For Factory Lovers
Method
You might not realize it, but the chromatic rows of teardrop-shaped soap bottles you find at Target are manufactured right here in Pullman. You can go see how the suds are made and — the real attraction — Method’s new-fashioned, eco-friendly building, powered by wind turbines, a green roof, and solar panels. Free. 720 E. 111th St., Pullman, methodhome.com
For Foodies
Pizza City, USA
This excellent cheese-and-sauce excursion is an outgrowth of a book of the same title by broadcast personality Steve “Hungry Hound” Dolinsky. In three hours, you get multiple varieties of pizza — from Neapolitan to tavern-style and beyond — and surprising insight into the city’s pie-eyed purview. From $49. Various locations, pizzacityusa.com
For Architecture Buffs
Mies and Modernism: The IIT Campus Tour
This two-hour walking expedition dives into the Bauhaus visionary’s lesser-known work — still an unprecedented collection of minimalist, ultramodern, and futuristic buildings — and it’s just a short ride from the Loop. $26. 10 W. 33rd St., Bronzeville, architecture.org