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28 Fun Things to Do in Chicago

Chicago shines for its world-class museums, various shopping districts, vibrant neighborhoods and lively nightlife venues. Explore the city's innovative roots at the Museum of Science and Industry, where you can walk inside the U-505 submarine.

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Millennium Park and Cloud Gate Millennium Park and Cloud Gate free

U.S. News Insider Tip: Construction around the Cloud Gate sculpture will limit the public's access to this top tourist attraction until spring 2024. While you might not be able to snag a selfie with "The Bean," many other attractions are available within the park. – Cortney Fries

A first-time visit to Chicago isn't complete without a stop at Millennium Park. Situated in the Loop just north of the Art Institute of Chicago , this 25-acre space is used to showcase cutting-edge art, architecture and landscaping; it also acts as a backdrop for concerts and festivals. Most visitors come to Millennium Park to see the Crown Fountain and Cloud Gate, better known as "The Bean." Designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, the Crown Fountain features two 50-foot towers that face each other at opposite ends of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers' LED screens project the faces of 1,000 different Chicago residents, which are perfectly aligned with spouts so that it appears they are spitting water on passersby. The water flows mid-spring through mid-fall, while the faces are projected year-round. Cloud Gate – created by British-Indian artist Anish Kapoor – is a 110-ton bean-shaped sculpture forged from stainless steel. The Bean's elliptical shape reflects the Chicago skyline. A quintessential Chicago souvenir is a photo of your reflection in The Bean.

Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain free

U.S. News Insider Tip: If you're visiting Chicago Sept. 8 through 10, head to Grant Park early – around 11 a.m. to avoid the lines – for the Taste of Chicago. Enjoy the park and eat the best cuisine the city has to offer. Admission is free. – Sarah Estime

Often referred to as "Chicago's front yard," Grant Park is an approximately 313-acre swath of green space that starts at the eastern edge of the Loop and stretches down to the northern fringes of the Near South Side. First-time visitors should plan on spending a fair amount of time in Grant Park: This is where you'll find several of Chicago's most popular things to do, including The Field Museum , the Art Institute of Chicago and Shedd Aquarium . ( Millennium Park also rubs elbows with the northwest corner of Grant Park.) Baseball diamonds, flower gardens, walking paths and wide-open grassy terrain are available as well.

Art Institute of Chicago Art Institute of Chicago

Home to one of the country's most impressive collections of impressionist and post-impressionist art (plus works from numerous other genres), the expansive Art Institute of Chicago features nearly 300,000 works from all over the world in its permanent collection. You'll find pieces created in the Byzantine era, as well as paintings completed just a few decades ago. Highlights include Jacob Lawrence's "The Wedding," Georgia O'Keeffe's "Sky above Clouds IV" and Grant Wood's "American Gothic." The Art Institute's exhibits also include all sorts of intriguing artifacts, from European armor to the Thorne Miniature Rooms, which showcase interior design and furnishings in Europe and America from the late 13th to early 20th centuries. In addition to the permanent collection, the Art Institute hosts traveling exhibitions covering a variety of subjects and showcasing a diverse array of artists and genres.

The Art Institute of Chicago earns high praise from recent visitors, thanks in part to its impressive collection. Art enthusiasts particularly commend the museum's impressionist collection, which features pieces from famous artists like van Gogh, Monet and Renoir.

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The Magnificent Mile The Magnificent Mile free

U.S. News Insider Tip: The Magnificent Mile, known for its world-class shopping, also has plenty to offer architecture buffs. Book a walking tour with the Chicago Architecture Center and hear the untold stories of North Michigan Avenue's architectural icons. Tours start at $30. – Sarah Estime

For shopping at more than 450 retailers within walking distance in downtown Chicago, make your way to The Magnificent Mile. This portion of Michigan Avenue – which stretches between Lake Shore Drive and the Chicago River – beckons to shopaholics with department stores and luxury retailers like Bloomingdale's, Marcus, Macy's, Tory Burch and Nordstrom. Additionally, The Magnificent Mile is home to several top-notch eateries and luxury hotels, including The Drake , the Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile and the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile .

Navy Pier Navy Pier free

Extending out onto Lake Michigan, Navy Pier offers plenty in the way of family-friendly entertainment. The first thing you'll spot once you set foot on the pier is the towering Ferris wheel (which stands 196 feet tall); you'll also find a drop tower and a carousel. Once the kids have had their fill of thrill rides, you can spend some time cruising the Chicago River on a sightseeing or speedboat tour or spend a few hours exploring the Chicago Children's Museum , with hands-on exhibits ranging from treehouses to fire trucks.

But you don't have to be a kid to enjoy a visit to Navy Pier. Grown-ups can catch a show at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, flex some credit card muscle at a variety of shops or grab a drink at the Navy Pier Beer Garden. And be sure to check Navy Pier's website for a list of events: Concerts are often held here, and from Memorial Day to Labor Day (as well as New Year's Eve), impressive fireworks displays light up the skies on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Many of the city's top Segway tours offer special summer evening tours to the pier to catch the semiweekly fireworks show.

Lincoln Park Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo free

U.S. News Insider Tip: North Avenue Beach is a short walk over the North Avenue Bridge when you park at the southern end of the Lincoln Park Zoo lot. Explore the zoo, then stroll over to the beach for an afternoon in the sand. – Cortney Fries

Located 2 miles north of the Loop in the North Side neighborhood of Lincoln Park, the Lincoln Park Zoo is home to nearly 200 species, such as zebras, sloths and hippos. Visitors can view the zoo's furry (or scaly) friends in their natural habitats: Check out the gorillas in the sprawling, award-winning Regenstein Center for African Apes, or head to the Kovler Seal Pool to get up close and personal with harbor seals. Seal training and feeding occurs daily at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

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360 CHICAGO Observation Deck 360 CHICAGO Observation Deck

One of Chicago's most notable attractions is its skyline, and one of the best places to experience it is at the 360 CHICAGO Observation Deck. Formerly known as the John Hancock Observatory, 360 CHICAGO towers 1,000 feet over The Magnificent Mile from its location on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Center (or 875 North Michigan Avenue as its more formally known). Encased by floor-to-ceiling windows, 360 CHICAGO boasts expansive views of the city; on a clear day, you can see four states. Meanwhile, the interactive screens will help you identify different landmarks that appear in your panorama.

For a different point of view (and an adrenaline rush), test out 360 CHICAGO's TILT. In this mechanized room, visitors hold on to handlebars as the top of the room's windows extend outward, tilting you toward bustling North Michigan Avenue down below. For another memorable way to immerse yourself in the views, try ClouldWalk, a 3D art experience introduced in 2022. Mural artist Nate Baranowski created an optical illusion on the observation deck that makes visitors feel as though they are standing on a crane platform in the clouds.  Should you prefer to experience the view without feeling your heart skip a beat, grab a cup of coffee, a glass of wine or a snack at the cafe and bar, or look for souvenirs in the gift shop.

The Field Museum The Field Museum

U.S. News Insider Tip: After hours of museum hopping, grab a kid-approved lunch at Kim & Carlo's Hot Dog Cart. The no-frills stand offers everything from vegan dogs to the traditional Chicago hotdog. Enjoy your lunch on the water. – Sarah Estime

This extensive natural history museum occupies half an acre of Grant Park 's Museum Campus and houses exhibits that showcase artifacts from multiple eras and destinations, making it a must-see for kids (as well as any fans of the "Indiana Jones" movies). Some of the most popular parts of the museum include the "Inside Ancient Egypt" exhibit, which features a reconstruction of a three-story replica of an Egyptian tomb, one of the largest collections of mummies in the United States and interactive representations of life on the Nile. There's also the Restoring Earth area in the Abbott Hall of Conservation, where visitors can learn more about sustainability through hands-on activities. But no visit to The Field Museum would be complete without some quality time with SUE, the facility's T. rex who just happens to be the largest, most complete T. rex ever discovered. SUE is 40 feet long from nose to tail and boasts 55 terrifying teeth.

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Chicago Architecture River Cruise Chicago Architecture River Cruise

A visit to 360 CHICAGO or Skydeck Chicago will give you a good overview of the city's layout. But if you want to learn more about Chicago's sky-high buildings, tag along on an architecture river cruise. During a river cruise, you'll gain great views and historical insight about well-known structures like the Wrigley Building, the Leo Burnett Building and the Fulton House.

Though several companies, including Wendella Sightseeing Co. and Chicago Line Cruises, offer architecture river cruises, most travelers recommend climbing aboard a Chicago's First Lady Cruises boat with a Chicago Architecture Center docent. You'll learn tons of information about the area's architecture, plus catch superb skyline photo-ops.

Maggie Daley Park Maggie Daley Park free

U.S. News Insider Tip: There are many restaurant options around the park, but Wildberry Pancakes & Café is a satisfying brunch spot. Choose from creative pancake options, a variety of omelets, crepes, sandwiches and salads. Go hungry and leave happy. – Cortney Fries

Opened in 2014, Maggie Daley Park is an expansive property located just east of Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. The 20-acre green space offers numerous activities for both kids and adults alike, including a climbing wall, a mini-golf course, a 3-acre playground, a public garden, an ice-skating skating "ribbon" during the winter and scooter and rollerblade rentals in the summer, not to mention a tennis facility. Whatever you choose to do, you'll get to enjoy fantastic views of the Chicago skyline. Recent visitors loved that the park is free to access, and they noted that the attraction is excellent for family fun.

Museum of Science and Industry Museum of Science and Industry

U.S. News Insider Tip: Mid-November through the first week of January, experience the annual "Christmas Around the World" and "Holidays of Light" exhibits. Volunteers decorate more than 50 trees in celebration of holiday traditions from around the globe. – Cortney Fries

Chicago's extensive Museum of Science and Industry is the Western Hemisphere's largest science museum, showcasing more than 35,000 artifacts and a variety of hands-on exhibits meant to inspire creativity. The museum resides in the 14-acre former Palace of Fine Arts, which hosted the famous World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. The fair brought together some of the world's greatest scientific minds, including Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, who at the time were competing to prove which type of electricity – direct current or alternating current – was more effective. 

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field

U.S. News Insider Tip: If you're visiting during the holiday season, don't miss Winterland at Gallagher Way for family-friendly rides and games inside and around the ballpark. Christkindlmarket Wrigleyville is free to enter. Enjoy festive shopping and international food and beverage selections. – Cortney Fries

Chicagoans take their love of sports very seriously. So, for a real taste of Chicago culture, head north of the Loop to Wrigley Field to watch the Chicago Cubs play ball at the Friendly Confines. History buffs will also appreciate this sports treasure, which first opened in 1914 and holds the honor of being the second-oldest Major League Baseball stadium in the country (after Fenway Park in Boston ).

Shedd Aquarium Shedd Aquarium

U.S. News Insider Tip: If you're visiting in the summer (June through August), check out Jazzin' at the Shedd. You can enjoy jazz music and drinks with incredible views from the terrace. Plus, the lights dim in the aquarium for a unique experience. – Elizabeth Von Tersch, Senior Editor

Shedd Aquarium is one of the world's largest indoor aquariums, housing around 32,000 creatures. While you're here, you can feel stingrays float beneath your fingers, listen to sea lions bark and learn all about a variety of turtles. A visit to Shedd Aquarium will lead you through a cornucopia of habitats, where you'll find additional animals like penguins, piranhas, sharks and beluga whales. Or, for an additional fee, you can participate in specialty experiences like animal encounters, feeding experiences and virtual reality.

Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady

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The Chicago Riverwalk The Chicago Riverwalk free

U.S. News Insider Tip: During the summer, there is nothing better than watching the boats go by as you relax at City Winery Riverwalk Wine Garden. Rent a retro boat from Chicago Electric Boat Company and cruise the river yourself. – Cortney Fries

When the weather warms up in Chicago, there are few better places to enjoy the outdoors than the Chicago Riverwalk. The 1.25-mile pedestrian walkway on the south bank of the Chicago River is the perfect place to take a stroll and observe the city skyline. Plus, there are numerous activity options to enjoy directly on the water, such as a boat or kayak tour . If you prefer to explore on your own two feet, visit the public gardens and art displays, or grab a meal at a popular restaurant or bar overlooking the Chicago River. And if you want to learn more about the river's unique history, check out the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum, which celebrates the city's famous movable bridges. What's more, Art on theMART – a massive digital art projection on the facade of theMART (formerly The Merchandise Mart) – is best viewed from the Riverwalk.

Skydeck Chicago at the Willis Tower Skydeck Chicago at the Willis Tower

More than 1.7 million people make their way to Willis Tower's Skydeck Chicago each year, and it's easy to see why. Occupying the 103rd floor – that's nine floors higher than 360 CHICAGO – of the 110-story Willis Tower (the third-tallest building in North America after One World Trade Center and Central Park Tower), Skydeck Chicago boasts breathtaking views of the city. Visit on a sunny day and you may be able to see far beyond Chicago's borders to Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and other parts of Illinois.

The highlight for most visitors is the Ledge. Extending 4.3 feet beyond the building's exterior, this platform is made entirely of glass – even the floor. Travelers also liked the video screens that show what it would be like to stand 103 floors above other Chicago attractions, including Wrigley Field and Millennium Park . However, long lines quickly form for Skydeck Chicago, so plan on arriving early or purchasing a Chicago CityPASS, which covers expedited admission into the attraction. Or, simply pay extra for expedited entry, which features an express line to the elevators. For the best views, it's advised that you visit just after opening or after sunset. If you'd like to enjoy the sunset from the tower, plan on arriving 30 to 45 minutes before sunset to ensure you have enough time to get through the elevator line and up to the top.

North Avenue Beach North Avenue Beach free

Located in Lincoln Park directly on Lake Michigan, North Avenue Beach is one of the most popular swimming spots in Chicago. The sandy beach has volleyball courts, plenty of space for visitors to stretch out and multiple things to do near nearby. Plus, it offers spectacular views of the city skyline. Beachgoers can also find restaurants, sports rental companies, restrooms and more inside a 22,000-square-foot beach house adjacent to the shore.

Recent visitors said the beach is a nice spot that is perfect for relaxing, biking and running, but they warned that it can get busy on warm summer days.

The Second City The Second City

If you've seen a sketch comedy show or hilarious movie in the last 40 years, it's likely that someone from The Second City appeared in it. The Second City is one of the world's most iconic improvisational comedy theaters, and it has helped launch the careers of numerous famous comedians, including Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert. If you're in the mood for a laugh, check out a live show on any night of the week at any number of The Second City's seven stages (which are all housed in its facility at the northwest corner of North Avenue and Wells Street in Old Town). 

Recent reviewers said that everyone in their group could not stop laughing during the shows, which typically last 90 minutes to two hours. Ticket prices vary by the show and date, but run anywhere from $30 to $100.

The Chicago Theatre The Chicago Theatre

Aside from Cloud Gate and Buckingham Fountain , The Chicago Theatre's red and yellow marquee is perhaps one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. Illuminating North State Street at the northern edge of the Loop, The Chicago Theatre first opened its doors in 1921 as an extravagant movie theater and performance venue. Throughout its history, the theater has hosted such big names as Duke Ellington, Diana Ross and Prince, in addition to screening blockbuster flicks. Though the theater fell into disuse in the 1970s, new management and a full renovation in the 1980s helped return the venue to its former glory. Today, the theater is still used for a variety of comedic, theatrical and musical performances.

According to past patrons, the theater's historic appearance enhances the overall experience of catching an event here. Just remember, cameras and video cameras, including those on cell phones, cannot be used during tours or performances. If you're not in town for a show, consider signing up for one of the venue's guided tours. Tour tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for kids ages 12 and younger. Tours are available Monday and Tuesday at noon and 2 p.m. and last about an hour.

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Chicago Children's Museum Chicago Children's Museum

Located at Navy Pier , the Chicago Children's Museum offers temporary and permanent play-based exhibits for babies, toddlers and kids ages 4 and older. Founded in 1982 by the Junior League of Chicago as a response to cuts in arts programming, the museum was originally housed in two hallways of what is now called the Chicago Cultural Center . Today, children can dig for "teeth" and "bones" in "Dinosaur Expedition," climb through tunnels of "Cloud Buster," test their STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) skills in the Tinkering Lab and paint, draw or sew in the art studio.

Recent visitors appreciated the interactive, hands-on exhibits, which they recommend for young children.

American Writers Museum American Writers Museum

U.S. News Insider Tip: Across the street from the museum, you will find the first Nutella Café, where you can savor French and Italian dishes featuring the heavenly hazelnut spread. The gelato is roll-your-eyes-to-the-back-of-your-head good. – Cortney Fries

The first museum in the United States dedicated to celebrating the diverse voices and influence of American authors, the American Writers Museum is an interactive journey through more than five centuries of written and spoken word. This relatively small museum, which opened in 2017, features thoughtful and reflective exhibits that you can touch, smell, hear and see. 

DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center

U.S. News Insider Tip: If driving in Chicago isn’t your thing, consider taking the No. 55 bus to the museum. The bus drops you off within just a five-minute walk of the museum. – Sarah Estime

The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, named for Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, the entrepreneur who is credited with founding Chicago, is a must-visit for anyone looking to learn more about African American history in the city of Chicago and America. It celebrates its 62nd anniversary in 2023, and is full of thought-provoking exhibits, including those that showcase fine art created by influential African American artists and historical materials. Note that visitors hoping to enjoy “The March” exhibit, an immersive experience depicting the historic March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech, can go in groups of no more than four at a time.

Adler Planetarium Adler Planetarium

The first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, the Adler offers unrivaled insights into our solar system. Indeed, "Our Solar System" is one of its permanent exhibits, along with "Mission Moon," "The Universe: A Walk Through Space and Time," "Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass" and "Astronomy in Culture," among others. Its facilities include the Doane Observatory, which has the largest telescope available to the public in the Chicago area, through which visitors can glimpse celestial objects trillions of miles away. The Adler also has three full-size theaters – the 3D Universe Theater, the Definiti Space Theater and the Grainger Sky Theater – in which it screens programs like "Destination Solar System," "Planet Nine" and "One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure."

