Chicago is a city that dresses to impress. Long recognized as having the finest collection of modern architecture in the country, Chicago boasts names such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, I.M. Pei and Louis Sullivan as architects who made or cemented their reputations here. Other arts flourish here as well; the Art Institute has some of the most recognizable paintings in the world in its permanent collection, and the wind isn't the only thing wailing through the streets of this city; plaintive notes from pianos, saxophones, harmonicas and the like have been an integral part of Chicago ever since the blues and jazz migrated north from the Delta in the early 1900s. For people seeking a Chicago music experience, try spending part of a lazy afternoon flipping through the selections at Jazz Record Mart or Dusty Groove. Theatre, too, flourishes in this Midwestern mecca; companies such as the Goodman and Steppenwolf have consistently turned out cutting-edge productions and actors for decades.
Downtown / The Loop
Downtown is the center for government, finance, and commerce of Chicago and is encircled by The Loop, named for the elevated train tracks that loop around the central area. Tall skyscrapers such as the world's second-tallest building, the Sears Tower, and the Chicago Board of Trade are landmarks for this part of town.
Lake Michigan
It's true that the wind coming off Lake Michigan has been known to blast the streets of downtown Chicago with a brutal chill and the streets in the summer have been known to fry eggs, but that is no reason to avoid the many charms Chicago offers. Next to New York City, Chicago is the best place in the country to spend the holidays. The skating rink on State Ave., the towering Christmas tree in Daley Plaza, the Zoo Lights in Lincoln Park and the magnificent window displays at Carson Pirie Scott and Marshall Field's are bound to put a smile on the face of even the most hardened cynic. For those that prefer to vacation when the temperature is milder, the best months are between May and October, when the weather is more predictable and less extreme.
Metropolitan area
Chicago has many neighborhoods in the metropolitan area. Most of the hotels, restaurants, and tourist sights are located in the neighborhoods nearest downtown and along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Must-see attractions
include the Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Lincoln Park and Lincoln Park Zoo, Grant Park, Field Museum, Navy Pier, Sears Tower and Wrigley Field. For shopping, there is the famous Magnificent Mile of Michigan Avenue; the shops of Oak Street; or the trendy, up-and-coming boutiques of Bucktown-Wicker Park at the intersection of North, Damen and Milwaukee Avenues.
Near South Side
Near South Side of Chicago including the South Loop, has many historic buildings and residential areas, at least four important museums, and the John G. Shedd Aquarium. Chinatown is located in this part of town.
North Side
The North Side of Chicago lies just north of the Chicago River. It encompasses several of the more upscale residential neighborhoods and shopping areas. Chicago's premiere shopping district, the Magnificent Mile, runs along North Michigan Avenue and is lined with exclusive shops as well as a few historic buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1871.
South Side
The South Side of Chicago is largely a residential area but is also home to the beautiful Washington Park, The University of Chicago, and several museums, including the South Side's main attraction - the Museum of Science and Industry.
alternative weekly presents its guide for the best the city has to offer, as well as events and arts calendar, local news and recommended things to do.
Here are the offers from Chicago's daily deals sites for Friday, July 30. Some are available for more than a day; check the individual sites for details and restrictions.
Wilmette police investigators, who believe that hundreds of fake IDs have been sold from a storefront on Chicago's Northwest Side for a number of years to minors from the city and north suburbs, arrested a 26-year-old man for manufacturing and delivering dozens of those fake IDs.
Think of the British Petroleum gusher at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, that's what Chicagoans can expect now that Walmart and Chicago Walmart politicians have busted the cap.
Arguing that 'oil is worse than Asian Carp,' an indignant Mayor Daley on Thursday demanded that Michigan's attorney general launch a criminal investigation into an oil spill that dumped a million gallons of oil into a waterway leading to Lake Michigan.
Mayor Richard M. Daley says the seven Chicago City Colleges will lay off 225 non-teaching employees, eliminate 86 unfilled jobs and cut administrative credit card use and travel.
Chicago institution serving pizza and other Italian standards. Our Review We've eaten at Connie's for over 25 years, starting when it was a lot smaller.
At the time, I fancied myself Chicago's top authority on the subject, but the city's ever-shifting nocturnal scene - and a sudden glut of listings online - rendered my book irrelevant almost immediately.
From the newswire: "Puerto Rican political prisoner Carlos Alberto Torres, who was imprisoned three decades ago for his work in support of Puerto Rican independence, was paroled from federal prison in Pekin, Illinois on Monday, July 26, and returned briefly to Chicago to a hero's welcome before his planned move to permanently relocate to Puerto ...
Grains futures advanced Thursday on the Chicago Board of Trade. Wheat for September delivery jumped 12 cents to $6.275 a bushel, while September corn added 3 cents to $3.7925 a bushel and oats for September delivery rose 4.5 cents to $2.615 a bushel.
