Chicago
Famously known as the Windy City, Chicago is the capital of the US Mid-West. Sitting at the foot of Lake Michigan, if you wonder where it got its moniker from, it isn't from the breezes that waft over the lake, it was given to the city by a New York newspaper editor in 1893.
Chicago has never enjoyed the reputation as a tourist centre that the great cities of the seaboards have. While New York and Los Angeles are stalwarts on the international tourist's US itinerary, Chicago has remained the somewhat poorer relation, at least in people's minds. However, those that do make it here find themselves rewarded with a city with a lot to offer, and leave with their impressions changed forever.
Chicago's history is a fascinating albeit rather bloody one. In its earliest beginnings as a trading post and frontier fort it was completely razed to the ground by Potawatomi Indians and its residents massacred. Amazingly just 60 years after the original Fort Dearborn had been sacked, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 gutted what was already an established and thoroughly modern city. 1893 saw the rebuilt and revitalised city hosting the World's Columbia Expo, underlining its status as second only to New York in scale and wealth.
The 20th century brought notoriety rather than fame: during the Prohibition Era Chicago was the country's crime capital. Al Capone and John Dillinger both operated here, and movies such as the Untouchables and the musical, Bugsy Malone, mean that Chicago has been dining out on its ill-gotten reputation for decades.
But even if its most famous characters are gangsters, this is still a city of great craft and ingenuity. When you admire the Chicago River, consider that more than a hundred years ago, in 1900, the authorities actually reversed its flow, ensuring that the city's waste flowed into the Mississippi rather than into Lake Michigan. The Sears Tower here was for two decades easily the world's highest free-standing building, and is still arguably so depending on which criteria you use.
With a thriving arts scene underpinned with the Art Institute, you'll find Chicago a sensitive city, less brash than New York, less loud than LA, but still able to provide that "wow!" factor for international visitors that is intrinsic to a trip to the US.
SIGHT SEEING
|
ADLER PLANETARIUM
The Adler Planetarium is an impressively modern museum dedicated to space. This was the first planetarium ever built in the Western Hemisphere and its 1930 planetarium theatre can still display every object in the night sky on its vast dome. The Adler has moved with the times though, and the Skyrider Theater offers cutting edge digital technology, that catapults the audience on a trip among the furthest flung stars.
You can view the planets themselves through the planetarium's telescopes, and there are countless exhibits and interactive displays, depicting the history of astronomy, from the earliest theories and mythology of pre-history to the findings of today's cutting-edge technology that is seeking to unravel the cosmos. The massive sundial outside is by the famous sculptor Sir Henry Moore.
First Friday of every month is "Far Out Friday" (Admission: USD20) when the planetarium remains open until 22h00.
1300 S Lake Shore Dr. Open: daily 09h30-16h30. Admission: USD19, adults; USD15, children. (Additional shows in the auditorium are USD5 each). Tel: +1 (1)312-922-7827.
CHICAGO CUBS
Baseball is as quintessentially American as cricket is English, and a visit to a ballpark is a must-do activity for any overseas visitor. In Chicago that means a Cubs game in historic Wrigley Field.
The stadium helps make the experience truly special. One of the last historic parks that still holds regular season games, Wrigley Field is a beautiful ivy covered, all American ballpark, complete with wooden bleachers filled with beer guzzling, hotdog munching, fun loving fans.
Tickets can be difficult to obtain by phone during a winning season, but are usually available right up to game time from various ticket outlets in the city. Sit in the bleachers, the most inexpensive section, for an incredibly festive, party atmosphere. Although it's worth boning up on some of the aspects of the game you won't ever approach the near mathematical knowledge of statistics on every player that the hardcore Cubs fan can call to mind at will.
Don't be put off if you generally don't like spectator sports. The sights, sounds, tastes and smells of baseball are as much part of the experience as the actual event.
Wrigley Field, 1060 W Addison. Baseball season runs from Apr-Oct yearly. Home game times vary. Admission: USD6-USD65. Tel: +1 (1)773-404-2827
ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
The Art Institute of Chicago is regarded as one of the world's finest art collections, and is home to works across the whole artistic canon, from Old Masters to avant garde. Significant works by artists as diverse as El Greco, Degas, Monet and Van Gogh hang in the European Painting galleries, while Hockney, Magritte, Warhol and Wood vie for space on the walls of the Modern Art gallery.
The institute contains far more than just paintings however. The American gallery contains one of the world's finest collections of art and artefacts from America through the 18th and 19th centuries. Other galleries concentrate on classical civilisations, photography and textiles. It is truly an amazing collection of artworks.
The museum itself is beautiful, standing just off Michigan Avenue and surrounded by parkland. It hosts various special exhibitions throughout the year, as well as chamber music concerts, lectures and other activities.
111 South Michigan Ave. Open: daily 10h30-16h30 (until 20h00 Thu & 10h00-17h00 at weekends). Admission: USD12, adults; USD7, children. Tel: +1 (1)312-443-3600.
THE FIELD MUSEUM
Established in 1893, the Field Museum was originally established to house the collection of the World's Columbian Exposition, held that year in Chicago. These original artefacts detailing the Columbian era of American history are still on display today, but the museum's focus and collection have widened considerably in the last century or so.
The museum was renamed after its first benefactor, Marshall Field, and in the early-20th century it relocated to its current location, in a gigantic building, on the south lake shore in Grant Park. It now is home to biological and anthropological exhibits from around the world, and is a must see. The collections are predominantly concerned with natural history but the museum also has a programme of special events covering diverse subjects such as The Forbidden City of China, the photos and discoveries of National Geographic magazine. Everyone will find something that interests them, and have the pleasure of viewing international treasures found only here.
1400 S Lake Shore Dr. Open: daily 09h00-17h00. Admission: USD19, adults; USD9, children (Gold Pass). Tel: +1 (1)312-922-9410.
THE SHED AQUARIUM
Part of the same south Grant Park complex that also includes the Field Museum and the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium is the world's largest indoor aquarium.
Although the admission price is high, it proves excellent value. This massive waterfront facility is literally teeming with fish from all over the world, some of them the world's only captive members of their species. The large display tanks are sensitively designed to recreate the natural environments of their inhabitants, with manmade recreations of the Pacific Northwest Coast, the Amazon basin and a tropical reef. The main tank is the largest such tank in the world, and besides the usual sealions and dolphins it is home to the aquarium's population of beluga whales. There are also interactive shows with dolphins and, if you are a certified diver, you can pay a hefty extra charge to go swimming with the sharks - although you might think they should really pay you.
1200 S Lakeshore Dr. Open: daily 09h00-17h00 (until 18h00 weekends). Admission: All-access pass costs USD23, adults; USD16, children. Tel: +1 (1)312-939-2438.
SEAR TOWER SKYDECK
|
THE MAGNIFICENT MILE
Although Americans are given to hyperbole, Chicago's "Magnificent Mile" along North Michigan Avenue is accurately named. Stretching from the Chicago River to Oak Street Beach, this inner city promenade contains the city's best malls, restaurants, hotels and theatres. Unusually for a US city, here citizens and visitors actually do promenade along its length, choosing to walk rather than ride, soaking up the ambience and colour of the street.
Predominantly the Magnificent Mile is about shopping, and it manages to combine the upmarket boutiques of LA's Rodeo Drive with mega malls and off price retailers. Incredibly there are over 460 stores in eight city blocks and four malls. Many stores, like Niketown and Saks Fifth Avenue, are so large and spectacular they are an attraction in themselves. Each season is celebrated with a festival along the Mile, in winter it is festooned with lights and decorations for Christmas, while blooming tulips are the natural colour of spring.
Just north of the river the Chicago Tribune building is one of the city's most famous landmarks, and stands across the street from the almost equally grandiose Hotel Intercontinental. The "Mag Mile" is also where the centre of 19th-century Chicago was located. The Water Tower was only one of the two public buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1873, and can be seen just off the street near to the Water Tower Place Mall. It contains a small museum.
