Travel Guides > United States > Illinois > Chicago
On a cold, brutally windy day in Chicago, when the temperature's sub-zero and strong gusts keep you from walking down the street, the first question that will come to mind is, 'Who the hell decided to build a city and settle here?' Well, nearly three million hardy souls now call this great city home, and they can thank the mettle and vision of their Irish, Italian, German, Polish, Mexican and Asian immigrant forebears and the folks that migrated here from the southern US for creating it. This diverse mix has built a city with an unrivaled tradition of jazz and blues, an astonishing architecture, an appetite for hearty food, award-winning newspapers, universities full of Nobel laureates and some of the most die-hard sports fans you'll ever meet.
Events
Blues and jazz musicians have been flocking to Chicago since 1915, so it's no surprise that the city knows how to celebrate its musical heritage with style. The Chicago Blues Festival is a highly regarded three-day festival held in Grant Park on the first weekend in June. Soon after, Grant Park hosts the weekend-long Chicago Gospel Festival and, on the last weekend in August, the Chicago Jazz Festival.Taste of Chicago is an enormous festival that closes Grant Park for 10 days leading up to Independence Day in July. Over 100 local eateries serve some of the greasiest food you've ever tried to rub off your fingers. Live music on several stages drowns out the rumble of the belches from the 3.5 million people who attend. The German-American Festival is an enjoyable Oktoberfest-type event held in the heart of an old German neighborhood at Lincoln Square during the third weekend in September.
When to Go
July and August can get really hot in Chicago, with temperatures from 80-90°F (27-32°C) and humidity in high percentages. This is also the peak of the festival season, with major events taking place in the parks and neighborhoods every weekend. September is blessed with reliably warm days and is probably the most pleasant month of the year, weather-wise, but there's less going on during this period.The week after Christmas is when Chicago is least busy and hotels and airfares are usually at their cheapest. But it can be damp and cold - 12 and 29°F (-11°C and -2°C) if you're lucky - or snowy for days on end. Temperatures and brisk winds will guarantee that you'll spend most of this period indoors.
Activities
Retrace the route of French trapper Louis Jolliet while you have an urban adventure by canoeing the Chicago River. Besides urban sprawl, you're likely to see deer, red fox, beaver and birds. You'll also see parks and houses being built that show that Chicago has finally discovered that its namesake river is good for more bucolic pursuits than as an industrial sewer. Kayaking can also be enjoyed on Lake Michigan and along the Chicago River. The best place to access both is from the Chicago Harbor at Navy Pier, where the Chicago River empties into Lake Michigan. Diversey Harbor, near downtown, is another good launching point.
Fishing has become a mayoral priority in Chicago, and a special Fishing Hotline has been set up to answer questions about what to catch, when to cast and how. Most of the lagoons in the parks are stocked in the summer, and charter boats take anglers trolling on Lake Michigan. Coho salmon, rainbow trout, chinook and perch are among the fish you'll find.
Once called 'the opiate of the masses,' bowling is a distinctly Midwestern activity. People of all shapes, sizes and ages gather in boisterous groups to send balls crashing into a set of pins. Talent is not a prerequisite. The lanes are most crowded during the cold months. For bowling with charm, try Southport Lanes in Wrigleyville, a 75-year-old bar with 4 lanes and handset pins.
Getting There and Away
Chicago is served by two main airports: O'Hare International (ORD), 20 miles (32km) northwest of downtown, is the world's busiest air hub; Midway (MDW),10 miles (16km) southwest of downtown, is much smaller and is primarily served by discount carriers. Sixty-five million passengers a year - one quarter of the population of the United States - pass through O'Hare each year, continuing Chicago's historic role as a US transportation hub. Each day flights depart to close to 300 cities worldwide, a figure unmatched by any other airport anywhere.
The sole national bus line, called 'The Dog' by veteran riders, Greyhound has dozens of buses a day departing in every direction. Conditions are not posh, but neither are the prices. Indian Trails is a regional line operating buses similar to Greyhound's.
Chicago is the hub for Amtrak's national and regional train service, so it has more service than any other city. Amtrak's three trains from Chicago to the West Coast can be vacation experiences in themselves and travel to Seattle and Portland, passing through the northern Rockies and Montana. Others pass through dramatic canyons in both the Rockies in Colorado and the Sierra Nevada in California. Long-distance trains serve Texas, Washington DC, Boston and New York. Short-distance trains run more than once a day and go to Detroit, St Louis, Milwaukee and Grand Rapids, Michigan. During much of the year it's crucial to have your Amtrak journey reserved well in advance.
If you want to travel by car or motorcycle, highways converge on Chicago from all points of the compass. None is especially scenic or otherwise recommended.
Other Attractions
Wrigley Field
Lincoln Park
Fishing has become a mayoral priority in Chicago, and a special Fishing Hotline has been set up to answer questions about what to catch, when to cast and how. Most of the lagoons in the parks are stocked in the summer, and charter boats take anglers trolling on Lake Michigan. Coho salmon, rainbow trout, chinook and perch are among the fish you'll find.
Once called 'the opiate of the masses,' bowling is a distinctly Midwestern activity. People of all shapes, sizes and ages gather in boisterous groups to send balls crashing into a set of pins. Talent is not a prerequisite. The lanes are most crowded during the cold months. For bowling with charm, try Southport Lanes in Wrigleyville, a 75-year-old bar with 4 lanes and handset pins.
Getting There and Away
Chicago is served by two main airports: O'Hare International (ORD), 20 miles (32km) northwest of downtown, is the world's busiest air hub; Midway (MDW),10 miles (16km) southwest of downtown, is much smaller and is primarily served by discount carriers. Sixty-five million passengers a year - one quarter of the population of the United States - pass through O'Hare each year, continuing Chicago's historic role as a US transportation hub. Each day flights depart to close to 300 cities worldwide, a figure unmatched by any other airport anywhere.The sole national bus line, called 'The Dog' by veteran riders, Greyhound has dozens of buses a day departing in every direction. Conditions are not posh, but neither are the prices. Indian Trails is a regional line operating buses similar to Greyhound's.
Chicago is the hub for Amtrak's national and regional train service, so it has more service than any other city. Amtrak's three trains from Chicago to the West Coast can be vacation experiences in themselves and travel to Seattle and Portland, passing through the northern Rockies and Montana. Others pass through dramatic canyons in both the Rockies in Colorado and the Sierra Nevada in California. Long-distance trains serve Texas, Washington DC, Boston and New York. Short-distance trains run more than once a day and go to Detroit, St Louis, Milwaukee and Grand Rapids, Michigan. During much of the year it's crucial to have your Amtrak journey reserved well in advance.
If you want to travel by car or motorcycle, highways converge on Chicago from all points of the compass. None is especially scenic or otherwise recommended.
Other Attractions
Wrigley FieldLincoln Park
