Introduction to Chicago

The jewel of America's heartland, Chicago blends the style and sophistication of the country's biggest cities with the friendliness of the hard-working Midwest. Architect Frank Gehry and Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa have made the downtown Millennium Park an eye-catcher with public art -- the graceful curves of its fluid, metallic sculptures contrasting sharply with the rectangular office towers in the distance. Just steps away lie the shores of Lake Michigan where families have soaked up the sun and tycoons have yachted for generations.
Things to Do
Bronze lions welcome visitors to the Art Institute of Chicago, known for its immense collection of French Impressionist paintings. The original colonnaded limestone building was joined by the glittering glass-and-steel Modern Wing in 2009. But when temperatures soar Chicagoans prefer to relax in Millennium Park. A Lake Michigan breeze keeps park visitors cool while they take in outdoor concerts, splash in the fountains and sip cocktails at open-air cafés.
Shopping
If it's designer labels and mass market favorites you're after, head to Chicago's Michigan Avenue where 460 storefronts line the city's Magnificent Mile. For adding some one-of-a-kind pieces to your wardrobe, head to the Chicago's neighborhoods. Sassy jackets, clunky boots and art jewelry fill shops at Wicker Park and Bucktown -- items you won't necessarily find in the pages of a fashion magazine.
Nightlife and Entertainment
Blame it on the bitter winters, but no city sings the blues like the Windy City. Get a taste of the Chicago Blues listening to soulful guitar riffs at Kingston Mines in Lincoln Park, or nurse a Goose Island Honkers Ale in the dim light of Buddy Guy's Legends. The curtain is nearly always up in Chicago's bustling Downtown Theater District. Anchored by beautifully-restored historic theaters like the nationally-known Goodman Theatre, the district stages musicals, plays and dance productions.
Restaurants and Dining
Chicagoans are as passionate about their pizza as they are their politics -- once they've settled on their favorite they won't be swayed. Order deep-dish, buttery-crusted pies loaded with meat, veggies and savory tomato sauce, or dig into a stuffed pizza filled with gooey mozzarella and spinach at noisy mainstays like Gino's or Giordano's. For a more formal night out head to Charlie Trotter's, the namesake restaurant of Chicago's original celebrity chef. Eclectic dishes blend seasonal organic ingredients in ever-changing combinations, all served by impeccably proper waiters.