Space enthusiasts invariably find the Adler's presentations both informative and entertaining, if somewhat pricey. Most visitors suggest setting aside a few hours to explore the various exhibits and shows. Travelers recommend maximizing your parking expenses by also visiting the Shedd Aquarium or The Field Museum , which also sit on the Museum Campus. Reviewers also appreciated the Lake Michigan and skyline views as seen from the planetarium.

Offbeat Street Art Tour Offbeat Street Art Tour

U.S. News Insider Tip: If you’re looking for unique souvenirs from your Chicago trip, consider The Goddess & Grocer for its gift baskets. – Sarah Estime

In Chicago, you can find eye-catching street art nearly everywhere. As you sightsee, you’ll be greeted with unique, thought-provoking art on the sides of buildings and underneath bridges. If you’re looking for an experience that walks you through the history and cultural significance of Chicago's street art scene, look no further than the Offbeat Street Art Tour. On this two-hour tour, you’ll discover new artists and learn the inspiration behind their colorful works, along with some interesting neighborhood history. You’ll also be able to take great photos along the way.

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The Green Mill The Green Mill

U.S. News Insider Tip: For visitors looking for a bite to eat after a night of jazz music, head across the street to Damera for an authentic Ethiopian meal, or down the block to the Fat Cat for a burger. – Sarah Estime

Best known for serving gangsters during its speakeasy days, the Green Mill invites travelers to step back in time. The long bar that runs along the club's left side sits in front of smokey mirrors and is peppered with decor reminiscent of the Prohibition era. The entire place is cast in a warm reddish glow while old-time jazz plays from the jukebox. The bar – one of Al Capone’s favorites – has no set menu; order whatever cocktails you like (though the chocolate martinis are delicious). There is also a selection of beer and wine.

Garfield Park Conservatory Garfield Park Conservatory free

One of the biggest botanical conservatories in the United States, the Garfield Park Conservatory houses thousands of plant species in eight indoor gardens, as well as 10 acres of outdoor gardens.

Each indoor space has a distinct focus. The Aroid House features varieties of its namesake, which are among the most popular houseplants; it also features sculptures by the world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly made specifically for the Aroid House. As its name suggests, the Desert House boasts cacti and succulents, while the Fern Room arranges ferns around an indoor lagoon. The Palm House, the conservatory's largest structure, recreates a tropical landscape complete with more than 70 palm trees. Meanwhile, the Elizabeth Morse Genius Children's Garden aims to educate little ones about plants. Horticulture Hall displays a range of flowers and plants and also has tables where visitors can take a seat and have a rest.

The Richard H. Driehaus Museum The Richard H. Driehaus Museum

Occupying a restored mansion built in 1883, the Richard H. Driehaus Museum presents exhibitions relating to architecture, art and design from the 19th century to the present day.

The Nickerson Mansion containing the museum boasts an entrance hall made with so much marble that the building was nicknamed "the Marble Palace." (The museum takes its current name from the philanthropist who founded it in 2003.) Its reception room features intricate woodwork as well as items from the museum's permanent collection, such as a Tiffany Studios lamp that dates back to the early 1900s. Meanwhile, the front parlor displays Renaissance Revival furniture original to the Nickerson Mansion. The dining room, fitted with elaborately carved oak, houses a silver punch bowl first exhibited at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Other highlights from the permanent collection include a gem-encrusted inkstand, a ceramic clock, multiple chandeliers, paintings, sculptures and an array of decorative items.

Chicago Cultural Center Chicago Cultural Center free

The "People’s Palace," a popular destination occupying a full city block in the downtown Loop neighborhood, is a stunning architectural marvel as well as a venue for a great deal of cultural programming, including art exhibits and concerts. Among its features are one of the largest Tiffany stained-glass domes in the world (made with around 30,000 individual pieces of glass) and a marble lobby adorned with mosaics made of gold, glass and precious stones.

Visitors invariably rave about the impressive structure and its elaborate decorations, saying it’s worth it to pop in for free to see the ornate ceiling.

University of Chicago University of Chicago free

Founded in 1890 by John D. Rockefeller, the University of Chicago is an urban research university in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood close to Lake Michigan. Currently, it has more than 7,000 undergraduate students and more than 10,000 graduate, professional or other students as well as nearly 2,400 full-time faculty members.

Impressive as those statistics may be, they aren't reasons to visit. But the university's 217-acre campus, which was designated a botanic garden in 1997, and its mixture of English Gothic and modern architecture are. Some of the newer structures were designed by celebrated architects like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen, while some of the older ones are adorned with gargoyles that date back to the 1893 World Columbian Exposition. The university welcomes visitors to explore its campus, and provides information about its architecture on its website. Those who've visited before routinely call the buildings diverse and beautiful, and many recommend stopping by in the spring when flowers bloom across campus, or fall when amber leaves transform the grounds.

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Everything you need to know before visiting Chicago

Aug 15, 2023 • 8 min read

Use these top tips to help you make the most of your time in Chicago © Ryan McVay / Getty Images

I’ve lived in Chicago for more than 30 years, and these are the top tips I tell all of my visitors: take public transport, hit the neighborhoods and drink Malört at your peril.

Then you need to know about local sports culture, the ridiculous taxes and the ketchup rule… and that’s just for starters. I've gathered together all the top insider tips you need to ensure a smooth visit to the Windy City.

Plan on 3 to 5 days to visit

It’ll take you two to three days to see the highlights, like the Art Institute , Wrigley Field , Millennium Park and Willis Tower . Adding an extra couple of days to your visit allows you to move out of the center and into the neighborhoods , where Chicago’s true heart beats.

Pilsen and Logan Square welcome you with chowhound eats and vibrant street art. Bronzeville has galleries and soul food restaurants and Andersonville is a jazzy, cafe-laden LGBTQI+ hub. Hyde Park, Wicker Park and Humboldt Park are other troves of great restaurants and attractions.

Don’t drive, especially downtown

Driving in Chicago is no fun. Traffic snarls not only at rush hours but also most times in between. Road construction on the main highway through town has only added to the nightmare. What’s more, parking is hard to find and costs a fortune, particularly downtown near the sights – garages routinely charge around $45 per day. Ditch the car and use public transportation to spare yourself the annoyance.

Buy a Ventra Card for public transportation

It’s easy-peasy to make your way around Chicago on public transport – mainly the L trains, which run on both elevated and subway tracks. They’ll get you to most sights and neighborhoods into the wee hours. Buses pick up the slack in areas that the L misses.

To save time and money, buy a rechargeable Ventra Card to use on transit and add value as needed. Cards are available at any L station (including at the airports) and save around $0.75 per ride over disposable fare tickets. You can also download the Ventra app and buy a digital Ventra Card. The app has the bonus of providing L and bus times, too.

Whether using a plastic or digital card, simply tap it at the turnstile as you enter the L station or at the farebox as you get on the bus. If you’ll be riding three or more times per day, consider buying an unlimited ride day pass for additional savings.

Use the L to get to and from the airports

The aforementioned traffic is no joke. Taxis and ride-shares can take forever to get between the city and airports. Instead, use the L train. The Blue Line from O’Hare and Orange Line from Midway take 30 to 40 minutes and cost $3 to $5. Not only are travel times often quicker on the L, but it’s about 10 times cheaper than a cab.

Book museum and theater tickets in advance

Many museums, including the Art Institute , encourage tickets to be purchased online in advance from the museum’s website. A day or so prior should do it, unless there’s a blockbuster exhibit going on.

It’s also wise to book theater tickets beforehand, whether it’s for a world-class opera or booze-addled Shakespearean improv. A week ahead is usually plenty of time. Browse Hot Tix for same-week drama, comedy and performing arts tickets for half price.

Make restaurant reservations

Prepare to fork into platefuls of Michelin-starred comfort food and eat like royalty. Reservations are key, though, especially for weekend dining. Book through Tock , Open Table or Resy . A week or two in advance will work for most places, though hot spots such as Alinea and Girl & the Goat need to be reserved a couple of months out. Prime dining times are between 6pm and 8pm.

Pack a warm coat, but also a bathing suit

Chicago sits on the shore of vast Lake Michigan, which has a wild effect on the weather. It whips up heavy snow in winter and windy conditions year-round . Pack a warm coat, hat and sturdy shoes when visiting November through March. Even in summer, the temperature can drop fast, so bring a sweater when you head out for the day.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t also bring your bathing suit from June through August. The city has several beaches that beckon with sand and surf.

Where you stay depends on what you want to do

Downtown has loads of cool architectural hotels near the sights, but limited eating and drinking options after dark. Not ideal if you're looking to party but a good option if you're traveling with young kids.

Next door the Near North has hotels and evening action, but it’s pricey and a bit cookie-cutter. The West Loop, Lincoln Park, Lake View and Wicker Park all have abundant nightlife to keep you entertained into the wee hours. They’re not close to the main sights but are easy enough to access via the L. Book accommodations a month or two in advance, if possible.

Prepare for hefty taxes

A tax is levied on most goods and services in Chicago. It’s 17.4% for lodgings, 10.75-11.75% in restaurants and bars (it's higher the closer you are to downtown), and 10.25% for other items. The tax is typically not included in the price but added to the bill when you pay.

Cheer on the sports teams

Chicagoans are rabid sports fans – get to know the city's teams and you’ll make friends wherever you go in town.

Chicago’s two baseball teams inspire a diehard rivalry: the Cubs are the more moneyed North Side squad, while the White Sox are the blue-collar, working-class team on the South Side. Both have had great success in recent years. Then again, both have sucked in recent years, too! Usually, one team is up when the other is down.

The football-playing Bears ignite lots of fervor, but they’re typically not very good. They're followed by basketball's underachieving Bulls , hockey's try-hard Blackhawks , and soccer’s middling Fire .

Dress casual

Chicagoans dress informally. The apex of fashion for most men is a pair of khakis and a button-down shirt. Women's dress is similarly low-key, valuing comfort over high fashion. And don't worry about getting your best on for the evening. It's perfectly fine to wear jeans and casual clothes to dinner or the theater at night. No judgment here!

Never put ketchup on a hot dog

Weird but true: the red condiment does not go on local wieners. No one really knows why. One theory is that the famed Chicago-style hot dog – which is topped with mustard, sweet pickle relish, chopped onions, tomato slices, a dill pickle spear, sport peppers and celery salt – already has a perfect flavor balance. Adding ketchup is redundant and ruins the meaty harmony.

Grab a seat at the bar

Locals love to hang out in drinking establishments. Blame it on the long winter, when folks need to huddle together somewhere warm. Blame it on summer, when sunny days make beer gardens and sidewalk patios so splendid.

Beer is the drink of choice. No surprise given Chicago is home to more breweries than any other US city . Grab a seat in a neighborhood taproom, and you’ll be conversing about the Bears or the mayor in no time. You might even get offered a shot of Malört. It’s a local liquor famous for tasting awful . Downing one is a Chicago rite of passage.

Use the Pedway

Come wintertime, when the going gets tough and icy sleet knifes your face, head down to the Pedway . Chicago has a 40-block labyrinth of underground walkways, built in conjunction with the subway trains. The system isn’t entirely connected, and it’s confusing to figure out directions, but it’s also a dandy way to escape the elements. Look for "Pedway" signs above ground at points of entry.

Be courteous on the L

Let passengers get off the train before getting on yourself – wait beside the open door until everyone has departed. When you take the escalator in the stations, stand on the right side and walk on the left side.

Don’t smoke pot in public

Even though it’s legal to buy recreational marijuana throughout the city – at licensed dispensaries, cash only – you can only toke on private property. A backyard or balcony is fine, a car or cafe is not. Always check with the property owner to make sure they allow it.

As for cigarettes, you can’t smoke inside bars, restaurants and other public places, or within 15ft of the entrance.

Don’t let the headlines scare you away

Chicago has the unfortunate reputation of being the USA’s murder capital. While it’s true the city has the largest total number of homicides of any American municipality, it ranks much lower on the list when considered on a per capita basis .

Most of the violence is concentrated on the West and South Sides, where a handful of neighborhoods account for more than half of all shootings . These are communities where segregation and isolation have intensified inequality, and local gangs account for much of the bloodshed .

Overall, serious crime in Chicago has been dropping in recent years, according to city statistics. Still, it’s wise to take normal, big-city precautions, especially if solo at night. Many crimes involve cell phone theft, so be subtle when using yours. If driving, stay aware of your surroundings, as carjackings have been on the rise.

This article was first published September 2021 and updated August 2023

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• 1 Districts
• 2.1 History
• 2.2 Climate
• 2.5 Smoking
• 2.6 Economy
• 2.7 Tourist information
• 4.1.1 O'Hare
• 4.1.2 Midway
• 4.1.3 Others
• 4.1.4 Private Aviation
• 4.3 By train
• 5.1.2 Metra and South Shore
• 5.3 By taxi
• 5.4 By bicycle
• 5.5 By water taxi
• 6.1 Itineraries
• 6.2 Museums
• 6.3 Architecture
• 6.4 African-American history
• 6.5 Ethnic neighborhoods
• 7.1 Beaches
• 7.2 Navy Pier
• 7.4 Events & festivals
• 7.6 Theater
• 7.7 Bicycles
• 7.8 Kayaks and SUPs
• 10.1 Groceries and other basics
• 11.1 Chicago pizza
• 11.2 The Chicago hot dog
• 11.3 Italian Beef
• 11.4 Jibarito
• 11.5 Ice cream
• 12.1 Coffee
• 12.2 Jazz and blues
• 12.3 Concerts
• 14.2 Health
• 15.1 Internet
• 15.2 Telephones
• 16.1 Publications
• 16.2 Religious services
• 16.3 Consulates
• 17.1 Illinois
• 17.2 Indiana
• 17.3 Michigan
• 17.4 Missouri
• 17.5 Wisconsin
• 17.6 Beyond

Chicago is the home of the blues and the truth of jazz , the heart of comedy and the idea of the skyscraper. Here, the age of railroads found its center, and airplanes followed suit. "Stormy, Husky, Brawling / City of Big Shoulders," Chicago is a Heartland boomtown, its ethos defined by urban planner Daniel Burnham's immortal vision: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." It is one of the world's great cities.

As the hub of the Midwest , Chicago is easy to find — its picturesque skyline calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and public art , and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world.

With a wealth of iconic sights and neighborhoods to explore, there's enough to fill a visit of days, weeks, or even months without ever seeing the end. Dress warm in the winter, and prepare to cover a lot of ground; the meaning of Chicago is only found in movement, through subways and archaic elevated tracks, in the pride of tired feet and eyes raised once more to the sky.

Districts [ edit ]

Many visitors never make it past the attractions downtown, but you haven't truly seen Chicago until you have ventured out into its many neighborhoods. Chicagoans split their city into large "sides" to the north, west, and south of the central business district (the Loop). Chicagoans also tend to identify strongly with their neighborhood, reflecting real differences in culture and place throughout the city. Rivalries between the North and South Sides run particularly deep, while people from the West Side are free agents in critical issues like baseball loyalty.

Understand [ edit ]

Chicago tourist information.

History [ edit ]

Chicago was known as a fine place to find a wild onion if you were a member of the Potawatomi tribe, who lived in this area of Illinois before European settlers arrived. It was mostly swamps, prairie and mud long past the original settlement by Jean Baptiste Point du Sable in 1779, the establishment of Fort Dearborn in 1803 and incorporation as a town in 1833. It could be argued that nature never intended for there to be a city here; brutal winters aside, it took civil engineering projects of unprecedented scale to establish working sewers, reverse the flow of the river to keep it out of the city's drinking supply, and stop buildings from sinking back into the swamps — and that was just the first three decades.

Chicago became a waypoint between the Great Lakes and the Wild West , where boats came to drop off settlers, and load crops and other goods from the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains .

By 1871, the reckless growth of the city was a sight to behold, full of noise, Gothic lunacy, and bustling commerce. But on October 8, the Great Chicago Fire quickly spread through the city, killing 300 and destroying the oldest part of the city. A journalist blamed it on Mrs. O'Leary and her cow, but years later admitted that he invented the story. The stone Water Tower in the Near North is the most famous surviving structure. But the city seized this destruction as an opportunity to rebuild bigger than before, giving canvas for several architects and urban planners who would go on to become legends of modern architecture.

At the pinnacle of its rebirth and the height of its newfound powers, Chicago was known as "The White City". Cultures from around the world were summoned to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, to bear witness to the work of Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, and the future itself. Cream of Wheat, soft drinks, street lights and safe electricity, the fax machine, and the Ferris Wheel bespoke the colossus now resident on the shores of Lake Michigan.

As every road had once led to Rome, every train led to Chicago. Carl Sandburg called Chicago the "Hog Butcher for the World" for its cattle stockyards and place on the nation's dinner plate. Sandburg also called it the "City of the Big Shoulders", noting the tall buildings in the birthplace of the skyscraper — and the city's "lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning." But Chicago is a city in no short supply of nicknames. Fred Fisher's 1922 song (best known in Frank Sinatra's rendition) calls it "That Toddlin' Town", where "on State Street, that great street, they do things they don't do on Broadway." It's also referenced by countless blues standards like "Sweet Home Chicago".

Chicago is also known as The Second City , which refers to its rebuilding after the fire — the current city is literally the second Chicago, after the one whose core burned in 1871. The moniker has stuck, in no small part due to its popular association with the city's long-held former position as the United States' second largest city. And many know the nickname from Chicago's great comedy theater in Old Town .

