612
Phone: (312) 563-1212
psychiatry_residency@rush.edu