PLT OF AN SMA SEL IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE LEGAL MINIMUM SAFE ALT WHEN TRANSITIONING FROM INST APCH PROC TO A VISUAL APCH TO ANOTHER NEARBY CTLED ARPT OVER A CONGESTED CITY!

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FLT WAS TO LAND AT CGX TO DROP OFF 2 PAX. WX CONDITIONS WERE RPTED AS AN ESTIMATED 800 FT OVCST; 5 MI VISIBILITY IN FOG. CHICAGO APCH CTLRS WERE QUERIED ABOUT PREVIOUS ACFT GETTING INTO CGX USING THE SHORE VISUAL APCH RWY 36 SINCE CGX HAS NO IAP. I WAS INFORMED BY APCH AND MDY TWR CTLRS THAT ACFT HAD GOTTEN INTO CGX. APCH VECTORED US FOR THE MDY RWY 31C ILS; WHICH WE FLEW TO APPROX 1600 FT MSL. UPON BREAKING OUT AND BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN VFR AT 1400- 1600 FT MSL WE CANCELED IFR AS PER SHORE VISUAL RWY 36 INSTRUCTIONS. MIDWAY TWR PROVIDED A R 90 DEG HDG TO CLR THEIR APCH AND THEN DIRECT TO CGX. WE RECEIVED SPECIAL VFR CLRNC AT OR BELOW 1500 FT MSL FROM CGX AND PROCEEDED TO COMPLETE THE FLT WITH A NORMAL VISUAL LNDG. HOWEVER; THE WHOLE APCH BROUGHT SEVERAL QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS TO MY MIND: 1) IF THE APCH FROM MDY TO CGX IS NOT CONSIDERED A LNDG APCH; THE MINIMUM SAFE ALT FAR'S WERE VIOLATED (1000 FT ABOVE OBSTACLES WITHIN 2000 FT RADIUS). YET; CTLRS INSTRUCTED FLT AT OR BELOW 1500 FT MSL. 2) THE VISUAL APCH FROM GARY; IN; IS MUCH SAFER; FLYING LAKE MICHIGAN SHORELINE FROM GARY TO CGX; YET WAS NOT USED BY ATC. IN FUTURE; I WILL NOT ACCEPT THE VISUAL APCH USING MDY APCH ON RWY 31C ILS. INSTEAD; I WILL ASK FOR GARY; IN; AND SHORELINE APCH. THIS HAS NO OBSTACLES AND THEREFORE IS MUCH SAFER. I WAS TOO BUSY TO SORT ALL THIS OUT ON THE APCH TO MDY RWY 31C; AND THEN DURING THE VISUAL APCH TO CGX. I ALLOWED CTLRS TO 'FLY' THE PLANE INSTEAD OF BEING ASSERTIVE AND REQUESTING THE GARY VISUAL APCH.