Chicago's history of corruption is legendary. During the Prohibition era, Chicago's criminal world, emblemized by names like Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson, and later Sam Giancana, practically ran the city. The local political world had scarcely more legitimacy in a town where voter turnout was highest among the dead and their pets, and precinct captains spread the word to "vote early, vote often." Even Sandburg acknowledged the relentless current of vice that ran under the surface of the optimistic city.

Today, Chicago is known as "The Windy City". Walking around town, you might suspect that Chicago got this nickname from the winds off Lake Michigan, which shove through the downtown corridors with intense force. But the true origin of the saying comes from politics. Some say it may have been coined by rivals like Cincinnati and New York as a derogatory reference to the Chicagoan habit of rabid boosterism and endless political conventions. Others say that the term originated from the fact that Chicago politicians change their minds "as often as the wind." Yet another saying is that the name came about because of Chicago's long-winded politicians.

Finally, the city is known as "The City That Works", as promoted by longtime Mayor Richard M. Daley, which refers to Chicago's labor tradition, the long hours worked by its residents, and its willingness to tackle grand civic projects. Daley was mayor from 1989-2011 and his father, Richard J. Daley, was mayor from 1955-1976. They were more influential than other recent mayors because of their popularity with voters, their political savvy, and a deferential city council. The Daleys were also notoriously corrupt and had authoritarian tendencies leading to their rule being described as nigh-dicatorial. As other Midwestern manufacturing cities like Cleveland and Detroit went into decline, Chicago thrived, transforming from a city of stockyards and factories to a financial giant at the forefront of modern urban design.

While the city has many great attractions downtown, most Chicagoans live and play outside of the central business district. To understand Chicago, travelers must venture away from the Loop and Michigan Avenue and out into the vibrant neighborhoods, to soak up the local nightlife, sample the wide range of fantastic dining, and see the sights Chicagoans alone know and love — thanks to the city's massive public transit system, every part of Chicago is only slightly off the most beaten path. The good public transport, as well as its historical (and current) role as a major rail hub make Chicago one of the places best suited for visiting the United States without a car .

Today, Chicago is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States, with the population almost evenly divided among whites, blacks and Hispanics. Many Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans live in the Northwest, West, Southwest and Southeast parts of the city. Chicago is also home to smaller communities of other origins, with the only Chinatown in the Midwest, as well as a Vietnamese community in Argyle, South Asians near Devon Avenue, and a Jewish community in the northern suburb of Skokie and surrounding neighbourhoods. However, decades of racist housing policies have also made Chicago a very racially segregated city; whites tend to be concentrated in North, Northwest and Southwest Sides, while blacks tend to be concentrated in the poorer South and West Sides. Integrated neighborhoods include Hyde Park, Kenwood, Uptown and Edgewater.

Chicago has a strong Catholic heritage due to a history of immigration from Italy, Ireland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Western Ukraine. This is most visible in the form of beautiful Catholic churches you can see in various neighborhoods.

Climate [ edit ]

Weather is definitely not one of the attractions in Chicago. There's a good time to be had in any season, but it is a place where the climate has to be taken into consideration.

Despite Chicago's winters, there are more days with a maximum temperature of between 80-84°F (27-29°C) than any other five-degree range. Obscured by Chicago's ferocious winters are the heat waves of summer. The days in July and August that go above the normal are oftentimes hot and humid, and dewpoints can be similar to those found closer to the Gulf of Mexico. The city's surprisingly attractive lakefront beaches can relieve some of the swelter. Summer nights are usually reasonable, though, and you'll get a few degrees' respite along the lakefront — in the local parlance, that's "cooler by the lake."

But then there are those winters. The months from December to March will see very cold temperatures, with even more bitter wind chill factors, though occasional warm spells with temperatures as high as 60°F (16°C) aren't uncommon either. Snow is usually limited to a handful of heavy storms per season, with a few light dustings in-between. (And a little more along the lakefront — again in the local parlance, that's "lake effect snow".) Ice storms are also a risk. It's a city that's well-accustomed to these winters, though, so city services and public transportation are highly unlikely to shut down.

That said, Chicago does have a few nice months of weather. May and September are pleasant and mild; April and June are mostly fine, although thunderstorms with heavy winds can also occur suddenly. Although there may be a slight chill in the air in October, it rarely calls for more than a light coat and some days that's not even necessary. In some years, the warmth stored by the lake may prolong a pleasant autumn into November.

Read [ edit ]

Chicago literature found its roots in the city's tradition of lucid, direct journalism, lending to a strong tradition of social realism. Consequently, most notable Chicago fiction focuses on the city itself, with social criticism keeping exultation in check. Here is a selection of Chicago's most famous works about itself:

• Karen Abbott's Sin in the Second City is a best-seller about Chicago's vice district, the Levee, and some of the personalities involved: gangsters, corrupt politicians, and two sisters who ran the most elite brothel in town.
• Nelson Algren's Chicago: City on the Make is a prose poem about the alleys, the El tracks, the neon and the dive bars, the beauty and cruelty of Chicago. It's best saved for after a trip, when at least twenty lines will have you enraptured in recognition.
• Saul Bellow's Adventures of Augie March charts the long drifting life of a Jewish Chicagoan and his myriad eccentric acquaintances throughout the early 20th century: growing up in the then Polish neighborhood of Humboldt Park , cavorting with heiresses on the Gold Coast , studying at the University of Chicago, fleeing union thugs in the Loop , and taking the odd detour to hang out with Trotsky in Mexico while eagle-hunting giant iguanas on horseback. This book has legitimate claim to be the Chicago epic (for practical purposes, that means you won't finish it on the plane).
• Gwendolyn Brooks' A Street in Bronzeville was the collection of poems that launched the career of the famous Chicago poetess, focused on the aspirations, disappointments, and daily life of those who lived in 1940s Bronzeville . It is long out of print, so you'll likely need to read these poems in a broader collection, such as her Selected Poems .
• Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street is a Mexican-American coming-of-age novel, dealing with a young Latina girl, Esperanza Cordero, growing up in the Chicago Chicano ghetto.
• Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie is a cornerstone of the turn of the 20th century Chicago Literary Renaissance, a tale of a country girl in the big immoral city, rags-to-riches and back again.
• Stuart Dybek's The Coast of Chicago is a collection of fourteen marvelous short stories about growing up in Chicago (largely in Pilsen and Little Village ) in a style blending the gritty with the dreamlike.
• John Guzlowski's Lightning and Ashes chronicles the author's experiences growing up in the immigrant and DP neighborhoods around Humboldt Park in Chicago, talking about Jewish hardware store clerks with Auschwitz tattoos on their wrists, Polish cavalry officers who still mourned for their dead horses, and women who walked from Siberia to Iran to escape the Russians.
• Erik Larson's Devil in the White City is a best-selling pop history about the 1893 Colombian Exposition; it's also about the serial killer who was stalking the city at the same time. For a straight history of the Exposition and also the workers' paradise in Pullman, try James Gilbert's excellent Perfect Cities: Chicago's Utopias of 1893 .
• Audrey Niffenegger's The Time-Traveler's Wife is a love story set in Chicago nightclubs, museums, and libraries.
• Mike Royko's Boss is the definitive biography of Mayor Richard J. Daley and politics in Chicago, written by the beloved late Tribune columnist. American Pharaoh (Cohen and Taylor) is a good scholarly treatment of the same subject.
• Carl Sandburg's Chicago Poems is without a doubt the most famous collection of poems about Chicago by its own "bard of the working class."
• Upton Sinclair's The Jungle sits among the canon of both Chicago literature and US labor history for its muckraking-style depiction of the desolation experienced by Lithuanian immigrants working in the Union Stockyards on Chicago's Southwest Side .
• Richard Wright's Native Son is a classic Chicago neighborhood novel set in Bronzeville and Hyde Park about a young, doomed, black boy hopelessly warped by the racism and poverty that defined his surroundings.

Watch [ edit ]

Chicago is America's third most prolific movie industry and a host of very Chicago-centric movies have been produced here. These are just a few:

• Ferris Bueller's Day Off (John Hughes, 1986). The dream of the northern suburbs: to be young, clever, and loose for a day in Chicago. Ferris and friends romp through the old Loop theater district, catch a game at Wrigley Field, and enjoy the sense of invincibility that Chicago shares with its favorite sons when all is well.
• Adventures in Babysitting (Chris Columbus, 1987). The flip side of Ferris Bueller — the dangers that await the suburbanite in the Loop at night, including memorable trips to lower Michigan Avenue and up close with the Chicago skyline.
• The Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980). Probably Chicago's favorite movie about itself: blues music, white men in black suits, a mission from God, the conscience that every Chicago hustler carries without question, and almost certainly the biggest car chase ever filmed.
• The Untouchables (Brian De Palma, 1987). With a square-jawed screenplay by David Mamet, this is a retelling of Chicago's central fable of good vs. evil: Eliot Ness and the legendary takedown of Al Capone. No film (except perhaps The Blues Brothers ) has made a better use of so many Chicago locations, especially Union Station (the baby carriage), the Chicago Cultural Center (the rooftop fight), and the LaSalle Street canyon.
• High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000). John Cusack reviews failed relationships from high school at Lane Tech to college in Lincoln Park and muses over them in trips through Uptown, River North, all over the city on the CTA, his record store in the rock snob environs of Wicker Park, and returning at last to his record-swamped apartment in Rogers Park.
• Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005) and its sequel The Dark Knight (2008). Making spectacular use of the 'L', the Chicago Board of Trade Building, Chicago skyscrapers, the Loop at night, and lower Wacker Drive, the revived action series finally sets the imposing power and intractable corruption of Gotham City where it belongs, in Chicago.

Others include Harrison Ford vs. the one-armed man in The Fugitive , the CTA vs. true love in While You Were Sleeping , Autobots vs. Decepticons in Transformers 3 , the greatest Patrick Swayze hillbilly ninja vs. Italian mob film of all time, Next of Kin , and the humble John Candy film Only The Lonely which captures the South Side Irish mentality and the comfort of neighborhood dive bars.

Smoking [ edit ]

Smoking is prohibited by state law at all restaurants, bars, nightclubs, workplaces, and public buildings. It's also banned within fifteen feet of any entrance, window, or exit to a public place, and at CTA train stations. The fine for violating the ban can range from $100 to $250. Cannabis in Illinois is legal however the same smoking rules apply.

Economy [ edit ]

Chicago was historically primarily an industrial city, and originally rose to prominence as the rail hub of the United States. While both heavy industry and rail transport have declined since Chicago's heyday, the metropolitan area remains home to 36 Fortune 500 companies, with 11 in the City of Chicago itself. In addition, Chicago continues to be the world's largest commodities trading hub, in particular for agricultural commodities.

Tourist information [ edit ]

Chicago's visitor information centers offer maps, brochures and other information.

• Choose Chicago visitor information website.
• Chicago Water Works Visitor Information Center , 163 E Pearson Ave , toll-free: +1-877-244-2246 . Jan 2-Mar 15: Sa Su 10AM-5PM; Mar 16-May 26: Su 10AM-5PM, M-Sa 9:30AM-6PM; May 27-Sep 2: Su 10AM-6PM, M-Th 9AM-7PM, F Sa 9AM-6PM; Sep 3-Dec 31: Su 10AM-5PM, M-Sa 9:30AM-6PM; closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25, Jan 1 . The city's main visitor information center is on the Magnificent Mile in the historic Pumping Station, across the street from the Water Tower. In addition to extensive free visitor materials, there is a small café.  
• Chicago Cultural Center Visitor Information Center , 77 E Randolph St , ☏ +1-312-744-8000 . Jan 2-Mar 15: Sa Su 10AM-5PM; Mar 16-May 26: Su 10AM-5PM, M-Sa 9:30AM-6PM; May 27-Sep 2: Su 10AM-6PM, M-Th 9AM-7PM, F Sa 9AM-6PM; Sep 3-Dec 31: Su 10AM-5PM, M-Sa 9:30AM-6PM; closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25, Jan 1 . A centrally located place to pick up a host of useful, free materials. The Cultural Center itself makes a good first stop on your tour, with free, worthwhile art and historical exhibits throughout the year.  

Talk [ edit ]

As with most other American cities, English is the main language spoken in Chicago. However, Chicago is also home to large migrant populations from Latin America , in particular Mexico and Puerto Rico , and Spanish is also commonly heard. Government services are generally available in both English and Spanish.

Chinatown has long been a bastion of the Chinese language and the Chinese American population has defied trends in other ethnic neighborhoods by expanding out to adjacent communities. The traditionally Cantonese and Taishanese-speaking community is gradually being outplayed by Mandarin speakers from Taiwan and Mainland China. There is also a rapidly growing South Asian population concentrated around Devon avenue on the north side but becoming integral throughout the whole city. Hence Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Gujarati and other languages from that region are commonly heard anywhere in the Chicagoland area. Vietnamese is spoken by many residents of the area near Argyle Red Line station.

Unique to Chicago is its large Polish and other Eastern European communities. Polish thrives in neighborhoods and suburbs around the O'Hare area where one can still find bilingual English and Polish signs. The language has dwindled a bit but is still widely represented in churches, delis, legal services, supermarkets, restaurants, and museums. There are Polish newspapers in Chicago and even several FM radio stations. Signs in Cook County and Du Page County forest preserves are often trilingual in English, Spanish, and Polish. Ukrainian is still spoken by some residents of the Ukrainian Village, and the language is still used in the local churches, schools, bakeries and restaurants.

The traditional Chicago accent is classified under Great Lakes English, and is similar to the traditional Detroit and Buffalo accents. You may still occasionally encounter it when speaking to older white working class Chicagoans, but it is now moribund, and most younger white Chicagoans speak with a general American accent. On the other hand, the accents of many black Chicagoans retain certain features of Southern accents that are a legacy of the Great Migration of African-Americans from the South in the 20th century.

Get in [ edit ]

By plane [ edit ]

Chicago ( CHI  IATA for all airports ) is served by two major airports: O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport . There are plenty of taxis both to and from the city center, but they are quite expensive, especially during rush hours. Expect upwards of $40 for O'Hare and $30 for Midway. CTA trains provide direct service to both larger airports for $2.50 from anywhere in the city — faster than a taxi during rush hour and a lot less expensive. (Train rides originating at O'Hare are $5.)

Many large hotels offer complimentary shuttle vans to one or both airports, or can arrange one for a charge ($15–25) with advance notice.

O'Hare [ edit ]

O'Hare International Airport ( ORD  IATA ) is 17 miles (27 km) northwest of downtown and serves many international and domestic carriers. United Airlines has its main hub here and is the airport's main airline; American Airlines is second at O'Hare. Most connecting flights for smaller cities in the Midwest run through O'Hare. It's one of the biggest airports in the world, and it has always been notorious for delays and cancellations. It is too far northwest for most travelers who get stuck overnight to head into the city, but there are plenty of hotels in the O'Hare area. See the O'Hare article for listings.

The CTA Blue Line runs between the Loop and O'Hare at least every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. A trip on the Blue Line from O'Hare to the Loop takes around 35–50 minutes. The O'Hare station is the end of the line and is essentially in the basement of O'Hare airport. Walking from the platform to the ticket counters should take 5–10 minutes for Terminals 2 or 3, slightly more for Terminal 1, and a great deal longer for the International Terminal 5 (It is necessary to take the free people mover for transfer).

Midway [ edit ]

Midway International Airport ( MDW  IATA ) is 10 miles (16 km) southwest of downtown. Southwest Airlines is the largest carrier here. If it's an option for your trip, Midway is more compact, less crowded, has fewer delays, and usually cheaper. And, of course, it's significantly closer to downtown.

The CTA Orange Line train runs between the Loop and Midway in around 25 minutes. The CTA Midway Station is at the end of the Orange Line. There is an enclosed tunnel that links the station and airport but it takes approximately 10–15 minutes to walk from one to the other. There are a number of hotels clustered around Midway, too — see the Southwest Side article for listings.

Others [ edit ]

Milwaukee 's General Mitchell International Airport ( MKE  IATA ) is served by 7 Amtrak trains per day (6 on Sunday), and the Hiawatha Service has a 95% on-time rating. The trip from Chicago Union Station to Mitchell Airport Station is about one hour and 15 minutes. There are also buses from Mitchell Airport to Chicago O'Hare Airport.

Private Aviation [ edit ]

Chicago's economic and industrial importance, together with its central location to both seaboards, make it a major hub for private aviation. Chicago and its metropolitan area are home to more than 18 airports serving business and leisure flights .

The majority of private planes prefer using Midway due to its central location, however, Chicago Executive Airport ( PWK  IATA ) is another popular choice. It's 9 miles north of O'Hare, and is the third busiest airport in Illinois. Other popular private aviation airports include DuPage Airport ( DPA  IATA ) in West Chicago, IL ; Aurora Municipal Airport ( AUZ  IATA ) in Sugar Grove, IL; Chicago Rockford International Airport ( RFD  IATA ) in Rockford, IL ; and Waukegan Regional Airport ( UGN  IATA ) in Waukegan, IL .

Air taxi and air charter companies such as Jetset Charter [dead link] and Chicago Private Jets offer flights on a variety of private charter aircraft and jets, from charter luxury Gulfstream's down to economical piston twins for small groups and individuals.

