Photo Gallery: Green Chicago

The Nichols Bridgeway

Photograph by Melissa Farlow

The Nichols Bridgeway extends over the world's largest green roof to Millennium Park.

"The Bean"

Photograph by Melissa Farlow

Sculptor Anish Kapoor named his shiny Millennium Park landmark the "Cloud Gate," but native Chicagoans call the sculpture simply "the bean." Its steel surface reflects the park's lush gardens and courtyards that run along Lake Michigan.

For more on this Midwestern metropolis, read "Chicago: America's Green City," from the September 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Chicago Museum of Science and Industry

Photograph by Melissa Farlow

Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry is among the world's largest science museums, where kids can explore nearly 14 acres of interactive exhibits, learning, for example, how the human heart functions by stepping inside a 16-foot replica. The collection, encompassing more than 35,000 artifacts and permanent exhibits, includes the U-505 submarine, the only German U-boat displayed in the United States.

For more on this Midwestern metropolis, read "Chicago: America's Green City," from the September 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Morning Commuters

Photograph by Melissa Farlow

Morning commuters pass under the city's elevated "L" train, the second largest fast-transit system in America. Chicago residents, besides depending on the train system for transportation, also ranked it third among Chicago's top seven wonders, after Wrigley Field and the Lakefront, in a Chicago Tribune poll.

For more on this Midwestern metropolis, read "Chicago: America's Green City," from the September 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Chicago River

Photograph by Melissa Farlow

The London Guarantee Building offered photographer Melissa Farlow an overview of the bustling Chicago River coursing through downtown. The building is one of four 1920s-era structures flanking the North Wabash Avenue Bridge, visible in the foreground.

For more on this Midwestern metropolis, read "Chicago: America's Green City," from the September 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Crown Fountain

Photograph by Melissa Farlow

Students take a break from a program at the Art Institute of Chicago to play in the water flowing from the video-enhanced Crown Fountain in Millennium Park. The fountain, lauded by some for its technological innovation, has also been criticized for clashing with the park's aesthetic.

For more on this Midwestern metropolis, read "Chicago: America's Green City," from the September 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Frontera Grill

Photograph by Melissa Farlow

The artsy tequila bar at Frontera Grill distinguishes one of chef Rick Bayless's three Chicago restaurants offering different twists on Mexican cuisine. The restaurants reflect the city's green bent with subtle innovations, such as the use of LED lighting. But "people don't get lectures on environmental ethics here," Bayless says, "just good food."

For more on this Midwestern metropolis, read "Chicago: America's Green City," from the September 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Navy Pier

Photograph by Melissa Farlow

A young couple share a kiss in a gondola of the 150-foot-high Ferris wheel on Navy Pier, which juts into Lake Michigan from the Chicago shoreline. The pier, built in 1916, offers such attractions as the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows, The Children’s Museum, and the AeroBalloon, an anchored helium-filled balloon that floats above the lake.

For more on this Midwestern metropolis, read "Chicago: America's Green City," from the September 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Lake Michigan Shore

Photograph by Melissa Farlow

A father and son skip rocks along a stretch of Lake Michigan shore accessed by the Lakefront Trail, an 18-mile paved walkway from Hollywood Avenue to 71st Street. The popular trail attracts runners, bikers, skaters, and walkers.

For more on this Midwestern metropolis, read "Chicago: America's Green City," from the September 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler.