Travel to Chicago

Chicago, on Lake Michigan in Illinois, is among the largest cities in the United States. Famed for its bold architecture, it has a skyline punctuated by skyscrapers such as the iconic John Hancock Center, the 1,451-foot Willis Tower formerly known as the Sears Tower, and the neo-Gothic Tribune Tower. The city is also renowned for its museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago with its noted Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. Millennium Park hosts free summer concerts beneath the Pritzker Pavilion's silver ribbons and surrounds the mirrored marvel of Cloud Gate, affectionately called The Bean. The Magnificent Mile stretches up Michigan Avenue with flagship boutiques, historic landmarks, and the famed Wrigley Building gleaming white above the river. An architecture boat tour along the Chicago River reveals decades of design history narrated from the water by Chicago Architecture Center docents. Navy Pier juts a third of a mile into the lake with carnival rides, fireworks, museums, and the towering Centennial Wheel. Sports devotion runs deep, with Wrigley Field's ivy-covered walls welcoming Cubs fans and Guaranteed Rate Field hosting the White Sox across the South Side. The Bulls and Blackhawks share the United Center, while Soldier Field on the lakefront fills the air with Bears Sunday tradition. Deep-dish pizza arrives sizzling in cast-iron pans at Lou Malnati's, Giordano's, and Pequod's, each defending its own decades-old recipe. The classic Chicago hot dog, dressed with mustard, relish, onions, tomato, sport peppers, pickle, and celery salt, refuses any drop of ketchup.

The Lakefront Trail unfurls along eighteen continuous miles of beach, bike paths, and city skyline. Museum Campus brings together the Field Museum's Tyrannosaurus skeleton named Sue, the Shedd Aquarium's belugas, and the planetarium's domed views of the cosmos. Lincoln Park spreads across the North Side with a free zoo, a Victorian conservatory, and quiet pond gardens. Chicago's theater scene rivals any in the country, anchored by the Chicago Theatre's red marquee and the Steppenwolf Theatre Company's celebrated productions. The city's jazz and blues legacy still echoes through Andy's Jazz Club, Buddy Guy's Legends, and the annual Chicago Blues Festival. Pilsen showcases vibrant murals, Mexican cuisine, and the National Museum of Mexican Art's permanent collection of cultural artifacts. The Riverwalk threads pedestrian paths beneath bridges and past restaurants for an afternoon stroll along the dyed-green river of Saint Patrick's Day fame. Buckingham Fountain shoots a column of water nearly fifteen stories high during summer evenings in Grant Park, with synchronized lights after dark. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs at Symphony Center under conductors whose recordings have shaped a century of classical music. Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House in Hyde Park demonstrates Prairie School design that influenced architecture around the world. Whether drawn by hot dogs, hockey, the lake, or the architecture, Chicago rewards every visit with discovery and warmth.