Where's the best spot to see sunset in gold coast or near north side neighborhood?

[marothisu]

Pretty much anything that gives you a view where you don't have a bunch of skyscrapers RIGHT infront of you (which is why being up in a skyscraper is good too). I like the Adler and boat suggestions.

[It'sAutomatic]

Some actual advice: the park at Kingsbury and Erie. It's near the river and there aren't any tall buildings right to the West there. You can't actually watch the sun go all the way down but you sort of feel more immersed in the event. Elsewhere you wouldn't notice that the sun was going down except for the fact that it was getting darker.

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

Look down the Chicago River I suppose.

Yeah, I'd suggest either going to the west of the skyscrapers -- the riverfront's a good start -- to watch the sunset's rays reflected off the skyscrapers. Otherwise, you can watch the sunset through the skyscrapers from Milton Olive Park, north of Navy Pier, or from North Avenue Beach.

[urbanlife78]

I have seen the sunset from the Hancock, that is always beautiful to see, then if you are up there long enough you get to see the lights coming on throughout the city.

Oh another good suggestion when the weather is warm, is to take a boat tour of some kind out onto the lake during sunset.

[tompope]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

I have seen the sunset from the Hancock, that is always beautiful to see, then if you are up there long enough you get to see the lights coming on throughout the city.

Oh another good suggestion when the weather is warm, is to take a boat tour of some kind out onto the lake during sunset.

The OP specifically said that he or she was looking for a spot on the ground, and not from a tall building. So, obviously, the Hancock Building and a tour boat don't qualify.

Anyhow, clearly, due to the layout and topography of the city, there simply is no place at or near ground level in River North or the Gold Coast where one can get a fully wide-open, unobstructed view of the setting sun with most of the sky and the west-southwestern horizon visible. It just doesn't exist. Anything you can do to elevate yourself above the ground at all, even without going in a tall building or an aircraft, will help. For example, some of the best near-ground-level sunset views in Chicago can be had from places like bridges, overpasses, viaducts, and el station platforms, or sometimes even from the el trains themselves (such as the portion of the Blue Line between Western and Damen where the train soars way up high to go over some freight tracks, and you get a magnificent, sweeping view to the southwest of the city and the sunset—not in River North or Gold Coast, but very nice). Staying truly on the ground, your sunset view will inevitably be limited and obstructed to one degree or another, but it can still be lovely. A spot I always used to like for sunsets was the area around the Blommer Chocolate plant at Kinzie and Jefferson. It was kind of a loose, open industrial/railroad area, with a good deal of open sky to the southwest, and remarkably few buildings, vehicles, or people around, considering it's only a few blocks from the Loop. Plus, one often got the fragrance of chocolate wofting on the breeze through the whole area. Over the past ten or fifteen years there's been a lot of development in that area, so it's a lot more cluttered than it used to be, but it's still nice.

Also, paytonc mentioned Milton Olive Park, and I would agree, but also recommend the whole Navy Pier area in general. I've gotten to see many a beautiful sunset from the southern side of Navy Pier itself, looking back across the harbor towards Grant Park, the Loop skyline, and the setting sun. Again, it's certainly not a completely clear and open view of the sunset, but there you're far enough out away from the majority of the tall buildings to give yourself a decent amount of open sky. And it's as close to a view from a boat out on the lake without having to actually leave the shore as you'll get anywhere near River North or the Gold Coast.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by tompope

The OP specifically said that he or she was looking for a spot on the ground, and not from a tall building. So, obviously, the Hancock Building and a tour boat don't qualify.

I was aware of that, I just don't think there really is a good place to see a sunset when your water is to the east of you without being out on the water or in a tall building. Beyond that, maybe going out to the end of Navy Pier or anywhere along the park is kind of cool when you can start to see the colors changing in the sky between the buildings.