I’ve lived in Chicago for more than 30 years, and these are the top tips I tell all of my visitors: take public transport, hit the neighborhoods and drink Malört at your peril.
01.08.2023 - 12:29 / lonelyplanet.com / Willis Tower
With steely skyscrapers, lakefront beaches and world-class museums, Chicago will blow you away with its low-key yet highly cultured spirit.
The city center is an architectural wonder, but it’s Chicago’s mural-splashed neighborhoods – full of inventive restaurants, fringe theaters and sociable dive bars – that will create lasting memories of your time in the Windy City.
Here are the best neighborhoods to explore on your trip to Chicago .
The Loop is Chicago's center of action, named for the elevated train tracks that encircle its busy streets. And though there’s debate on whether the Loop is an actual neighborhood, no one can deny it’s the beating heart of the city.
There's lots to see here: the Art Institute , Willis Tower , the Theater District and Millennium Park are top draws, while the city's biggest festivals keep people flocking to the area's large green spaces.
The Loop has loads of lodgings – cool boutique and architectural hotels are the specialty. The neighborhood is convenient to the parks, festival grounds, museums and the Theater District, with easy transport access to anywhere in the city.
Nightlife, however, is not the Loop's strong point, as most of the restaurants and bars here are geared toward office workers. There's not much open after 9pm.
Streeterville packs in deep-dish pizza parlors, buzzy bistros, art galleries and so many upscale stores that its main vein – Michigan Avenue – has been dubbed the "Magnificent Mile."
This neighborhood is unapologetically in-your-face commercial. Shops, restaurants and amusements abound. Navy Pier , a half-mile-long wharf of tour boats, carnival rides and a flashy, king-sized Ferris wheel, is the top sight.
Architecture is a neighborhood highlight, thanks to iconic buildings such as the Tribune Tower and Marina City . Art is another strong suit of the area, especially underrated sights such as the Driehaus Museum and Arts Club of Chicago , as well as Streeterville's many galleries.
The Near North is Chicago's most lodging-packed neighborhood, with hotels on practically every street corner. They're mostly midrange chain properties, though a couple of nifty boutique hotels and hostel-hotel hybrids are mixed in.
This neighborhood is also where you'll find Chicago's mother lode of restaurants. There's a huge variety, from deep-dish pizza and ritzy
I’ve lived in Chicago for more than 30 years, and these are the top tips I tell all of my visitors: take public transport, hit the neighborhoods and drink Malört at your peril.
The Bear, now streaming Season 2 on Hulu, introduced many viewers to the Chicago delicacy of an Italian beef sandwich—a combo of spiced, thinly sliced meat and peppers on a crispy length of Italian bread. The show’s central character, an Italian American chef at an acclaimed New York City restaurant, moves home to Illinois to cook the dish at his late brother’s Italian beef joint.
No matter what kind of vacation vibe you want to roll with, the Windy City can cater to it.
Famous for its blustery winters, steamy summers and skyscraping skyline, Chicago sees the full range of seasons. But thanks to a calendar packed with festivals and events, a rich foodie scene and a full hand of world-class museums to duck into when the days get cold, there's always something happening in the Windy City no matter what month you visit.
Chicago is practically tailor made for family getaways, with a wealth of interactive museums, fabulous parks and jaw-dropping architecture.
From the Art Institute and skyscraper-viewing boat tours to world-class restaurants and bars, there is no shortage of places to spend plenty of money in Chicago.
Chicago, known around the world as the Windy City, is famous for its vibrant culture, diverse communities, and a rich history of arts and entertainment. Among the plethora of events and festivals that take place throughout the year, Northalsted Market Days stands tall as a celebration of inclusivity, creativity, and unity. This iconic street festival, held annually in the Northalsted neighborhood, attracts visitors from all over the world.
Chicago has enough cloud-poking towers, rockin’ live-music clubs and world-class museums to keep you occupied for weeks, but just beyond city limits, you can also scale sand dunes at a national park, rev a Harley and amble around wineries.
Chicago is that unique city that marries rich history with contemporary marvels. Renowned for its diverse neighborhoods, stunning architecture, vibrant arts scene, and delectable culinary experiences, Chicago is a city that never fails to captivate its visitors.
OAG, which dubs itself an “air travel intelligence company,” has released its top-10 rankings of the most and least punctual airlines in 2016. The group analyzed 54 million flight records using full-year data from 2016 to compile the list, and for the purposes of the study defined “on-time” as “a flight that arrives or departs within 14 minutes and 59 seconds (under 15 minutes) of its scheduled arrival/departure time.”
For U.S. News & World Report, the road from weekly news magazine to publisher of company rankings has been a long and winding one. The key, though, to its shift toward data-driven ratings of companies and institutions was its 1983 publication of “America’s Best Colleges.”
Give thanks! Just in time for the busy holiday travel season, American and United have launched automated security screening lanes at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Two of American’s 18 lanes have been converted, and United has added three automated lanes of its own.