Chicago Guide
Chicago grabs life with zest - stunning skyscrapers erupt off Lake Michigan's shores, and the neighbourhoods are an ethnic rainbow. Culture is first-rate and, although the local sports teams might not be, Chicago fans never forsake them.
In the city that invented the skyscraper with the ten-storey Home Insurance Building in 1885, the urge is always to build higher. But most structures pale before the soaring Willis Tower and the John Hancock Building. Explore underwater life at the John G Shedd Aquarium, terra firma at The Field Museum and see stars at the Adler Planetarium.
Get the plastic out for shopping at the upscale boutiques and malls of Michigan Avenue. Browse the art galleries and antique shops of River North, and find funky fashions in Wicker Park and Bucktown. Fill most of your needs on State Street at Macy's.
Stroll along Lake Michigan or Oak Street Beach. Pose for a picture in front of the Cloud Gate, a reflective sculpture shaped like a giant bean, or marvel at Frank Gehry's huge steel ribbons in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Amble around Lincoln Park and commune with the zoo's great apes.
The United States' second city has first-class culture. Peruse Picassos at the Art Institute of Chicago. Look skyward to see the stained-glass splendour of the world's largest Tiffany dome, inside the Chicago Cultural Centre. Catch the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or a play at a Downtown theatre or in Lincoln Park.
Treat yourself to American standards like steaks, pizzas and hot dogs in The Loop, River North and Lincoln Park. For baklava (sweet pastry), go to Greektown, or for moo shu (stir-fried shredded pork with scallions) try Chinatown. Dine out in the South Side for soul food – African-American specialities such as collard greens, southern fried chicken and ham with black-eyed peas.
For 130 years of architectural history, from pioneering steel-frame construction to the more free-form designs of today, jump aboard the free 40-minute Loop Tour Train.
