World Destination of the Week – Chicago
If you’re looking for a lively, multicultural city with plenty to say for itself, give Chicago a go. With masses of historic sites, festivals, museums, and music venues (it’s the jazz capital of the world), you’ll never be bored.
Chicago is best in the summer and early autumn. Weather-wise, the bay breezes take some of the heat off, and culturally, it’s when the city comes alive with a plethora of events and festivals. Music is the order of the day at the Chicago Blues Festival, Gospel Festival and the Chicago Jazz Festival. Foodies should check out the Taste of Chicago– a meld of live music, food and fun which happens over ten days in late June and early July.
The windy city is famous for art. The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the best museums in the world, with collections spanning five millennia. Close by is the Chicago Cultural Center which boasts galleries, exhibitions and some impressive architecture.
Children will love Navy Pier, Chicago’s most popular tourist attraction. Incorporating high-tech rides, hands-on exhibits, fountains, educational displays, fast-food restaurants and souvenir sellers, it’s a paradise for kids. Also worth a look is the Shedd Aquarium which has the largest collection of sea life in the world.
If you fancy a bit of shopping, take a stroll down the Magnificent Mile – part of Michigan Avenue which has every sort of shop you could imagine.
Sears Tower doesn’t hold the accolade of world’s tallest building any more, but it’s still an icon. You can get amazing vies of the city and lake from the Skydeck.
Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, is one of the oldest baseball parks in America, and is famous for its old-fashioned charm - the scoreboard is changed by hand to this day. A few times a year the players conduct tours of the stadium – a must for baseball fans.
Chicago’s nightlife is jam-packed with fun stuff, from concerts and jazz nights to all the clubbing you could possible want to do. The main nightclub districts are Lincoln Park, Lakeview and Wicker Park. Every neighbourhood has its own bars, so head to one of these if you don’t like large scale clubs. For up-to-date listings, try Metromix.com or the ChiReader.com.
The best way to get around Chicago is the subway. It’s cheaper than taxis and buses, and will get you to most of the tourist attractions.
Chicago has two airports. Midway is where domestic and discount airlines fly in to, while O’Hare International one of the busiest airport hubs in the world. Close to 80 million people pass through its four terminals each year. Direct flights from the UK to Chicago take about eight hours. The airport is quite far out of the city but the ‘L’ transit system will get you downtown quickly, as well as a shuttle bus or a taxi.
Find the cheapest flights to Chicago at FlightComparison.co.uk.