By bus [ edit ]

• Coach USA/Airport Supersavers , All terminals at O'Hare and Midway Airports . Daily service from Chicago area airports to Crestwood, Highland, Michigan City, Portage, Notre Dame and South Bend Airport ( updated Oct 2017 )
• Burlington Trailways , 630 W Harrison St . 24 hours . Several daily buses headed to Davenport, Iowa City, Des Moines and Omaha at competitive prices. Onward connections to Denver.  
• D & W Bus , (bus depot) 2100 Wentworth Ave ( In front of the public library in Chinatown ). Connects New York to Chicago via Maumee OH; South Bend IN and Portage IN (nearest stop to Gary IN). ( updated Oct 2017 )
• Greyhound, Flixbus , 630 W Harrison St , ☏ +1-312-408-5800 . 24 hours . Very frequent service to destinations throughout the Midwest with connections to most of the US and to Mexican cities just south of the border. The main terminal is near the southwestern corner of the Loop. There are secondary terminals at the 95th/Dan Ryan red line station and the Cumberland blue line station.  
• Indian Trails , 630 W Harrison St ( at the Greyhound Station ). Frequent service to East Lansing, Grand Rapids with onward destinations available. Daily service to Michigan's Upper Peninsula connecting via Greyhound in Milwaukee. Wi-Fi and power outlets on-board.  
• Megabus ( bus stop along Polk St between Clinton St and Canal St ), toll-free: +1-877-462-6342 . Daily service across the Midwest and also from far-flung places like Atlanta and Dallas . Buses have Wi-Fi and 110 V outlets. Reservations must be made online. No tickets are available on the bus or at the bus stop. ( updated Jan 2017 )
• Peoria Charter ( (Bus stop) South East Corner of Jackson and Canal. On Jackson Blvd next to the Historic Route 66 Sign. ), toll-free: +1-800-448-0572 . Connects Chicago, O'Hare, and certain suburbs to Peoria, Bloomington-Normal, and Champaign. ( updated Apr 2023 )
• Turimex Internacional , 2139 S California , toll-free: +1-800-733-7330 . Daily service to Memphis, Little Rock and Dallas. Passengers transfer in Dallas to continue to other destinations in the US and to Mexico. ( updated Sep 2017 )
• CoachUSA/Wisconsin Coach , O'Hare Airport , toll-free: +1-877-324-7767 . Offers 14 buses daily, departing every hour, from O'Hare to Southeastern Wisconsin and Milwaukee (including Milwaukee Airport and Amtrak station), and Waukesha. ORD to Milwaukee $28 .  
• CoachUSA/Van Galder ( service from O'Hare Airport, Midway Airport, and Union Station ), toll-free: +1-800-747-0994 . Frequent bus service to Madison and Janesville Wisconsin and to Rockford and South Beloit Illinois.  

By train [ edit ]

• California Zephyr , traveling to Chicago from Emeryville ( San Francisco ) via Salt Lake City , Denver , and Omaha . Travel time to Chicago from Emeryville is 2 days 3.75 hours, from Salt Lake City is 1 day 10.25 hours, from Denver is 18.75 hours, and from Omaha is 9.5 hours.
• Capitol Limited , traveling from Washington, D.C. via Pittsburgh and Cleveland . Travel time to Chicago from Washington, D.C. is 17.75 hours, from Pittsburgh is 9.75 hours, and from Cleveland is 6.75 hours.
• Cardinal , traveling from New York City via Washington, D.C. , Charlottesville , Cincinnati , and Indianapolis . Travel time to Chicago from New York City is 1 day 4.25 hours, from Washington, D.C. is 1 day, from Charlottesville is 20.75 hours, from Cincinnati is 9.25 hours, and from Indianapolis is 5 hours.
• City of New Orleans , traveling to Chicago from New Orleans via Jackson and Memphis . Travel time to Chicago from New Orleans is 19.75 hours, from Jackson 15.75 is hours, and from Memphis is 11 hours.
• Empire Builder , traveling to Chicago from Seattle or Portland via Spokane , Glacier National Park , Fargo , Saint Paul , and Milwaukee . The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane, and between Portland and Spokane, while operating as trains consisting of train cars from both branches between Spokane and Chicago. Travel time to Chicago from Seattle is 1 day 21.75 hours, from Portland is 1 day 22 hours, from Spokane is 1 day 13.5 hours, from Minneapolis is 8 hours, and from Milwaukee is 1.75 hours.
• Hiawatha , has 6 to 7 daily round trips between Milwaukee Downtown Intermodal Station and Chicago with stops along the way at Milwaukee Airport-Trains station, Sturtevant (7 miles west of Racine ), and Glenview . Travel time to Chicago from Milwaukee Downtown Intermodal Station is 1.5 hours.
• Illinois Service , traveling to Chicago from Quincy , Carbondale , or St. Louis . Travel time to Chicago from Quincy is 4.25 hours, from Carbondale is 5.5-5.75 hours, and from St. Louis is 5 hours.
• Lake Shore Limited , traveling to Chicago from Boston or New York City via Albany ( Rensselaer ), Buffalo , and Cleveland . Trains consist of train cars from both branches between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer). The trains split into separate branches between Albany (Rensselaer) and both Boston and New York City. Travel time to Chicago from Boston is 22 hours, from New York City is 19.5 hours, from Albany is 16 hours, from Buffalo is 10.5 hours, and from Cleveland is 7.25 hours.
• Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner traveling to Chicago from Kansas City via St. Louis . Travel time to Chicago from Kansas City is 11.25 hours and from St. Louis is 5 hours.
• Michigan Services to Chicago from Grand Rapids , Port Huron , or Pontiac (via Detroit in the case of from Pontiac). Travel time to Chicago form Grand Rapids is 4.25 hours, from Port Huron is 6.5 hours, from Pontiac is 6-6.25 hours, and from Detroit is 5.25-5.5 hours. There are no direct trains from Canada , but you can take VIA Rail's The Corridor from Toronto to Windsor just across the border from Detroit, then transfer onto Amtrak's Wolverine after crossing the border into Detroit.
• Southwest Chief to Chicago from Los Angeles via Flagstaff , Albuquerque , and Kansas City . Travel time to Chicago from Los Angeles is 1 day 19 hours, from Flagstaff is 1 days 9.75 hours, form Albuquerque is 1 day 2 hours, and from Kansas City is 7.25 hours.
• Texas Eagle to Chicago from Los Angeles via Tucson , San Antonio , Dallas , Little Rock , and St. Louis . Travel time to Chicago from Los Angeles is 2 days 13.75 hours, from Tucson is 2 days 4.75 hours, from San Antonio is 1 day 6.75 hours, from Dallas is 22 hours, from Little Rock is 14 hours, and from St. Louis is 5.5 hours.
• Metra suburban trains, which mostly operate from Union Station and nearby Ogilvie/Northwestern Station (Canal St and Madison St), which are west of the Loop. Some southern lines run from stations on the east side of the Loop. The suburban trains run as far as Kenosha , Aurora , and Joliet , while the South Shore line runs through Indiana as far as South Bend . Several CTA buses converge upon the two stations, and the Loop CTA trains are within walking distance.

By car [ edit ]

Chicago is the end point of the historical Route 66 from Los Angeles .

Chicagoans have a maddening habit of referring to some expressways by their names, not the numbers used to identify them on the signs you'll see posted on the U.S. interstate highway system, so you'll have to commit both name and number to memory. I-55 (the Stevenson Expressway ) will take you directly from St. Louis into downtown Chicago. I-90/94 (the Dan Ryan on the South Side) comes in from Indiana to the east (via the Chicago Skyway - I-90 and Bishop Ford Freeway - I-94 ) and from central Illinois (via I-57 ). I-90 (the Kennedy on the North Side) comes in from Madison to the northwest. I-94 (the Edens Expressway ) comes in from Milwaukee to the north, but roadworks have slowed traffic considerably compared to I-90. I-80 will get you to the city from Iowa which neighbors Illinois to the west. There is also I-57 which goes from Sikeston, MO and is a bypass of St Louis, for travelers in central Illinois and people coming from places like Memphis who do not want to wait in St Louis traffic.

The Illinois tollway (which in addition to I-90 - The Jane Addams west of O'Hare Airport) consists of I-88 - The Reagan which serves the west suburbs, I-355 - The Veterans Memorial which connects Joliet with Schaumburg, and I-294 - The Tri-State which bypasses downtown from the south side to the far northwest side and passes next to O'Hare airport. The Illinois tollway has abolished toll collections in cash, and now uses electronic tolling exclusively. If you do not have an I-Pass transponder, you have up to fourteen days to pay tolls online, though at double the cost of tolls paid using a transponder. If you have an E-ZPass, it is fully compatible with the I-Pass system. Only the Chicago Skyway still accepts toll payments in cash or by credit card, though I-Pass and E-ZPass transponders are also accepted.

If you're arriving downtown from Indiana, from the south on I-94 or I-90 , or from the north, Lake Shore Drive ( U.S. Highway 41 ) provides a scenic introduction in both directions, day or night. If arriving on I-55 from the southwest, or on I-290 (the Eisenhower Expressway , formerly and sometimes still called The Congress Expressway ) from the west, the skyline may also be visible from certain clear spots, but without the shore view. I-55 from the southwest and I-90 through much of northwest Indiana are chock full of heavy industries with odors that'll knock your socks off, so plan your route downtown wisely.

Get around [ edit ]

Navigating Chicago is easy . Block numbers are consistent across the whole city. Standard blocks, of 100 addresses each, are roughly 1/8th of a mile (200 meters) long. (Hence, a mile is equivalent to a street number difference of 800.) Each street is assigned a number based on its distance from the zero point of the address system, the intersection of State Street and Madison Street. A street with a W (west) or E (east) number runs east-west, while a street with a N (north) or S (south) number runs north-south. A street's number is usually written on street signs at intersections, below the street name. Major thoroughfares are at each mile (multiples of 800) and secondary arteries at the half-mile marks. Thus, Western Ave at 2400 W (3 miles west of State Street) is a north-south major thoroughfare, while Montrose Ave at 4400 N is an east-west secondary artery.

In general, "avenues" run north-south and "streets" run east-west, but there are numerous exceptions. (e.g., 48th Street may then be followed by 48th Place). In conversation, however, Chicagoans rarely distinguish between streets, avenues, boulevards, etc.

Several streets follow diagonal or meandering paths through the city such as Clark St, Lincoln Ave, Broadway, Milwaukee Ave, Ogden Ave, Archer Ave, Vincennes Ave, and South Chicago Ave.

By public transit [ edit ]

The best way to see Chicago is by public transit. It is cheap (basically), efficient (at times), and safe (for the most part). The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) oversees the various public transit agencies in the Chicagoland area. You can plan trips online with the RTA trip planner [dead link] or get assistance by calling 836-7000 in any local area code between 5AM-1AM. The RTA also has an official partnership with Google Maps, which can provide routes with public transit.

CTA [ edit ]

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) operates trains and buses in the city of Chicago and some of the suburbs. Put simply, the CTA is Chicago. It is a marvel and a beast, convenient, frustrating, and irreplaceable. Even if you have the option of driving while you're in town, no experience of Chicago is complete without a trip on the CTA.

The CTA refers to its entire train system as The 'L' . The CTA inherited the name from its predecessor agencies that ran elevated trains, but now refers to all trains, including subways, as The 'L'. All train lines radiate from the Loop to every corner of the city. The "Loop" name originally referred to a surface-level streetcar loop, which pre-dated the elevated tracks. That any form of transportation preceded the present one may come as a surprise, given how old some of the stations look, but they work.

CTA train lines are divided by colors: Red, Green, Brown, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Orange and Pink. All lines lead to the Loop except the Yellow Line, which provides service between the suburb of Skokie and the northern border of Chicago, and the Purple Line, which only provides service to the loop during rush hour. The Red and Blue lines run 24/7, every day of the year, making Chicago and New York City the two American cities, and one of a handful worldwide, to offer 24-hour rail service within the city. Hours for the other lines vary somewhat by the day, but as a general rule run from about 4:30AM–1AM. Most, if not all, CTA train stations have train trackers, making it easy to find when your train is coming.

Before you travel, find out the name of the train stop closest to your destination, and the color of the train line on which it is located; beware that the blue line has two stations named Western , and the green line has two stations with similar names, Ashland and Ashland/63rd . Once you're on board, you'll usually find route maps in each train car, above the door (although they are often stolen). The same map is also available online . The name signs on platforms often have the station's location in the street grid, e.g. "5900 N, 1200 W" for Thorndale.

There should be an attendant on duty at every train station. They cannot provide change or deal with money, but they can help you figure out where you need to go and guide you through using the machines.

Buses run on nearly every major street in the city, and in many cases, every four blocks apart. Look for the blue and white sign, which should give a map of the route taken by the bus and major streets/stops along the way. Once inside, watch the front of the bus, a red LED display will list the names of upcoming streets where stops are located, making it easy to stop exactly where you want, even a small side street. To request a stop, pull the cord hanging above the window and make sure you hear an audible 'ding', or press the red 'STOP' button located on most handholds. Hollering at the bus driver will raise tempers but works in a pinch.

If you plan to ride only a few times during your stay, you can buy $3 CTA Single-Ride Ventra Tickets, valid for a single ride on the L or on the bus (includes two transfers). Trips from (but not to) O'Hare airport are charged $5. If you have a NFC-enabled payment card, or a device with Google Pay, Apple Pay, or Samsung Pay, you can touch it on the reader at the turnstiles or when boarding the bus: the fare will be $2.50, or $5 from O'Hare. If you want to ride the bus, you can also pay with cash when boarding the bus, it costs $2.25 and you cannot buy a transfer (so you will have to pay again $2 if you board another bus).

If you plan to ride more than 4 times on a 24-hour timespan, you should buy a $5 1-Day CTA Pass at any 'L' station (but not on the bus), it allows unlimited rides during the next 24 hours on the 'L' or the CTA buses, but not on the PACE buses (remote suburbs of Chicago) or on the Metra (suburban trains).

If you plan to ride more than 8 times on a 72-hour timespan, or more than 12 times on a 168-hour (one-week) timespan, you should buy a $15 3-day pass, or a $20 7-day pass. They can only be loaded on your personal NFC payment card (but you'll need to have used your card at least once at a turnstile or on a bus for a single trip), or on a Ventra card which costs $5: those $5 are returned as transit value on your card if your register it within 90 days on Ventra website (it's easy and takes about a minute), the transit value can then be used for future trips or passes. Ventra cards and passes are sold at 'L' stations (but not on the bus), or at one of the 1,300 retail locations . Again, the CTA marked passes are not valid on PACE buses (remote suburbs of Chicago) or on the Metra (suburban trains). If you need to ride PACE buses, you can buy a $33 7-day pass that includes PACE., or just use the same payment methods as on the CTA.

All CTA buses and some train stations are accessible to wheelchairs. Wheelchair-accessible 'L' stations are indicated by the international wheelchair symbol and have elevators or are at ground level. If you are trying to get to a place with a non-accessible station, there will be alternate routes by bus so contact the CTA for more information.

Crime on the CTA is low, but as with any major urban area, be aware of your surroundings, especially when traveling in the wee hours of the night, and sit close to the driver if you feel uncomfortable for any reason. Buses are being equipped with video cameras as the fleet is upgraded. All train cars have a button and speaker for emergency communication with the driver in the center aisle of the car on the wall next to the door. This is for emergencies only: do not press this just to chat, as the driver is required to halt the train until the situation has been confirmed as resolved, and your fellow passengers will not be amused.

Metra and South Shore [ edit ]

• Metra , ☏ +1-312-322-6777 . Runs commuter trains for the suburbs, providing service within Illinois, to Kenosha , Wisconsin , out west, and to the far south and southwest suburbs. Metra trains are fast, clean, and punctual, but unpleasantly crowded during rush hour. Generally, every car or every other car on the train has a bathroom. Service outside of rush hours is infrequent (about once/hour), so be sure to check the schedules while planning your trip. The North Central and Heritage Corridor lines do not run outside of weekday rush hours.  

Metra's Electric Line provides service to the convention center (McCormick Place), Hyde Park (Museum of Science and Industry, University of Chicago), and the Far Southeast Side 's Pullman Historic District and Rainbow Beach. The Electric Line is fast , taking at most 15 minutes to reach Hyde Park from the Loop.

• Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District ( NICTD ), ☏ +1-219-926-5744 . Operates the South Shore Line railroad. The South Shore Line railroad runs commuter trains between the Millennium Park Metra station in downtown Chicago and the South Bend , Indiana airport. Although the South Shore Line receives some subsidies from Metra, it is not part of the Metra system and does not accept Metra or CTA tickets.  

Despite the fact you can buy tickets on the Ventra app, none of the commuter trains accept Ventra cards as payment. From downtown Chicago, the Metra fare to McCormick Place is $4 and the fare to Hyde Park is $4.25. Buy your tickets before boarding the train at a window or one of the automated vending machines. You can buy a ticket on the train, but that comes with an extra $5/ticket surcharge if the station you're leaving from had an open ticket window or an operational ticket machine. If you have a smartphone, you can download and use the Ventra app to purchase a ticket on the train and avoid a surcharge.

Ten-ride, weekly, and monthly passes are available. If you have a group of four or more people, it may be cheaper to purchase a ten-ride card and have all of your fares punched from that one card. If using Metra on Saturday and/or Sunday, you can purchase an unlimited ride weekend pass for just $10. If you buy your ticket at a station, you can use cash or credit. If you buy your ticket on the train, you can use cash or the Ventra app if you have a smartphone. Credit cards are not accepted on the train.

Pace [ edit ]

Pace runs buses in the suburbs, although some routes do cross into the city, particularly in Rogers Park at the Howard (Red/Purple/Yellow Line) CTA station, the Far Northwest Side at the Jefferson Park (Blue Line) CTA station, and at the 95th Red Line CTA stop in the far south side. In addition to its regular fixed-route service, Pace provides two types of paratransit services within the areas served by Pace and the CTA. ADA Paratransit Service is provided to passengers who have been previously certified as disabled [dead link] . Call-n-Ride service is provided in some suburban areas where there is insufficient demand to justify regularly scheduled service. Call-n-Ride passengers must call in advance to arrange pickup and drop-off.

