A river of light runs west between the towers, and from a downtown bridge you get to stand right in the middle of it.
Our hour there
We got there too early. The sky was still blue and the river looked like a postcard of somewhere else, so we walked the Riverwalk and waited, sharing a paper cup of hot chocolate that went cold faster than it should have. By the time we climbed back up to the Clark Street Bridge the clouds had come in low and turned the sky a warm brown, and every tower had switched itself on. The bridge hummed under the cars. I was busy pointing at windows, counting floors, getting the names of buildings wrong. You weren't looking up at all. The city reached for the sky. I reached for you.
Come when it is properly night, about an hour after sunset. Stand mid-span on the west sidewalk and face west. The river runs away from you between towers on both banks, the next bridge sits low in the middle, and the lit promenade glows along the left bank. On a still, overcast autumn night the water holds every light. A passing boat or a gust will smear it all, and then you two just wait for it to settle, which is not the worst thing to do on a bridge.
One honest thing: the projections on the building at the right edge only run Thursday to Sunday, for half an hour, 19:30 to 20:00 from September 10. Watch them from the promenade across the water, then walk east to the bridge. Clear nights look nothing like this, so hope for cloud and bring a layer.
♡ On the jetty we tried to guess what each projection would turn into next, and you were wrong every single time and blamed the building.
This is the main stem of the Chicago River, looking west from a downtown bridge with the Riverwalk lit along the left bank. Our best match is the Clark Street Bridge looking toward LaSalle, with Dearborn giving almost the same view. The exact bridge and the lit tower in the middle are unverified, so treat it as a close match and don't name that tower.
When to go
Any Thursday to Sunday from April to December, so Art on theMART is running. Overcast autumn nights copy the warm brown sky best.
The hour: Full night, about 60–90 minutes after sunset. Sunset is roughly 18:15 in mid-October and 16:20 in December (unverified, so check timeanddate.com).
Avoid: Clear blue-hour skies, which look nothing like the frame. Windy nights, and boats passing under you, both break the reflections.
What it costs (USD)
Shoestring: Renaissance Chicago Downtown standard room from about $157 a night, then walk to the bridge for the view (Momondo snapshot, unconfirmed)
Mid: Renaissance King River View, or Hotel Chicago Downtown at Marina City, about $180–540 depending on date (unverified)
Splurge: LondonHouse King River View (rate unverified), or The Langham from about $256 in November to $860 on peak dates
4 stays, one of them is the view in the reel. The names and booking links are in the plan.
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