Chicago
Chicago is the 3rd largest city after New York and Los Angeles and
has a population of nearly 3 million. Also known as the "Windy
City" and famous for the world's first ever skyscraper designed
by William LeBaron Jenney. It is served by O'Hare International
Airport and Midway Airport and has the marvellous Chicago Pedway
which covers 40 blocks and is ideal for getting around the central
part of the city when the weather's bad. It's a network of
tunnels and overhead bridges connecting buildings, hotels and train
stations and is home to shops, restaurants and public art.
Attractions:
- Route 66
- Chicago Marathon (normally held in October)
- Sears Tower Skydeck, 233 S. Wacker Dr
- John Hancock Centre, 875 N. Michigan Avenue
- Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois
- Lincoln Park & Zoo, Cannon Dr. at Fullerton Pkwy
- Chicago Historical Society, 1601 N. Clark St
- City Gallery at the Historic Water Tower, 806 N. Michigan
Ave.
- Second City, 1616 N. Wells St
- ImprovOlympic Theatre, Clark Street
Entertainment: Chicago has a wealth of sporting
teams; Baseball teams the Cubs and White Sox, American football
- the Chicago Bears, plus soccer, basketball and [Ice] hockey
teams. Navy Pier (on Lake Michigan, to the east of
Downtown) has it all, entertainment, restaurants, 150' Ferris
wheel and is also home to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and
Children's Museum. Further a-field:
Arlington International Racecourse in Greater Woodfield and Woodfield
Mall in Schaumburg. Chicago
has a rich comedy history so why not pay a visit to an improvised
show at Second City or Improv Olympic?
Shopping: The Magnificent Mile runs along north
Michigan Avenue in the city centre. This has department
stores such as Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom and Lord & Taylor.
Other big names include Tiffany, Gap and Ralph Lauren plus many
smaller and speciality shops. There are also indoor shopping
centres at Water Tower Place and 900 North Michigan Shops on Michigan
Avenue. For lush surroundings try the Oakbrook Center or
Old Orchard in Shokie and in Gurnee there's the Six Flags Great
America and Gurnee Mills Outlet Mall. For more finesse,
try Oak Street - which has Prada, Yves St Laurant, Bang &
Olufsen and the Park Hyatt Hotel.
Explore the city's rich history from
the panoramic view on Sears Tower Skydeck and it's a place you'll
want to come back to again and again. With famous previous
inhabitants like Al Capone and John Dillinger, you can't help
but think the movie tagline: "If you can't be famous - be
infamous". |