Lincoln Park Zoo is just beautiful—there are no two ways about it. If I lived in Chicago, I'd spend as much time as possible there—visiting the animals, sure, but also reading, writing, dreaming. (And it's free! And right across from the beach!) With the city skyline for a backdrop and beautiful trees, landscaping and architecture, the atmosphere is just incredible—very You've Got Mail-ish. The tiger exhibit was beautiful, and we saw some amazing big, beautiful-eyed cats in the Lion House. Too bad there's not enough room in the zoo for them to all roam and play outside. The Kovler Seal Pool is really pretty, but our favorite part of the day was visiting the polar bear. As we pressed our noses up to the glass of the underwater viewing area, he swam right up to us over and over and over—like he was kissing us through the window. So awesome. Lincoln Park is one of America's best small zoos for sure.

View photos of our trip to this zoo