LINCOLN PARK
Chicago's main recreational space, Lincoln Park is located in the north of the city, at the northern end of the Mag Mile. At any time of day it is packed with visitors, joggers, cyclists and skaters.
The park stretches its green length northwards along the shore of Lake Michigan, with miles of paths to explore, interspersed with attractions such as the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, containing exhibits detailing aspects of the natural world. The large butterfly house is home to live specimens from all over the world, which fly freely among visitors. Other exhibitions examine how humans interact with the natural world, while hands-on exhibits let kids get up close to animals. 2430 North Cannon Dr. Open: Mon-Fri 09h00-16h30; Sat-Sun 10h00-17h00. Admission: USD7, adults; USD4, children. Tel: +1 (1)773-755-5100.
The lake provides ample opportunity for extra activities. The Lincoln Park Boat Club offers rowing and watersports for everyone, from beginners to experts. Lincoln Park Zoo is the nation's only free zoo facility and contains a great variety of animals. It is also one of the US's oldest established zoos, opened just after the Great Fire.
The blaze didn't reach this far north, but the neighbourhood was transformed in the aftermath, as the city expanded here. The neighbourhood that the park is located within is one of the city's most desirable addresses. Cafés, restaurants, bars and cinemas offer a variety of entertainment and are filled with Chicago's young, cool and wealthy set.
GETTING ABOUT
O'Hare Airport
Chicago O'Hare (Tel: +1 (1)773-686-2200) is the main international arrival point and is located 17 miles north-west of the city centre.
Trains
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) offers fast, direct train service from O'Hare's Blue Line station to downtown. The fare for one ride is USD1.75. The trip takes 25 minutes with trains leaving at least every ten minutes through the day. Trains run less frequently after 20h00 (23h00 weekends).
Buses
Airport Express buses run from all terminals to city centre locations. The cost is around USD25 for a single passenger, depending on exact destination. Airport Express has a counter in the Arrivals Hall where you can obtain tickets or you can book further in advance by calling Tel: +1 (1)312-454-7800.
Taxis
Alternatively you can catch a taxi from O'Hare to downtown destinations for around USD35-40. The taxi despatcher can inform you of the expected cost depending on your destination.
Midway Airport
Midway is located 10 miles south-west of the city.
Trains
CTA Orange Line service connects Midway to the city centre. The journey takes around 30 minutes to downtown, costing USD1.75. Trains leave roughly every ten minutes, although less frequently in the early morning or late night. The service runs from the early hours (04h00) until around 00h55 Mon-Sat. Sundays trains run from approx 05h35-23h30.
Buses
An Airport Express bus service from Midway departs for downtown every 15 minutes. Cost to downtown is approximately USD19, depending on your exact drop-off point.
Taxis
Taxis from Midway Airport to the city cost from around USD27-30. They are available from right outside the Arrivals Hall.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
If you plan on using the integrated CTA network to get around, Visitor Passes are the best value. Available for 1 day (USD5), 2 days (USD9), 3 days (USD12) and 5 days (USD18), they allow unlimited rides on buses and trains. You can purchase a pass at the airport on arrival, and can use it to travel into the city. Passes last for exactly their valid period, so if you use a 3-day one at 23h30 it will be valid up until 23h30 in three days' time.
Use of passes is entirely automated. You simply swipe your credit card style pass through the machine at the train station turnstile or onboard the bus to validate your journey. On the card's first use the date and time of use will be printed on the back.
You can order passes in advance by dialling Tel: +1 (1)888-9687-282. Visitor passes are not valid on Pace suburban buses or the Metra suburban rail network.
If you don't purchase a pass, single journeys on CTA networks cost USD1.75. You can pay on boarding buses, but you need the exact change. If you need to make a connection you should buy a transfer ticket for USD0.25. This will allow you to change routes twice in a two-hour period. Tickets are interchangeable between the urban train and bus networks.
|
2:09 Events E-Newsletters Your e-mail address will not be passed to a third party and you can unsubscribe at anytime. |