Diversity may have become a passé rallying cry in recent years, but it takes on a whole new meaning in the Chicago Cultural Center. Just walking through this imposing structure – which could easily qualify as one of Chicago’s best-kept, plain-sight secrets – is a lesson in variety; one moment you’re standing in an austere stone hall, the next in a gallery filled with emotive modern art, and the next you’re looking up at a $35 million Tiffany glass dome, set in a rotunda decorated like the Hagia Sophia. The Grand Staircase alone is enough to make visitors dizzy, with its Escher-esque angles and arches. The majority of exhibits and performances in the Cultural Center are free and open to the public, making this a no-brainer choice for an hour or two of free time. Take in a show, wander the galleries, or just spend some time in one of the Center’s vast open spaces, enjoying something you won’t experience often in Chicago: peace and quiet.