The standard Pace bus fare [dead link] is $2 using the Ventra card or $2.25 using cash (no change provided). Ventra Cards may be loaded with cash ("transit value"), 7-day and 30-day CTA/Pace passes, and 30-day Pace passes. Pace accepts transfers from the CTA by passengers using a Ventra Card for the same fee as the CTA charges (25 cents for the second ride and free for the third ride within two hours). Conversely, passengers paying with a Ventra Card receive transfer privileges onto CTA buses and trains under the same terms.

Avoid driving in downtown Chicago if at all possible. Traffic is awful, pedestrians are constantly wandering into the street out of turn, and garages in the Loop can cost as much as $40 per day (although services like SpotHero may have more reasonable prices). And while downtown streets are laid out on the grid, many have multiple levels which confuse even the most hardened city driver. Even outside of the city center, street parking may not be readily available. If you do find a spot, check street signs to make sure that a) no residential permit is required to park here and b) parking is not disallowed during certain hours for "street cleaning", rush hour or something along those lines. Parking restrictions are swiftly and mercilessly enforced in the form of tickets and towing — be especially wary during snowy weather.

Parking is handled by one-per-block kiosks, which require you to enter your license plate number. The kiosks will accept coins or credit cards. If the kiosk fails for any reason, there should be a phone number to call to report it and ensure you don't receive an undeserved ticket. If you are going to be doing a lot of street parking, there is a ParkChicago app that allows you to pay for parking with your phone. When asked for help, any passing Chicagoan will be happy to commiserate about how badly the city bungled privatizing the parking meters.

Talking on a handheld cell phone while driving is illegal in Chicago, and the police are eager to write tickets for it. If you need to take a call, use a hands-free headset — or better yet, pull over.

The perpetual construction is bad enough, but drivers on the city expressways can be very aggressive. For those used to driving on expressways in the Northeast, this may be a welcome reminder of home. For everyone else, though, it can be intimidating.

By taxi [ edit ]

Chicago has some of the cheapest taxi fares in the U.S. Taxis can be hailed from the street throughout the major tourist areas, and are strictly regulated by the city. Fares are standard and the initial charge ("flag pull") is $2.25 for the first 1/9 mile, then $0.20 for each additional 1/9 mile or $0.20 for each elapsed 36 seconds. There is a $1.00 fuel surcharge added to the initial charge. There is also a flat $1.00 charge for the second passenger, and then a $0.50 charge for each additional passenger after that (for example, if four people take a taxi together, there will be $2.00 in additional flat fees). There is no additional charge for baggage or credit card use. Rides from O'Hare and Midway to outer suburbs cost an additional one half the metered fee. Give the driver the nearest major intersection to which you are heading (if you know it) and then the specific address.

Outside of the downtown, North Side, Near West and Near South neighborhoods, you will likely have greater difficulty hailing a taxi directly from the street. In these situations, you can call for a taxi to come pick you up. Taxis typically take 10–15 minutes from the time you call to arrive. The principal companies are:

• American-United Taxi , ☏ +1-773-248-7600 .  
• Checker Cab , ☏ +1-312-243-2537 .  
• Universal Taxi , ☏ +1-888-344-8294 .  
• Flash Cab , ☏ +1-773-561-1444 .  

The above applies only to Chicago taxis. Suburban taxi cabs have their own fares and rates, depending on the laws and regulations of the town in which they are based.

By bicycle [ edit ]

Chicago has a bike path along the shores of Lake Michigan, making north-south travel very convenient as long as the weather is favorable by the lake. Most major city streets have bike lanes, and the biking culture is established enough that cars tend to accommodate and (grudgingly) yield to bicycles. Bike trips can also be combined with rides on the CTA, and Chicago's new bike-sharing program DIVVY has docks near many major stations. See the bicycling section below for more details.

By water taxi [ edit ]

In the summer, water taxis are sometimes more convenient than the CTA, if you are traveling around the fringes of downtown. They are also a relatively cheap way to take in some offshore views. Two private companies operate water taxi services around the Loop.

• Chicago Water Taxi ( Wendella Boats ), ☏ +1-312-337-1446 . Taxis run roughly M-F 6:30AM–8:30PM, Sa Su 10AM–9:30PM. . Uses yellow boats and has seven stops connecting Ogilvie/Union Metra station to Michigan Ave, Chinatown, and Goose Island. $6 single ride, $10 all day pass, $20 ten-ride pass . ( updated Mar 2019 )
• Shoreline Sightseeing , ☏ +1-312-222-9328 . Has blue and white boats. It is more expensive ($5–7), but it serves seven destinations including some on Lake Michigan (Union Station/Sears Tower, Wells & Wacker, Michigan Ave Bridge, Navy Pier-Ogden Slip, Navy Pier-Dock St, Buckingham Fountain, and Museum Campus). Shoreline taxis run 10AM-6PM every twenty minutes and 6PM-9PM every half hour Memorial Day–Labor Day, with occasional and less frequent service in the spring and fall.  

See [ edit ]

Itineraries [ edit ].

• Along the Magnificent Mile — one day and night in Chicago, with skyscrapers, shopping, food, parks, and amazing views of the city from high and low.
• Loop Art Tour — a 2- to 4-hour walking tour of downtown Chicago's magnificent collection of modern sculptures.

Museums [ edit ]

Chicago's set of museums and cultural institutions are among the best in the world. Three of them are within a short walk of each other in the Near South , on what is known as the Museum Campus , in a beautiful spot along the lake: the Adler Planetarium , with all sorts of cool hands-on space exhibits and astronomy shows; the Field Museum of Natural History , which features SUE , the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found, and a plethora of Egyptian treasures; and the Shedd Aquarium , with dolphins, whales, sharks, and the best collection of marine life east of California. A short distance away, in Hyde Park , is the most fun of them all, the Museum of Science and Industry — or, as generations of Chicago-area grammar school students know it, the best field trip ever. Also in Hyde Park is the University of Chicago, whose Oriental Institute is one of the world's foremost authorities on Ancient Near East archaeology, and operates a free museum displaying its archaeological findings. The Museum of Science and Industry has a transportation exhibit and a weather exhibit. Visitors can even control a tornado with the joystick controller desk. In Loop , the Art Institute of Chicago has a handful of iconic household names among an unrivaled collection of Impressionism, modern and classical art, and tons of historical artifacts. Just one block east of the historic Water Tower in the Near North is the Museum of Contemporary Art which features paintings, sculpture, film and photography produced since 1945.

Also, Chicago has some knockout less well-known museums scattered throughout the city like the International Museum of Surgical Science in Gold Coast , Chicago History Museum in Lincoln Park , DuSable Museum of African American History in Washington Park , National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen , the Polish Museum of America in Wicker Park , the Museum of Photography in the Loop, and the Driehaus Museum in Near North . The University of Chicago, in Hyde Park , has several cool (and free) museums that are open to all visitors, showcasing a spectacular collection of antiquities and modern/contemporary art.

Discount packages like the Chicago CityPASS can be purchased before you arrive in town. They cover admission to some museums and other tourist attractions, allowing you to cut to the front of lines, and may include discounts for restaurants and shopping. Also, programs such as Bank of America's Museums to Go offer free admission at multiple Chicago museums for designated times which can save you a small fortune on admission fees.

Architecture [ edit ]

From the sternly classical to the space-age, from the Gothic to the coolly modern, Chicago is a place with an embarrassment of architectural riches. Frank Lloyd Wright fans will swoon to see his earliest buildings in Chicago, where he began his professional career and established the Prairie School architectural style, with numerous homes in Hyde Park/Kenwood , Oak Park , and Rogers Park — over 100 buildings in the Chicago metropolitan area! Frank Lloyd Wright learned his craft at the foot of the lieber meister , Louis Sullivan , whose ornate, awe-inspiring designs were once the jewels of the Loop , and whose few surviving buildings (Auditorium Theater, Carson Pirie Scott Building, one in the Ukrainian Village ) still stand apart.

The 1871 Chicago Fire forced the city to rebuild. The ingenuity and ambition of Sullivan, his teacher William Le Baron Jenney (Manhattan Building), and contemporaries like Burnham & Root (Monadnock, Rookery) and Holabird & Roche/Root (Chicago Board of Trade) made Chicago the definitive city of their era. The world's first skyscrapers were built in the Loop as those architects received ever more demanding commissions. It was here that steel-frame construction was invented, allowing buildings to rise above the limits of load-bearing walls. Later, Mies van der Rohe would adapt Sullivan's ethos with landmark buildings in Bronzeville (Illinois Institute of Technology) and the Loop (Chicago Federal Center). Unfortunately, Chicago's world-class architectural heritage is almost evenly matched by the world-class recklessness with which the city has treated it, and the list is long of masterpieces that have been needlessly demolished for bland new structures.

Today, Chicago boasts five out of America's fifteen tallest buildings, including the Sears Tower (3rd), the Trump Tower , the Aon Center, and the local favorite, the John Hancock Center . For years, the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world, but it has since lost the title. Various developers insist they're bringing the title back with proposed skyscrapers. Until they do, Chicago will have to settle for having the third-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere with the Sears Tower, although the Hancock has a better view and is quite frankly better-looking.

Chicago is particularly noted for its vast array of sacred architecture , as diverse theologically as it is artistically. There were more than two thousand churches in Chicago at the opening of the twenty-first century. Of particular note are the so-called Polish Cathedrals like St. Mary of the Angels in Bucktown and St. Hyacinth Basilica in Avondale , nicknamed such because they were originally built by Polish Catholic immigrants, as well as several treasures in Ukrainian Village — beautifully crafted buildings with old world flourishes recognized for their unusually large size and impressive scope. St. John Cantius Church in West Town , another one of the "Polish cathedrals", was voted the most beautiful church in the United States in 2016, and is known not only for its opulent baroque interior, but also for its sacred music program, where the sacred works of the great composers like Palestrina, Haydn and Mozart are performed as part of the liturgy for special occasions.

Architectural tours cover the landmarks on foot and by popular river boat tours, or by just standing awestruck on a downtown bridge over the Chicago River; see individual district articles for details. For a tour on the cheap, the short trip around the elevated Loop train circuit (Brown/Purple Lines) may be worth every penny of the $2 fare.

African-American history [ edit ]

Chicago's African-American history begins with the city's African-American founder, Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable . Born to a Haitian slave and a French pirate, he married a woman from the Potawatomi tribe, and built a house and trading post on the Chicago River on the spot of today's Pioneer Court (the square just south of the Tribune Tower in the Near North ). Du Sable lived on the Chicago River with his family from the 1770s to 1800, when he sold his house to John Kinzie, whose family and friends would later claim to have founded the city.

Relative to other northern cities, African-Americans constituted a fairly large part of Chicago's early population because of Illinois' more tolerant culture, which was inherited from fervent anti-slavery Mormon settlers. As a non-slave state generally lacking official segregation laws, Illinois was an attractive place to live for black freedmen and fugitive slaves.

By the 1920s, Chicago had a thriving middle class African-American community based in the Bronzeville neighborhood, which at the time became known as "The Black Metropolis," home to a cultural renaissance comparable to the better-known Harlem Renaissance of New York. African-American literature of the time was represented by local poetess Gwendolyn Brooks and novelist Richard Wright , most famous for his Native Son , nearly all of which takes place in Chicago's Bronzeville and Hyde Park/Kenwood . The Chicago school of African-American literature distinguished itself from the East Coast by its focus on the new realities of urban African-American life. Chicago became a major center of African-American jazz, and the center for the blues. Jazz great Louis Armstrong got his start there; other famous black Chicagoans of the day included Bessie Coleman — the world's first licensed black pilot, the hugely influential African-American and women's civil rights activist Ida B. Wells , the great pitcher/manager/executive of Negro League Baseball Andrew "Rube" Foster , and many more.

Both fueling and threatening Chicago's black renaissance was the single most influential part of Chicago's African-American history: the Great Migration . African-Americans from the rural South moved to the industrial cities of the North due to the post-WWI shortage of immigrant industrial labor, and to escape the Jim Crow Laws and racial violence of the South. The massive wave of migrants, most from Mississippi , increased Chicago's black population by more than 500,000. With it came southern food, Mississippi blues, and the challenges of establishing adequate housing for so many recent arrivals — a challenge that they would have to meet themselves, without help from a racist and neglectful city government.

Black Chicago's renaissance was brought to its knees by the Great Depression; its fate was sealed ironically by the 1937 creation of the Chicago Housing Authority, which sought to build affordable public housing for the city. However well-intentioned the project may have sounded, the results were disastrous. The largest housing projects by far were the 1940 Ida B. Wells projects, which were designed to "warehouse" Chicago's population of poor African-Americans in a district far away from white population centers, the Cabrini Green projects, which developed a reputation as the most violent housing projects in the nation, and the massive 1962 Robert Taylor Homes in Bronzeville, which were forced to house an additional 16,000 people beyond their intended 11,000 capacity. The Black Metropolis proved unable to cope with this massive influx of new, impoverished residents, and the urban blight that came from concentrating such a great number of them in one place.

Further damaging to Chicago's black population was the phenomenon of "white flight" that accompanied the introduction of African-Americans to Chicago neighborhoods. Unwilling to live beside black neighbors, many white Chicagoans fled desegregation to the suburbs. This trend was accelerated by the practice of "blockbusting," where unsavory real estate agents would fan racist fears in order to buy homes on the cheap. Meanwhile, non-white people were de facto banned from moving to the suburbs, as low-interest government loans to purchase suburban homes were granted only to white people, and even non-whites with the means to afford buying suburban homes without taking loans were prevented from doing so by real estate agents refusing to sell to them. As a result, Chicago neighborhoods (with the notable exceptions of Hyde Park/Kenwood , and Rogers Park ) never truly integrated, and the social, educational, and economic networks that incoming African-Americans hoped to join disintegrated in the wake of fleeing white communities. During this period, Chicago experienced a huge population loss and large sections of the city became covered with vacant lots, which in turn created the conditions for crime to flourish. A number of Chicago's major roads, most notably the Dan Ryan Expressway, were built in part to segregate these areas from more prosperous ones like the Loop .

In 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. decided to come north and chose Chicago as his first destination. However, from the moment of his arrival on the Southwest Side , King was utterly confounded. The death threats that followed his march through Marquette Park were challenge enough, but nowhere in the South was there a more expert player of politics than Chicago's Mayor Richard J. Daley. King left town frustrated and exhausted, but Rev. Jesse Jackson continued civil rights efforts in Chicago through his Operation PUSH. The 1983 election of Mayor Harold Washington , the first black mayor of Chicago, was a watershed event for Chicago's African-American population, and although long battles with obstructionist white politicians lay ahead, it marked the moment when African-American elected officials became major, independent forces in Chicago.

Today, comprising well over a third of the city, Chicago's black population is the country's second largest, after New York. The broader South Side is the cultural center of Chicago's black community; it constitutes the largest single African-American neighborhood in the country and boasts the nation's greatest concentration of black-owned businesses. Chicagoans may tell you it is dangerous and crime-ridden, but for accurate, objective data, see the Violent Crimes by Neighborhood map in the Stay safe section of this article. There are middle and upper class black communities on the South Side, including upper Bronzeville , Hyde Park/Kenwood , Chatham , South Shore , and Beverly . Unlike in other cities, where gentrification often entails middle and upper class white transplants displacing poorer minority old-time residents, in the case of Chicago's South Side, the gentrifiers themselves are more often than not black.

Bronzeville is the obvious destination for those interested in African-American history, although Kenwood also boasts interesting history, as it has been (or is) home to championship boxer Muhammad Ali, Nation of Islam leaders Elijah Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan, and President Barack Obama . No one should miss the DuSable Museum of African-American History in Bronzeville , the first museum of African-American history in the United States. And if your interest is more precisely in African-American culture than history, head down to Chatham and South Shore to enter the heart of Chicago's black community.

Ethnic neighborhoods [ edit ]

Chicago is among the most diverse cities in America, and many neighborhoods reflect the character and culture of the immigrants who established them. Some, however, do more than just reflect: they absorb you in a place that, for several blocks at a time, may as well be a chunk of another country, picked up and dropped near the shores of Lake Michigan. The best of Chicago's ethnic neighborhoods are completely uncompromised, and that makes them a real highlight for visitors.

Chicago's Chinatown is among the most active Chinatowns in the world. It even has its own stop on the CTA Red Line. It's on the South Side near Bridgeport , birthplace of the Irish political power-brokers who have run Chicago government for most of the last century. More Irish communities exist on the Far Southwest Side , where they even have an Irish castle to seal the deal. The Southwest Side houses enormous populations of Polish Highlanders and Mexicans, as well as reduced Lithuanian and Bohemian (Czech) communities.

No serious Chicago gourmand would eat Indian food that didn't come from a restaurant on Devon Avenue in Rogers Park . It's paradise for spices, saris, and the latest Bollywood flicks. Lawrence Avenue in Albany Park is sometimes called Seoul Drive for the Korean community there, and the Persian food on Kedzie Avenue nearby is simply astonishing. At the Argyle Red Line stop, by the intersection of Argyle and Broadway in Uptown , you'd be forgiven for wondering if you were still in America; Vietnamese, Thais, and Laotians share space on a few blocks of restaurants, grocery stores, and even dentists, and there is also no shortage of Chinese options due to the large number of ethnic Chinese from Vietnam and Thailand in the area. Neither the Swedish settlers who built Andersonville or the Germans from Lincoln Square are the dominant presence in those neighborhoods any more, but their identity is still present in restaurants, cultural centers, and other small discoveries to be made. Likewise, Little Italy and Greektown on the Near West Side survive only as restaurant strips.

A more contemporary experience awaits in Pilsen and Little Village , two neighborhoods on the Lower West Side where the Spanish signage outnumbers the English; in fact, Chicago has the second largest Mexican and Puerto Rican populations outside of their respective home countries. Pilsen and its arts scene is an especially an exciting place to visit. While the original Czech residents of Pilsen have since moved to the suburbs, a few architectural gems still stand as a testament to their legacy.

