In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) took the day off and made the city of Chicago his own personal playground.

Maybe you need a day off from work. Maybe you're skipping school (we're not condoning that, of course). Maybe you just want to reenact one of your favorite movies. Whatever your reason for needing a day off, spending a day in Ferris Bueller's Chicago is a perfect way to work off a little steam and spend a day off.

Hopefully, you're taking your day off during baseball season because it is imperative that you take in a home game at Chicago's Wrigley Field if you want the true Ferris Bueller experience.

Now, whether you're actually there to enjoy the game or just chow down on the hot dogs, one thing is imperative, you must yell out, at least once, "Hey batta batta batta sa-wiiiing batta!"

Trust me. Your Ferris experience is incomplete without it.

While the restaurant where the exteriors for the restaurant scene were filmed is no longer there, there are still plenty of French restaurants where you can pretend to be Abe Froman, Sausage King of Chicago. Remember. If they lay a hand on you, you yell rat!

French Restaurants in Chicago fit for the Sausage King

• Everest (440 S. La Salle St., 40th Fl. ) - Located on the 40th Floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange, this restaurants ooh-la-la atmosphere and panoramic views make it great for pretending to be King.
• Carlos (429 Temple Ave. Highland Park ) - While it's not on the 40th Fl, the prices are plenty frou frou. In fact, they're more expensive than that fancy eatin' place over at the Stock Exchange. Souwee!
• Avec Restaurant & Wine Bar (615 W. Randolph St.) - It's not just a bar, it's a wine bar. Take that, Sausage King!

No Ferris Bueller experience is complete without a trip to the Sears Tower. In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ferris and the gang look out over the city of Chicago from The Sears Tower's skydeck.

Tickets are fairly cheap ($12.95 per adult) and can be purchased ahead of time, online, at the Sears Tower's Skydeck Official Website. Because, of course, Ferris Bueller would never wait in line.

Sears Tower

Just because you're skipping school (not that we'd condone that) or playing sick from work doesn't mean that you have to go on uneducated. No sir. Just like Ferris, you too can take your own walking tour of the Art Institute in Chicago.

Your "must-sees" and "must-dos" at the Institute:

• Stand and be awed (and perhaps slightly disturbed) as Cameron was by Georges Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte".
• Steal a kiss in front of "America's Windows" by Mark Chagall. Best if you don't steal your kiss from an unsuspecting granny nearby. Get you thrown out real quick.

The Art Institute

If you're planning you're day off in Chicago in September, then you'll have ample opportunity to take over the Von Steuben Parade, the same parade which Ferris commandeered for his rendition of "Twist and Shout."

Be sure to dedicate your performance to the lamest person you know, just like Ferris did.

The Official Webpage of the Von Steuben Parade

Ferris said it best when he said, "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." While you can't neglect the bills and the family and the classes and the day to day things that keep you going in circles everyday, you do have to stop every once in awhile and enjoy your life. Just like Ferris. Be it Chicago or Boise, don't let life pass you by. Take the day off and live a little!