Imagine zooming through the sky from Union Station, past Buckingham Fountain with stops at the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium in a vessel that resembles an amusement park ride before ending your trip at McCormick Place.
The so-called "urban gondola"-a cable car typically associated with ski lifts-would travel on overhead cables between downtown hotspots and Museum Campus tourist attractions.
The "urban gondola" is among 70-plus ideas-from better signs on Lake Shore Drive to streetcars in the South Loop-the Metropolitan Planning Council received on how to better improve transportation around Museum Campus, the area along Chicago's lakefront that is home to Soldier Field, Northerly Island, Adler Planetarium and other museums.
Thursday was the last day for the public to submit ideas, and no idea-no matter how outlandish it may seem-is being ruled out.
"We are absolutely going to consider every suggestion," said MarySue Barrett, Metropolitan Planning Council president. "We're not just looking at very near-term items. We're looking at an aspirational" level.
The council, a group of community leaders devoted to city development, will begin to review the suggestions with the Chicago Department of Transportation and Chicago Park District to develop recommendations for next steps, said Yonah Freemark, a Metropolitan Planning Council project manager.
In August, Mayor Emanuel announced the creation of the Museum Campus task force to study transit options to and from the area, which serves nearly 4 million visitors each year, according to the city.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, George Lucas' controversial museum, is slated to be built in Soldier Field parking lots. The planned museum is expected to bring more visitors to an area that can seem isolated from the rest of the city because it is blocks from a CTA rail station and is served by only a few CTA bus routes.
The task force solicited ideas by hosting public meetings and accepting online submissions through civicartworks.com. Some residents at a public meeting told RedEye that it's difficult to figure out where CTA buses stop at Museum Campus, and bicycling can be difficult because of pedestrian congestion.
Besides the gondola high-wire system that would make Nik Wallenda jealous, other ideas include a light rail on Lake Shore Drive and streetcars that would connect the South Loop and Museum Campus.
Go to civicartworks.com/projects/museum-campus-transportation-study to see the rest of the ideas.