It's hard to imagine displacement being a concern for the Polish community on the city's Far Northwest and Southwest sides. The Belmont-Central business district is what you might consider the epicenter of Polish activity. Bars, restaurants, and dozens of other types of Polish businesses thrive on this strip, and on a smaller section of Milwaukee Avenue (between Roscoe and Diversey) in the vicinity of St. Hyacinth Basilica which bears the Polish name of Jackowo - Chicago's Polish Village . Polish Highlanders, or Górals, on the other hand dominate the city's Southwest Side with a cuisine and culture that is decidedly Balkan. A host of restaurants and cultural institutions visibly display the rustic touch of their Carpathian craft such as the Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America at Archer Avenue just northeast of its intersection with Pulaski Road. Taste of Polonia , held over Labor Day weekend on the grounds of the Copernicus Foundation at the historic Gateway Theatre , draws an annual attendance of about 50,000 people and is touted as the city's largest ethnic fest.

The eponymous Ukrainian Village is home to Chicago's Ukrainian community, with a number of shops, bakeries, restaurants, churches and schools serving that community.

Finally, the suburb of Skokie and the adjacent neighborhood of West Rogers Park form the hub of Jewish life. They are home to many synagogues of different traditions, and even have a "dual synagogue" with two separate prayer halls for the Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities, respectively. It is also home to the largest Chasidic Jewish community in the Midwest, making it the natural place to go for kosher food.

Do [ edit ]

Beaches [ edit ].

Chicago is not known as a beach destination, but Lake Michigan is the largest freshwater lake that is entirely within the United States, and Chicagoans flock to its sandy shores. Anyone can show up and swim — there are no admission fees, miles of beaches are within walking distance of the Red Line, and almost none of the lakefront is spoiled by "private" beaches. Despite the latitude, the water is quite warm in the summer and early fall (check with the NWS for temperatures ). The Chicago shore has been called the second cleanest urban waterfront in the world , although bacteria levels in the water do force occasional — but rare — beach closures (which are clearly posted at the beach, and online . Lifeguards will be posted (usually in a rowboat) if the beach is officially open.

Oak Street Beach and North Avenue Beach (in the Near North and Lincoln Park ) are the fashionable places to sun-tan and be seen, but Rogers Park has mile after mile of less pretentious sand and surf. Hyde Park's Promontory Point is beautiful, and offers skyline views from its submerged beach by the rocks. Swimming there is against city rules, but it appears this is not enforced. Hollywood Beach in Edgewater is the main gay beach.

Navy Pier [ edit ]

Navy Pier was built in 1914 and served as a naval base during both world wars. It is now Illinois' number one most visited tourist attraction (ahead of some boring exurban megamalls). The pier has carnival rides, including the popular ferris wheel, as well as theater, restaurants, arcades, bars, shops, and most importantly great views back towards the city.

Parks [ edit ]

Where there are beaches, there are lakefront parks. During the summer months, the parks are a destination for organized and impromptu volleyball and soccer games, chess matches, and plenty more, with tennis and basketball courts dotted along the way.

In the Loop , Grant Park hosts music festivals throughout the year, and Millennium Park is a fun destination for all ages, especially during the summer. Millennium Park is where the famous Cloud Gate and Crown Fountain are located.

Lincoln Park stretches for seven miles along the lakefront, with numerous bicycle paths, beaches, harbors and museums. Situated just east of the Lincoln Park neighborhood is the cheerful (and free) Lincoln Park Zoo which welcomes visitors every day of the week, with plentiful highlights like the Regenstein Center for African Apes. There are also terrific parks further away from the lake. In Hyde Park , Midway Park offers skating, and summer and winter gardens in the shadow of the academic giant, the University of Chicago, and Jackson Park has golf, more gardens and the legacy of the city's shining moment, the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition. In Bronzeville , Washington Park is one of the city's best places for community sports. And that's just a brief overview. Almost every neighborhood in Chicago has a beloved park.

Events & festivals [ edit ]

If you're absolutely determined and you plan carefully, you may be able to visit Chicago during a festival-less week. It's a challenge, though. Most neighborhoods, parishes, and service groups host their own annual festivals throughout the spring, summer, and fall. There are a few can't-miss citywide events, though. In the Loop , Grant Park hosts Taste of Chicago in July, and four major music festivals: Blues Fest and Gospel Fest in June, Lollapalooza in August, and Jazz Fest over Labor Day Weekend. All but Lollapalooza are free. The ultra hip Chicago-based music website Pitchfork Media also hosts their own annual three day festival of indie rock, rap, electronica and more in the summer at Union Park on the Near West Side .

• Open House Chicago : . Many down-town private buildings open free to the public for two days in mid-October. Some real architectural treats. On the day get the event newspaper and map. Be prepared for lines at the popular destinations.  (date needs fixing)

Sports [ edit ]

With entries in every major professional sports league and several universities in the area, Chicago sports fans have a lot to keep them occupied. The Chicago Bears play football at Soldier Field in the Near South from warm September to frigid January. Since the baseball teams split the city in half, nothing seizes the Chicago sports consciousness like a playoff run from the Bears. Aspiring fans will be expected to be able to quote a minimum of two verses of the Super Bowl Shuffle from memory, tear up at the mention of Walter Payton, and provide arguments as to how Butkus, Singletary, and Urlacher represent stages in the evolution of the linebacker, with supporting evidence in the form of grunts, yells, and fists slammed on tables.

The Chicago Bulls play basketball at the United Center on the Near West Side . While quality of play and ticket prices may never again reach Jordan-era mania, they're still an exciting team to watch. The Chicago Blackhawks share quarters with the Bulls. As one of the "Original Six" teams in professional hockey, the Blackhawks have a long history in their sport, and the team is experiencing a renaissance after capturing the Stanley Cup in 2010 for the first time in 49 years. Home games for both teams tend to sell out, but tickets can usually be found if you check around. Both the Bulls and the Blackhawks play from the end of October to the beginning of April.

It's baseball , though, in which the tribal fury of Chicago sports is best expressed. The Chicago Cubs play at Wrigley Field on the North Side, in Lakeview , and the Chicago White Sox play at Guaranteed Rate Field (Comiskey Park, underneath the corporate naming rights) on the South Side, in Bridgeport . Both franchises have more than a century's worth of history, and both teams play 81 home games from April to the beginning of October. Everything else is a matter of fiercely held opinion. The two three-game series when the teams play each other are the hottest sports tickets in Chicago during any given year. If someone offers you tickets to a game, pounce.

There are plenty of smaller leagues in the city as well, although some play their games in the suburbs. In soccer, Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer shares Soldier Field with the Bears, having returned there in 2020. The Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League play at SeatGeek Stadium in the suburb of Bridgeview, near the Southwest Side of Chicago, which the Fire left behind. In basketball, the Chicago Sky (WNBA, women) play at Wintrust Arena at McCormick Place, and the Windy City Bulls play in another suburb, Hoffman Estates, as the top minor-league team of the NBA's Bulls. Allstate Arena in Rosemont , near O'Hare Airport, is home to the Chicago Wolves minor league hockey team. The Windy City Rollers skate flat-track roller derby in neighboring Cicero .

While college athletics isn't one of Chicago's strong points, the city and the immediate area do host several NCAA Division I schools:

• Northwestern Wildcats . Representing Northwestern University in seven men's and 10 women's sports in the Big Ten Conference. Notably, it's the only Division I school in the immediate Chicago area that plays football. The football team shows occasional signs of life, making bowl games about as often as not. Virtually all sports facilities are at the school's main campus in Evanston , which is immediately to the north of the city limits along the lake. However, the football stadium, Ryan Field, is being torn down and replaced by a new venue of the same name that's expected to open in 2026. NU has yet to announce where it will play football in the interim.  
• DePaul Blue Demons . Representing DePaul University in seven men's and eight women's sports in the Big East Conference. While most of the athletic facilities are on or near the school's Lincoln Park campus, the men's basketball team now plays all of its home games at the aforementioned Wintrust Arena, and the women's basketball team splits its home games between campus and Wintrust.  
• Loyola Ramblers . Representing Loyola University Chicago in seven men's and eight women's sports, mostly as the newest member of the Atlantic 10 Conference (which it joined in 2022). Most sports venues are on or near the Rogers Park campus; unlike DePaul, the men's basketball team plays on campus. While basketball is traditionally the most popular sport, with the men's team reaching the NCAA Final Four in 2018, interest in men's volleyball has been strong, with national titles in 2014 and 2015.  
• UIC Flames . Representing the University of Illinois Chicago in nine men's and eleven women's sports, the Flames took Loyola's place in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2022. Most sports venues are on or near the Near West Side campus.  
• Chicago State Cougars . Representing Chicago State University in seven men's and eight women's sports, for now as a Division I independent. The Cougars left the Western Athletic Conference, in which CSU had been a major geographic outlier, in 2022 and didn't find a new conference home (except in tennis and men's soccer) for a couple of years. While the Cougars have now found a conference home for 2024–25 and beyond, it's another geographically challenging conference (though less so than the WAC), namely the Northeast Conference. Most of the athletic facilities are on or near the school's Roseland campus.  

Also notable are the Chicago Maroons of the University of Chicago, a charter member of the Big Ten that deemphasized college athletics in the 1940s, left the Big Ten, and is now in NCAA Division III. If you find yourself in Hyde Park , ask someone how the Maroons football team is doing — it's a surefire conversation starter.

Chicago is also significant in the 21st-century history of professional wrestling. The All In independent show, run in 2018 at the Hoffman Estates arena that hosts the Windy City Bulls (which has been renamed the "NOW Arena"), was the springboard for the creation of All Elite Wrestling, which has become the biggest rival to WWE for supremacy in that field. In August 2021, AEW ran The First Dance , a show at United Center that marked the return of Chicago native CM Punk to pro wrestling after a seven-year absence. Two weeks later on Labor Day weekend, AEW's All Out pay-per-view held at NOW Arena saw Punk wrestle his first match since he left WWE in 2014. Punk would be fired from AEW in 2023, and that November returned to WWE, making his first appearance for that promotion since 2014 at Survivor Series: WarGames at Allstate Arena (though he didn't make his in-ring return at that time).

Theater [ edit ]

Modern American comedy — the good parts, at least — was born when a group of young actors from Hyde Park formed The Compass Players, fusing intelligence and a commitment to character with an improvisational spark. One strand of their topical, hyper-literate comedy led, directly or indirectly, to Shelly Berman, Mike Nichols & Elaine May, Lenny Bruce, M*A*S*H and The Mary Tyler Moore Show ; another strand, namely The Second City , led to Saturday Night Live and a pretty huge percentage of the funny movies and television of the last thirty years. Still in Chicago's Old Town (and few other places as well), still smart and still funny, Second City does two-act sketch revues followed by one act of improvisation. If you only see one show while you're in Chicago, Second City is a good choice.

Improvisational comedy as a performance art form is a big part of the Chicago theater scene. At Lakeview and Uptown theaters like The Annoyance Theater , I.O. , and The Playground , young actors take classes and perform shows that range from ragged to inspired throughout the week. Some are fueled by the dream of making the cast of SNL or Tina Fey's latest project, and some just enjoy doing good work on-stage, whether or not they're getting paid for it (and most aren't). There's no guarantee that you'll see something great on any given night, but improv tends to be cheaper than anything else in town, and it can definitely be worth the risk. Another popular theater experience is the comedy/drama hybrid Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind , offering 30 plays in 60 minutes every weekend in Andersonville .

Steppenwolf , in Lincoln Park , is Chicago's other landmark theater. Founded in 1976, they have a history of taking risks onstage, and they have the ensemble to back it up, with heavyweights like Joan Allen, John Malkovich, and Gary Sinise. Steppenwolf isn't cheap any more, but they mix good, young actors with their veteran ensemble and still choose interesting, emotionally-charged scripts. It's the best place in town to see modern, cutting-edge theater with a bit of "I went to..." name-drop value for the folks back home.

Most of the prestige theaters, including the Broadway in Chicago outlets, are in the Loop or the Near North . Tickets are expensive and can be tough to get, but shows destined for Broadway like The Producers often make their debut here. For the cost-conscious, the League of Chicago Theatres operates Hot Tix , which offers short-notice half-price tickets to many Chicago shows.

One theater to see, regardless of the production, is The Auditorium in the Loop . It's a masterpiece of architecture and of performance space. Designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, who were on a commission from syndicate of local business magnates to bring some culture to the heathen city, it was the tallest building in Chicago and one of the tallest in the world at the time of its opening in 1889, and it's still an impressive sight, inside and out.

Bicycles [ edit ]

Chicago has a strong, passionate bicycle culture, and riding opportunities abound. Pedaling your way around the city is one of the best ways to get to know Chicago. And the terrain is mostly flat — a boon for easy-going cyclists! If you don't have a bike, that's no problem. Bobby's Bike Hike is probably best for longer-term rentals and bike tours, with a central bike rental location near Navy Pier, at 540 N. Lake Shore Drive, entrance on Ohio St near Inner Lake Shore Drive. Alternatively, the city's distinctively blue DIVVY bike sharing system, the largest system in North America in terms of geographical area, has kiosks throughout much of the city. 24 hour passes cost $9.95, but that doesn't mean you keep the bike for 24 hours — it means you can take an unlimited number of rides, up to 30 minutes each, over the course of those 24 hours, parking at the same or different kiosks along the way, with trips over 30 minutes paying additional fees. Hence, the system is geared toward short trips, not leisurely tourist rides along the lakefront, and while you can still ride recreationally, be prepared to watch the time. DIVVY launched in 2013 with 750 bikes at 75 stations and has since been expanded aggressively. By the end of 2016, the system will include more than 5700 bikes at 571 stations, ranging from the northern suburb of Evanston to the western suburb of Oak Park to 79th Street in South Shore , far in the South Side.

The scenic Lakefront Trail runs for 18 continuous miles along the city's beautiful shoreline, from Hollywood Beach in Edgewater to the magnificent South Shore Cultural Center. Even while riding at a moderate pace, traveling downtown along the lakefront can be faster than driving or taking the CTA! If you're starting from downtown, you'll be at the approximate midpoint of the trail. Head south if you want a speed workout with fewer crowds, or north to see more of the locals at play.

Further inland, many streets have bike lanes, and signs direct riders to major bike routes. The City of Chicago maintains helpful bicycle resources online , including major civic bike events and (slow) interactive maps of major streets with bike lanes. Of special note is the unofficially named Hipster Highway which is Milwaukee Avenue from Kinzie St in the West Loop to Logan Square, which is a popular bike route where bicyclists oftentimes outnumber cars! Also of note is Dearborn Street in the Loop which is a two way protected bicycle lane on a one way highway (cycle track for you Europeans) complete with special signals for bikes. If you are going against car traffic on Dearborn, you must be more cautious about pedestrians who aren't expecting bicycles heading opposite the way they are used to looking, though they're getting accustomed to the bikeway after its first few years.

Bicyclists have to follow the same "rules of the road" as automobiles (stop at red lights and stop signs, etc.) Bicycle riding is not allowed on sidewalks (except for children under age 12). This rule is strictly enforced in higher density neighborhoods, mostly areas near the lake, and is considered a criminal misdemeanor offense. You must walk your bike on the sidewalk.

CTA buses are all equipped with front bike racks, which carry up to two bicycles, and 'L' trains permit two bicycles per car except during rush hour (roughly 7-9:30AM and 3:30-6:30PM weekdays, excluding major holidays on which the CTA is running on a Sunday schedule). With the buses, inspect the rack closely for wear or damage and be absolutely certain that the bike is secured before you go, lest it fall off in traffic (and be immediately flattened by the bus). The CTA will fight tooth and nail to avoid reimbursing you for the loss, and the driver might not stop to let you retrieve it.

For suburban connections, Metra and the South Shore Line (the latter a train into Indiana) have somewhat spottier records allowing bicycles onto their train. During rush hour on the weekdays (see the CTA, above, for approximate times) you're out of luck. All other times, bring a bungee cord or at least a string to secure the bike. South Shore Line, with which you can visit the Indiana Dunes , only allows bicycles on weekends, but it's testing a new service where you can conveniently store them on a specific section of the train.

Bikes may be rented from the North Avenue Beach House ( Lincoln Park ), Navy Pier, ( Near North ), the Millennium Park bike station ( Loop ), and from several bike shops in the city. Another option is to contact the terrific Working Bikes Cooperative , an all-volunteer group of bike lovers that collects and refurbishes bikes, and then sells a few in Chicago to support their larger project of shipping bikes to Africa and South America. You could buy a cheap bike and donate it back when you're done, or even spend a day or two working as a volunteer.

For an opportunity to connect with the local bike community and take a memorable trip through the city, don't miss the Critical Mass [dead link] rides on the last Friday of every month, starting from Daley Plaza in the Loop (5:30PM). With numbers on their side, the hundreds or even thousands of bike riders wind up taking over entire streets along the way, with themed routes that are voted upon at the outset of the trip. Anyone is free to join or fall away wherever they like. Police are generally cooperative — take cues from more experienced riders.

Kayaks and SUPs [ edit ]

Kayaking in urban environments is a relatively new but rapidly developing industry. Chicago is considered one of world's premier self-paddle destinations. Paddling companies have access points on many of Chicago's amazing beaches as well as on the Chicago River. Companies like Urban Kayaks provide unique and insightful architecture tours as well as hourly kayak rentals right downtown just minutes walking distance from some of Chicago's biggest attractions such as Navy Pier and Millennium Park.

