Chicago Air & Water Show 2011 | Photos + report

After Saturday’s thunderstorms put a damper on the annual Chicago Air & Water Show, Mother Nature delivered perfect weather for Sunday’s lakefront spectacle.

An estimated 2 million people came to the show, but the crowds didn’t keep families from enjoying a great day at the beach. At North Avenue Beach, kids splashed in the water and played in the sand while Oracle stunt bi-planes performed loops, fly-bys and cringe-inducing near-misses for the crowd below. For those who couldn’t score a spot on a rooftop or a boat (clearly the best VIP option), Navy Pier’s VIP ticket was a popular, albeit overpriced, viewing solution. My son went with a friend to Navy Pier, where hundreds of families paid $40 for adults ($65 with alcohol) and $25 for kids for the chance to sit on the Pier during the air show. The ticket price included free food and, most importantly, bathroom access, as well as a ticket for the Ferris wheel. He had a blast, and said his view was amazing. But my view from the beach (and later from a friend’s lakefront balcony) was equally spectacular and all it cost me was $30 (yep…$30) for parking!

Crowds and price-gouging aside, the Air & Water Show is a Chicago treat at a time when many of our annual traditions seem to be disappearing. There’s nothing like being able to watch your kids' jaws drop over and over again as they see parachuters whip through the sky and then land one-by-one on the beach, or cover their ears at the sonic boom from the Thunderbirds buzzing perilously close to Lake Shore Drive skyscrapers. Come to think of it, my jaw dropped a few times, too.