Chicago is an iconic American city, second only to New York in popularity. On the shoreline of Lake Michigan it has hundreds of things for the energetic tourist to experience. A great place to start is with one of the free walking tours of the city.
The centre is quite compact and the best ones are the ‘Magnificent Mile’, which visits the sky scraper district or the ’Loop Art’ tour that visits the outdoor art and sculpture of the city. For more culture, park your hire car on the Museum Campus and visit such delights as the Adler Planetarium.
Chicago Mini Guide
Chicago, home of the blues, with a romantic history of gangsters and the American railway pioneer days is a massive, sprawling metropolis with a skyline that has been cited as being the most picturesque in the country. It is the most affluent city in the Midwest, originally a railroad town which reinvented itself as the railroad industry declined.
The original city of Chicago was almost completely destroyed in the fire of 1871, and modern day Chicago is still often named The Second City.
More usually Chicago is nicknamed The Windy City, due to its location upon the shores of Lake Michigan, which causes high winds to blow through the Chicago City streets almost every day.
One of the highlights of any visit to Chicago is exploring the ethnic quarters. Chicago is one of the most culturally diverse cities to be found in the USA.
Chinatown in Chicago is noted as being one of the most vibrant areas of its type to be found anywhere around the globe. For lovers of Indian cuisine then a trip to Devon Avenue in the Rogers Park area is definitely advised.
One of the least well known attractions of Chicago are it's beaches. Being situated on the shores of Lake Michigan, the largest freshwater lake in the USA means that Chicago benefits from some truly wonderful natural scenery and areas of beauty. If you are visiting Chicago then you should check out both North Avenue Beach and the larger Oak Street Beach.
O'Hare International Airport is located some 20 kilometres out of town and serves both the domestic and long haul traveller.
The Smaller Midway International Airport offers a similar service and is a short 15 kilometre journey from Downtown Chicago. Both of these airports make the best choice of location to pick up your rental vehicle.
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