Access to Chicago's waterways requires boat registration with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources ($13) as well as small fees that independently managed access points may charge ($5–20). The Chicago River and the area of the lake near the Chicago Lock is a carefully guarded piece of national infrastructure and the U.S. Coast Guard and CPD Marine unit are known to regularly issue citations for violating the rules. High traffic volume and other safety concerns make it advisable to visit an experienced outfitter in the area to learn about safety and proper etiquette while navigating Chicago's waterways. Most outfitters will allow users to bring their own equipment as long as it is properly registered.

Learn [ edit ]

Many universities call Chicago home. The University of Chicago and Northwestern University are undoubtedly the most prestigious among them. The University of Chicago's Gothic campus is in Hyde Park , which is, famously, "home to more Nobel Prizes per square kilometer than any other neighborhood on Earth." Further north, in the Bronzeville area, is the Illinois Institute of Technology , which has notable programs in engineering and architecture. Northwestern University has its main campus in Evanston , just north of Chicago, but it also has a campus in the Near North off Michigan Ave, which is home to its medical and law schools, as well as the part-time MBA program of its business school.

On the North Side, there are two major Catholic universities with over a hundred years in Chicago: DePaul University , in Lincoln Park , and Loyola University , in Rogers Park . Both schools also have campuses in the Loop . Rush University Medical School , on the Near West Side, traces its roots back even further, to 1837. Dating back to 1891, North Park University serves as another fine private liberal arts university in Albany Park on the Northwest Side.

A handful of schools in the Loop attract students in the creative arts. Columbia College has an enviable location on Michigan Avenue, and its programs in film are continually noted as one of the top in the nation, along with its programs in creative writing and photography which are also are well-regarded. The School of the Art Institute is generally regarded as one of the top three art and design schools in the country and is one of the few art schools that does not require its students to declare majors. The Illinois Institute of Art specializes in different fields of art and design, with a top-notch culinary program. The main campus of Roosevelt University , former home to Chicago heavyweights like Harold Washington and Ramsey Lewis, is in the Auditorium Theatre building.

To the west of the Loop, built over the remains of Little Italy and Maxwell Street neighborhoods is the brutalist Near West Side campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) , the second-largest member of the Illinois state university system.

The City Colleges of Chicago are scattered throughout the city. They include Harold Washington College ( Loop ), Harry S. Truman College ( Uptown ), Malcolm X College ( Near West Side ), Wright College ( Dunning ), Kennedy-King College ( Englewood ), Daley College ( Southwest Side ), and Olive-Harvey College ( Far Southeast Side ).

Work [ edit ]

Chicago still loves Carl Sandburg and his poems, but the city shucked off the hog butcher's apron a long time ago. In terms of industry, there's little that distinguishes Chicago from any other major city in America, save for size. Chicago is the world's largest commodities trading hub, and the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange are among the biggest employers, with stables of traders and stock wizards. Boeing moved its headquarters to Chicago amid much fanfare in 2001; United Airlines is another international company with headquarters in town. Abbott Labs , just outside city limits, is the biggest employer of foreign nationals in scientific fields. The Big Five consulting firms all have one or more offices in the Loop . And there's always construction work in Chicago, but with a strong union presence in the city, it's not easy for a newcomer to break into without an introduction.

For younger workers, the museums in the Loop and the Near South are always looking for low-paid, high-enthusiasm guides, and the retail outlets on the Magnificent Mile also need seasonal help. And with so many colleges and universities in the city, study abroad opportunities abound.

In Chicago, business is politics, and there's one word in Chicago politics: clout . The principal measure of clout is how many jobs you can arrange for your friends. Hence, if you want to work in Chicago, start asking around — email someone from your country's embassy or consulate and see if they have any leads, or figure out if there is a cultural association that might be able to help you. It's no coincidence that the Mayor's Office employs scores of Irish workers every summer. If you happen to contact somebody who met the right person at a fundraiser a few days ago, you might fall into a cushy job or a dream internship; it's worth a try.

Buy [ edit ]

Although calling Chicago a cheap city is a bit of a stretch, it is surprisingly affordable for an American city of its size. Prices for accommodation in particular are in general far less exorbitant than the likes of New York and San Francisco.

Whatever you need, you can buy it in Chicago, on a budget or in luxury. The most famous shopping street in Chicago is a stretch of Michigan Avenue known as The Magnificent Mile , in the Near North area. It includes many designer boutiques, and several multi-story malls anchored by large department stores like 900 N Michigan and Water Tower Place. Additional brands are available from off-strip shops to the south and west of Michigan.

State Street used to be a great street for department stores in the Loop , but it's now a shadow of its former self, with Carson Pirie Scott's landmark Louis Sullivan-designed building now housing a Target, and the former Marshall Field's building hosts a Macy's (most locals still insist that it is "Marshall Field's").

Pick up a box of Frango Mints , this Seattle tradition expanded to Chicago with Marshall Field's acquisition of Frederick & Nelson in 1929. Although no longer made in the thirteenth-floor kitchen of the State Street store, the original recipe appears to still be in use, which pleases the loyal crowds fond of the flavor — and too bad for anyone looking to avoid trans-fats.

However, for a more unique shopping experience, check out the fun, eclectic stores in Lincoln Square , or the cutting-edge shops in Bucktown and Wicker Park , which is also the place to go for music fiends — although there are also key vinyl drops in other parts of the city as well. Southport in Lakeview and Armitage in Lincoln Park also have browser-friendly fashion boutiques.

For art or designer home goods , River North is the place to go. Centered between the Merchandise Mart and the Chicago Avenue Brown Line "L" stop in the Near North , River North's gallery district boasts the largest arts and design district in North America outside of Manhattan. The entire area is walkable and makes for fun window-shopping.

Goods from around the world are available at the import stores in Chicago's many ethnic neighborhoods; check See for descriptions and district articles for directions.

If you are the type that loves to browse through independent bookstores , Hyde Park has a stunning assortment of dusty used bookstores selling beat-up-paperbacks to rare 17th century originals, and the world's largest academic bookstore. Printer's Row in the Near South is also a great stop for book lovers.

Groceries and other basics [ edit ]

The major supermarket chains in Chicago are Jewel Osco, Mariano's, Meijer, Food 4 Less, Aldi, Whole Foods Market, and Trader Joe's. In addition, the nation's three largest discount store chains Walmart and Target have several stores in Chicago as well. 7-Eleven convenience stores are usually found every couple of blocks and are always open 24-7, but have limited selection and high prices. The Walgreens drug store chain which is based in the city are ubiquitous throughout Chicago with many locations open 24 hours a day. Competitor CVS also has many locations in the area.

Due to its huge expat and immigrant population, Chicago features a large variety of ethnic grocery stores, including Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Polish, and Mexican.

Eat [ edit ]

Chicago is one of the great restaurant towns in America. If you're looking for a specific kind of cuisine, check out the neighborhoods . Greektown , the Devon Ave Desi corridor, Chinatown , and Chatham 's soul food and barbecue are just the tip of the iceberg. Other areas are more eclectic: Lincoln Square and Albany Park have unrivaled Middle Eastern, German, and Korean food, while Uptown offers nearly the whole Southeast Asian continent with Ghanaian, Nigerian, contemporary American, stylish Japanese, and down-home Swedish a few blocks away.

If you're interested in celebrity chefs and unique creations, Lincoln Park and Wicker Park have plenty of award-winners. River North has several good upscale restaurants, but don't waste your time on tourist traps like Rainforest Cafe, Cheesecake Factory, or the Hard Rock Cafe. In fact, you should never submit to standing in line — there are always equally good restaurants nearby. No matter what you enjoy, you'll have a chance to eat well in Chicago, and you won't need to spend a lot of money doing it — unless you want to, of course.

But while Chicago has a world class fine dining scene, it is the low-end where it truly distinguishes itself. No other city on earth takes fast food so seriously; for those who don't concern themselves with calorie counting, Chicago is cheap, greasy heaven. Head northwest and you'll find sausage shops and old-style Polish restaurants that carry on as if health food and celebrity chefs never happened in Jackowo - Chicago's Polish Village , as well as at Belmont-Central - an Eastern European culinary heaven. If you happen to be in Chicago on Fat Tuesday, be sure to grab some pączki (singular: pączek), a doughnut-like pastry originating from Poland , from one of the many neighborhood bakeries. Quite a few other local "culinary specialties" in particular deserve further description.

Chicago is an excellent place for steak , and while expensive, a meal at a steakhouse is a must for beef lovers when visiting Chicago.

Chicago pizza [ edit ]

Chicago's most prominent contribution to world cuisine might be the deep dish pizza . Delivery chains as far away as Kyoto market "Chicago-style pizza," but the only place to be sure you're getting the real thing is in Chicago. To make a deep dish pizza, a thin layer of dough is laid into a deep round pan and pulled up the sides, and then meats and vegetables — Italian sausage, onions, bell peppers, mozzarella cheese, and more — are lined on the crust. At last, tomato sauce goes on top, and the pizza is baked. It's gooey, messy, not recommended by doctors, and delicious. When you dine on deep dish pizza, don't wear anything you were hoping to wear again soon. Some nationally-known deep dish pizza hubs are Pizzeria UNO and DUE, Gino's East , Giordano's , and Lou Malnati's , but plenty of local favorites exist. Ask around — people won't be shy about giving you their opinion.

But deep dish is not the end of the line in a city that takes its pizza so seriously. Chicago also prides itself on its distinctive thin-crust pizza and stuffed pizzas. The Chicago thin crust has a thin, cracker-like, crunchy crust, which somehow remains soft and doughy on the top side. Toppings and a lot of a thin, spiced Italian tomato sauce go under the mozzarella cheese, and the pizza is sliced into squares. If you are incredulous that Chicago's pizza preeminence extends into the realm of the thin crust, head south of Midway to Vito and Nick's , which is widely regarded among local gourmands as the standard bearer for the city.

The stuffed pizza is a monster, enough to make an onlooker faint. It's a true pie, with crust on the bottom and the top. Think deep-dish apple pie, but pizza. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for pizza places to make one of these and allow 3-4 extra notches on your belt for the ensuing weight gain. Arguably the best stuffed pizza in town is at Bella Bacino's in the Loop , which somehow is not greasy, but other excellent vendors include Giordano's , Gino's , Edwardo's , and Connie's .

The Chicago hot dog [ edit ]

This may come as a surprise to New Yorkers, but the Chicago hot dog is the king of all hot dogs — indeed, it is considered the perfect hot dog . Perhaps due to the city's history of Polish and German immigration, Chicago takes its dogs way more seriously than the rest of the country. A Chicago hot dog is always all-beef (usually Vienna beef), always served on a poppy-seed bun, and topped with what looks like a full salad of mustard, tomato slices, a dill pickle spear, sport (chili) peppers, a generous sprinkling of celery salt, diced onion, and a sweet-pickle relish endemic-to-Chicago that is dyed an odd, vibrant bright-green color. It's a full meal, folks.

Ketchup is regarded as an abomination on a proper Chicago-style hot dog. Self-respecting establishments will refuse orders to put the ketchup on the dog, and many have signs indicating that they don't serve it; truly serious hot dog joints don't even allow the condiment on the premises. The reason for Chicago's ketchup aversion is simple — ketchup contains sugar, which overwhelms the taste of the beef and prevents its proper enjoyment. Hence, ketchup's replacement with sliced tomatoes. Similarly, Chicagoans eschew fancy mustards that would overwhelm the flavor of the meat in favor of simple yellow mustard. And for the hungry visiting New Yorkers, the same goes for sugary sauerkraut — just no .

At most hot dog places, you will have the option to try a Maxwell Street Polish instead. Born on the eponymous street of the Near West Side , the Polish is an all-beef sausage on a bun, with fewer condiments than the Chicago hot dog: usually just grilled onions, mustard, and a few chili peppers.

In a tragic, bizarre twist of fate, the areas of Chicago most visited by tourists (i.e., the Loop ) lack proper Chicago hot dog establishments. If you are downtown and want to experience a Chicago hot dog done right, the nearest safe bet is Portillo's . Sadly, both baseball parks botch their dogs, although the 2011 return of Vienna Beef as the official hot dog of Wrigley Field is a step in the right direction.

Italian Beef [ edit ]

The Italian Beef sandwich completes the Chicago triumvirate of tasty greasy treats. The main focus of the sandwich is the beef, and serious vendors will serve meat of a surprisingly good quality, which is slow-roasted, and thinly shaved before being loaded generously onto chewy, white, Italian-style bread. Two sets of options will come flying at you, so prepare yourself: sweet peppers or hot, and dipped or not. The "sweet" peppers are sautéed bell peppers, while the hots are a mixed Chicago giardiniera. The dip, of course, is a sort of French dip of the sandwich back into the beef broth. (Warning: dipped Italian Beefs are sloppy!) If you are in the mood, you may be able to get an Italian Beef with cheese melted over the beef, although travelers looking for the "authentic Italian Beef" perhaps should not stray so far from tradition.

The Italian Beef was probably invented by Italian-American immigrants working in the Union Stockyards on the Southwest Side , who could only afford to take home the tough, lowest-quality meat and therefore had a need to slow-roast it, shave it into thin slices, and dip it just to get it in chewable form. But today the sandwich has found a lucrative home downtown, where it clogs the arteries and delights the taste buds of the Chicago workforce during lunch break. Some of the city's favorite downtown vendors include Luke's Italian Beef in the Loop and Mr. Beef in the Near North , while the Portillo's chain is another solid option.

Jibarito [ edit ]

The jibarito is a sandwich that uses plantains instead of bread, with a filling of meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato and garlic-flavored mayonnaise. It traces its origins to the Puerto Rican community in Chicago, and can hence be widely found in neighborhoods with large Puerto Rican populations such as Humboldt Park and Logan Square. Despite its origins in the Puerto Rican community, this dish was locally invented in Chicago and cannot be found in Puerto Rico.

Ice cream [ edit ]

Chicago is a great place to try this sweet treat, with several iconic ice cream parlors scattered throughout the city. Perhaps the most iconic, and the oldest ice cream parlor in the city is The Original Rainbow Cone in Beverly, in business since 1927, and known for their signature "rainbow cone", which consists of five different flavors stacked on top of each other on a cone, with its name driving from the five different colors of the flavors. For something more modern with an African-American twist, head to Shawn Michelle's Homemade Ice Cream in Bronzeville, known for unique flavours such as Jamaican rum and raisin, and bourbon-infused butter pecan.

Chicago is also home to a large Italian-American population, and there is a good selection of gelato to be found. While it is available in many Italian restaurants, for a more interesting take on this Italian classic head to Black Dog Gelato in the Ukrainian Village for some gelato with uniquely American flavors like birthday cake and malted vanilla pretzel.

As part of the Midwest, you should naturally look to have some frozen custard in Chicago, and while Midwestern fast food chain Culver's has a presence, two local shops that stand out from the rest among critics are Scooter's Frozen Custard in Lake View and Lickity Split Frozen Custard in Edgewater. Both are known for their concretes, which is frozen custard blended with whatever topping you choose, though there are also numerous other options to choose from.

Note that many ice cream parlors in Chicago are only open in the summer months, and close for the winter.

Drink [ edit ]

Chicago is a drinking town, and you can find bars and pubs in every part of the city. It is believed that Chicago has the second highest number of bars per capita in the U.S. (after San Francisco ). Unlike many other big cities where the hottest clubs are sought after, Chicago locals much prefer the dive bars and many don't seem to particularly like staying in one place. Most areas that thrive on the bar culture do so for the variety, and bar hopping is the norm. Grab a drink or two, then try the place next door. It is all about variety. Be prepared to be asked for identification to verify your age, even at neighborhood dive bars. Smoking is banned in Chicago bars (and restaurants).

The best places to drink for drinking's sake are Wicker Park and neighboring Logan Square and Bucktown , which have a world-class stock of quality dive bars and local craft breweries. North Center and Roscoe Village are also a great (and underrated) destination for the art of the beer garden. Beware the bars in Lakeview near Wrigley Field, though, which are packed on weekends, and jam-packed all day whenever the Cubs are playing. Just to the south, Lincoln Park has bars and beer gardens to indulge those who miss college, and some trendy clubs for the neighborhood's notorious high-spending Trixies.

Ill-informed tourists converge upon the nightclubs of State and Division Streets . The city's best DJs spin elsewhere, the best drinks are served elsewhere, and the cheapest beers are served elsewhere; the hottest of-the-moment clubs and in-the-know celebrities are usually elsewhere, too. For the last few years the West Loop's warehouse bars were the place to be, but the River North neighborhood has been making a comeback. Still, the Rush/Division bars do huge business. This area includes the "Viagra Triangle," where Chicago's wealthy older men hang out with women in their early 20s. Streeterville, immediately adjacent, exchanges the dance floors for high-priced hotel bars and piano lounges.

Although good dance music can be found in Wicker Park and the surrounding area, the best places to dance in the city are the expensive see and be seen clubs in River North and the open-to-all (except perhaps bachelorette parties) clubs in gay-friendly Boystown , which are a lot of fun for people of any sexual orientation.

Chicago is home to a number of breweries and micro-brews. The most widely recognized craft brewery is probably Goose Island Brewery, which a formerly independent brewery now owned by Inbev; it produces the usual range of craft and seasonal beers, gives tours and samplings, and has an excellent restaurant.

The city's first post-Prohibition distillery is the Koval Distillery, an independent, family-run affair offering a variety of unusual and sometimes delicious whiskeys, most of which are distilled from 100% of whichever grain they're using (spelt, millet, rye, and others); it offers an extensive tour with samplings.

Coffee [ edit ]

Chicago also has quite a few local coffee shops of very high quality. Dark Matter Coffee is one such business local to Chicago, with several locations throughout the city.

Jazz and blues [ edit ]

See The Jazz Track for a wealth of information about current and historic jazz clubs in Chicago.

The Lower Mississippi River Valley is known for its music; New Orleans has jazz, and Memphis has blues. Chicago, though far away from the valley, has both. Former New Orleans and Memphis residents brought jazz and blues to Chicago as they came north for a variety of reasons: the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 brought a lot of itinerant musicians to town, and the city's booming economy kept them coming through the Great Migration . Chicago was the undisputed capital of early jazz between 1917-1928, with masters like Joe King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jimmie Noone, Johnny Dodds, Earl Hines, and Jelly Roll Morton. Most of Chicago's historic jazz clubs are on the South Side, particularly in Bronzeville , but the North Side has the can't-miss Green Mill in Uptown .

The blues were in Chicago long before the car chase and the mission from God, but The Blues Brothers sealed Chicago as the home of the blues in the popular consciousness. Fortunately, the city has the chops to back that up. Maxwell Street ( Near West Side ) was the heart and soul of Chicago blues, but the wrecking ball, driven by the University of Illinois at Chicago, has taken a brutal toll. Residents have been fighting to save what remains. For blues history, it doesn't get much better than Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation ( Near South ), and Bronzeville , the former "Black Metropolis," is a key stop as well. Performance venues run the gamut from tiny, cheap blues bars all over the city to big, expensive places like Buddy Guy's Legends ( Loop ) and the original House of Blues ( Near North ).

But don't let yourself get too wrapped up in the past, because Chicago blues is anything but. No other city in the world can compete with Chicago's long list of blues-soaked neighborhood dives and lounges. The North Side's blues clubs favor tradition in their music, and are usually the most accessible to visitors, but offer a slightly watered down experience from the funkier, more authentic blues bars on the South and Far West Sides, where most of Chicago's blues musicians live and hang. If one club could claim to be the home of the real Chicago blues, Lee's Unleaded Blues in Chatham-South Shore would probably win the title. But there are scores of worthy blues joints all around the city (many of which are a lot easier to visit via public transport). A visit to one of these off-the-beaten-path blues dives is considerably more adventurous than a visit to the touristy House of Blues, but the experiences born of such adventures have been known to reward visitors with a lifelong passion for the blues.

Although playing second fiddle to the blues in the city's collective consciousness, jazz thrives in Chicago, too, thanks in no small part to members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and their residencies at clubs like The Velvet Lounge and The Jazz Showcase (both of which see regular national acts) ( Near South ), The New Apartment Lounge ( Chatham-South Shore ) and The Hideout ( Bucktown ), with more expensive national touring acts downtown at The Chicago Theater ( Loop ). If you are staying downtown, the Velvet Lounge will be your best bet, as it is an easy cab ride, and its high-profile performances will rarely disappoint. Another respected venue is Andy's Jazz Bar & Restaurant , which is three blocks west of Magnificent Mile.

Fans should time their visits to coincide with Blues Fest in June, and Jazz Fest over Labor Day Weekend. Both take place in Grant Park ( Loop ).

Concerts [ edit ]

Wicker Park and Bucktown are the main place to go for indie rock shows: the Double Door and the Empty Bottle are the best-known venues, but there are plenty of smaller ones as well. In Lakeview , the Metro is a beloved concert hole, with Schubas , Lincoln Hall , The Vic , and the Abbey Pub nearby (the latter on the Far Northwest Side ). Other mid-sized rock, hip-hop and R&B shows take place at the Riviera and the awesome Aragon Ballroom in Uptown . The Near South has become an underrated destination for great shows as well.

The Park West in Lincoln Park has light jazz, light rock, and other shows you'd sit down for; so does Navy Pier ( Near North ), particularly in the summer. The venerable Chicago Theater in the Loop is better-known for its sign than for anything else, but it has rock, jazz, gospel, and spoken-word performances by authors like David Sedaris. The world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is the main bulwark in the city for classical and classy jazz, with occasional curve-balls like Björk. You'll find musicians from the CSO doing outreach all over the city, along with their counterparts at the Lyric Opera and Joffrey Ballet . All three are in the Loop .

A few big concerts are held at the UIC Pavilion and the United Center on the Near West Side every year, and some huge concerts have taken place at Soldier Field ( Near South ). The Petrillo Bandshell in Grant Park and the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park , both in the Loop , tend to host big, eclectic shows and festivals in the summer, which are sometimes free.

Otherwise, most big shows are out in the suburbs, primarily at the Allstate Arena and the Rosemont Theater in Rosemont , the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, and the Alpine Valley Music Theater over the Wisconsin border in Elkhorn . You'll also have to head out to the suburbs for Ravinia , which features upscale classical, jazz, and blues outdoors throughout the summer. See Chicagoland for details on suburban venues.

Sleep [ edit ]

Chicago hosts many major conventions each year and has plenty of places to stay. The majority are either at O'Hare Airport or downtown in the Loop and the Near North (near the Magnificent Mile). If you want to explore the city, aim for downtown — a hotel near O'Hare is good for visiting one thing and one thing only, and that's O'Hare (although the CTA Blue Line is walking distance from most of them, so access to the city is easy, aside from 30 minutes). However, if you have a specific interest in mind, there are hotels throughout the city, and getting away from downtown will give you more of a sense of other neighborhoods. You'll appreciate that if you're in town for more than a couple of days. Make sure that where you're staying is within your comfort level before committing to stay there, though. More far flung transient hotels will be suitable for those seeking to relive Jack Kerouac's seedy adventures around the country, but may alarm and disgust the average traveler.

Budget-priced places are usually pretty far from the Loop , so when you're booking, remember that Chicago is vast. Travelers on a budget should consider accommodations away from the city center which can be easily reached via any of the several CTA train lines. There is a hostel in the Loop with another hostel by Wrigley Field, a hostel in Greektown within walking distance to Union Station and two others near the universities in Lincoln Park and Rogers Park , all of which are interesting neighborhoods in their own right, and close to the L for access to the rest of the city. For deals on mid-range hotels, there are good options far out from the center by Midway and in North Lincoln .

Stay safe [ edit ]

As in almost the entire United States, dial 911 to get emergency help. Dial 311 for all non-emergency situations in Chicago.

Crime [ edit ]

Despite a big decline in the crime rate from the 1970s and 1980s, Chicago is still a big city with big city problems. There are run-down areas within a few blocks of some well-traveled places such as near the United Center and Guaranteed Rate Field. The majority of the city's violent crimes occur within a relatively small number of deeply impoverished neighborhoods well off the beaten path in the South and West Sides, but given the chance nature of crime, you should exercise the usual precautions wherever you go. Even in a neighborhood with a bad reputation, though, you might still have a perfectly good time, as long as it falls within your comfort level.

Take caution in the Loop at night; after working hours, the Loop gets quiet and dark in a hurry west of State Street, but you'll be fine near hotels and close to Michigan Avenue and the lake. When disembarking a crowded CTA train, especially in the downtown-area subways, be wary of purse snatchers.

Homelessness is a problem in the city and seeing people ask for help is common downtown . They are very unlikely to pose any kind of problem, though. Most are either holding up a sign asking for some type of assistance while others will actively solicit you for spare change. If you ignore them, they will ignore you. Some do sell a local newspaper called Streetwise to make a living. These people should be wearing a badge of some kind to indicate they sell the newspaper and they keep all the profits they make. If you're feeling generous but want to be safe, those selling Streetwise are your best bet.

A common scam is for a beggar to come up to you and make remarks about how your shoes need to be cleaned or polished. They can be very friendly though very pushy to the unsuspecting tourist. Before you know it, your shoe is up on their knee and they are asking you for some amount they claimed they told you before they started. If you simply ignore them and walk away they should leave you alone. Not often, but some will continue to follow and harass you. If this happens, go inside any restaurant or store until they leave.

In general, common sense will keep you safe in Chicago: avoid unfamiliar side streets at night, stay out of alleys at night, know where you're going when you set out, stick to crowded areas, and keep a $20 bill on hand for cab fare as a bail-out option.

Health [ edit ]

Connect [ edit ], internet [ edit ].

The first Internet café in the United States was opened in Chicago, but they never really caught on here. There are still a few, though; check individual district articles. If you have a computer or mobile device (e.g. tablet, smartphone) with you, free wireless Internet access is now standard-issue at coffee shops throughout the city including major ones like Starbucks. Most hotels above the transient level offer free Wi-Fi, too.

The good news is that all branches of the Chicago Public Library system offer free internet access , via public terminals and free, password-free, public wireless. If you do not have a Chicago library card, but you have a photo ID that shows you do not live in Chicago, you can get a temporary permit from the library information desk. (If you are from Chicago and don't have a library card, though, all you can get is a stern look and a brief lecture on how Chicagoans need to support the library system.) The most central branch is the giant Harold Washington Library in the Loop , but there are branch libraries in every part of the city — again, see individual district articles. Only the Harold Washington, Sulzer , Water Works, and Woodson locations are open on Sundays.

Telephones [ edit ]

312 was the area code for all of Chicago for a long time; it's still the code of choice for the Loop , and most of the Near North and Near South . 773 surrounds the center, covering everything else within city limits. 872 is an overlay code covering the entire city. 11-digit dialing is in force in the city of Chicago: you must always dial a 1 plus the area code even if it's a local call.

Suburban areas close to the city use 847 and 224 (north/northwest), 708 (south), 815 and 779 (southwest), 630 and 331 (west), and 219 (northwest Indiana).

Cope [ edit ]

Publications [ edit ].

• Chicago Tribune ( The Trib ). The Tribune is Chicago's oldest daily. Changes in ownership have shed much of the Trib's former prestige with a debt-leveraged purchase and forced bankruptcy, widespread staff layoffs, and an ill-advised redesign. The Tribune , although Chicago's only remaining broadsheet newspaper, now has a noticeable conservative slant and has shifted to focus on local news rather than the national political coverage in which it used to excel.  
• Chicago Sun-Times . The Sun-Times is Chicago's other "major" newspaper. It has a long-standing reputation for aggressive (some might say "sensationalist") investigative journalism. It has also been teetering on the verge of oblivion for some time.  
• RedEye . RedEye is a free weekdays-only newspaper produced by the Tribune . Although its covers appear to report from some parallel universe where topics like sandwiches and being tired at work are the top stories of the day, it does have basic news coverage inside along with entertainment gossip syndicated from the Associated Press.  
• The Chicago Defender . The Defender is Chicago's biggest African-American daily, and it played a major role in the city's African-American history. Its distribution network today is comparatively small, though.  
• Hola Hoy . Hola Hoy produces a free Spanish-language newspaper with wide distribution.  
• Chicago Reader . The Reader is a free weekly newspaper distributed throughout the city each Wednesday. It includes extensive listings of arts, music, and events. Nobody knows more about Chicago than the Reader , but it's definitely oriented toward locals.  
• Crain's Chicago Business . Crain's is a long-standing weekly newspaper covering the Chicago area business community, with a dash of politics and lifestyle — definitely worth a look if you're in town on business.  
• New City . New City is a free weekly alternative arts and entertainment magazine, distributed every Thursday. Event listings and local content are skimpy, but it is free.  
• Windy City Times . Free weekly LGBT newspaper.  

Religious services [ edit ]

There are places of worship all over the city; the front desk of your hotel will almost certainly be able to direct you to one nearby. If not, though, the following are centrally located in either the Loop or the Near North , unless otherwise noted.

For churches of specific Orthodoxies, check in neighborhoods that feature communities with ties to that region. There's a majestic Orthodox church in Ukrainian Village , for example. Evangelical Christian ministries are mostly on the South Side, with some historic churches in Bronzeville . For the Baha'i faith, visit the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette , easily accessible by the CTA Purple Line.

• BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir , 4N739 IL Route 59, Bartlett , ☏ +1-630-213-2277 . Daily 11:30AM Aarti . Free .  
• Chicago Loop Synagogue , 16 S Clark St ( Madison/Wabash Brown/Purple/Green/Orange/Pink Line ), ☏ +1-312-346-7370 . Traditional Judaism. Shachris Sa 9AM, Su 9:30AM; Mincha Sa 3:45PM, Su 4:15PM, M-F 1:05PM; Maariv 4:45PM.  
• Chicago Sinai Congregation , 15 W Delaware Pl ( Chicago Red Line ), ☏ +1-312-867-7000 . Liberal Reform Judaism. Torah study Sa 10:30AM; Shabbat Eve service F 6:15PM, Sunday service 11AM.  
• Christ the Savior Orthodox Church , 927 N LaSalle Dr ( Chicago Red and Brown line ), ☏ +1-312-202-0423 , fax : +1-312-202-0427 . OCA parish with services in English. Saturday Great Vespers 4:30PM. Sunday Liturgy 9:15AM. Wednesday Daily Vespers 6:30PM.  

Consulates [ edit ]

Here's a quick list of consulates in Chicago:

Go next [ edit ]

Illinois [ edit ].

• There are forest preserves in the far north, northwest, and southwest sides, and into the nearby Chicagoland suburbs. They are excellent for biking, jogging, and picnics.
• The Chicago Botanic Garden is a great outdoor activity, particularly over the spring and summer months. Not accessible by CTA, although Metra has lines that stop close by.
• Evanston is over the northern border of Chicago, approximately 45 minutes from downtown on the CTA, or half an hour via car (during light traffic). It has shops, restaurants, bars and Northwestern University, as well as some historic homes and lovely lakefront. Just beyond that is Wilmette , with the fascinating Baha'i Temple .
• Ravinia is the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Metra's UP-North line stops at the park gates, and the return train waits for late-ending concerts. The arts and crafts style architecture coupled with a dazzling array of acts make this a classic summer destination for Chicagoans and tourists. Bring food, a blanket, wine, and a citronella candle; buy anything you forgot on-site.
• Brookfield is home to the Chicagoland area's other world-class zoo, the Brookfield Zoo .
• Starved Rock State Park and Matthiesen State Park are two popular hiking destinations within 2 hours' drive of Chicago.
• Historic Galena , three hours west-northwest of Chicago via I-90 and US-20, is great for hiking, sightseeing, and antiquing.
• Six Flags Great America , in Gurnee (40 miles north on I-94), has the biggest and wildest roller coasters in Illinois. Take Metra to Waukegan, then Pace bus #565 to the park.
• Springfield is the state capital of Illinois, and along the main route from Chicago to St Louis. Accessible by Amtrak and Greyhound.
• Peoria , in some ways a miniature Chicago, is a little over three hours away.
• The Quad Cities — 2½–3 hours away via I-55 to I-80 or I-90 to I-74 — bridge the Mississippi River forming a unique metropolitan area on the border of Iowa and Illinois.

Indiana [ edit ]

• The Indiana Dunes are a moderate drive away, and are also accessible via the South Shore commuter rail. If you've enjoyed the beaches in Chicago, you owe the Indiana Dunes a stop — that's where all the sand came from.
• Gary is just over the border on the Skyway, with a skyline that rivals Chicago's for strength of effect — industrial monstrosity, in this case — with casinos, urban ruins, a few entries by Prairie School architects Frank Lloyd Wright and George Maher, and the birth house of Michael Jackson. Accessible by Greyhound, Indian Trails and the South Shore Line regional rail.
• Also just over the Skyway (before you reach Gary) is East Chicago's bizarre 19th century planned community, Marktown , which looks like a small English village totally incongruous with the gigantic steel mills and the world's largest oil refinery which surround it.
• Indianapolis is the capital and largest city of Indiana, and about a 3-4 hour drive from Chicago. Also accessible by Greyhound, Megabus, Burlington Trailways, and OurBus.

Michigan [ edit ]

• Further along the lake from the Indiana Dunes are Michigan's dunes and summer resorts in Harbor Country . Keep your eyes open: Mayor Daley, University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer, and other notables summer here.
• Detroit has many of Chicago's most hated sports rivals, and although fallen on hard times, it also has a musical and architectural heritage to compare with the Windy City. Accessible by Amtrak, Greyhound, and Megabus.
• Ann Arbor , near Detroit, is a college town home to the University of Michigan, one of America's premier public universities. Accessible by Amtrak, Greyhound, and Megabus.

Missouri [ edit ]

• St Louis is the second largest city in Missouri, and once hosted the world's fair and Olympic games. Accessible by Amtrak, Greyhound, and Megabus.

Wisconsin [ edit ]

• Lake Geneva , across the Wisconsin border, is the other big summer getaway. Nearby are the Kettle Moraine state parks, with good mountain biking. Take Metra's Union Pacific/Northwest Line to the last station, and then a shuttle or cab the last 20 minutes.
• Madison is about 2½ hours from Chicago on I-90 and via Van Galder buses, Greyhound, and Megabus. It is a vibrant city home to the giant University of Wisconsin and is known for its lively downtown, thriving culture, and beautiful scenery.
• Milwaukee and its venerable breweries are less than two hours from Chicago on I-94, via Amtrak, and by intercity bus services.
• Spring Green is an easy weekend trip from Chicago, about three and a half hours from town on I-90. It's the home of two unique architectural wonders: Frank Lloyd Wright's magnificent estate Taliesin , and Alex Jordan's mysterious museum The House on the Rock .
• The Wisconsin Dells are another (wet) summer fun destination, just three hours north of the city by car (I-90/94), also accessible by Amtrak train.
• Cedarburg is a popular festival town with a charming downtown featured on the National Register of Historic Places. It is 20 miles north of downtown Milwaukee. Take 1-94 to Milwaukee and continue north on I-43.

Beyond [ edit ]

• Minneapolis and Saint Paul are about a 6-7 hour drive west on Interstate 94. Also accessible by Greyhound, Megabus, and flights.
• Iowa has certain things to offer which can be anywhere from a 3-8 hour drive, dependent on where you are going.
• The airports here have flights to all over the US and the World.

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Traveling to Chicago for the First Time: 13 Tips & Tricks

By Author Jurga

Posted on Last updated: September 8, 2023

Are you traveling to Chicago, Illinois, for the first time and looking for some travel tips for a more memorable and enjoyable visit? In this guide, we share our top tips and useful info for visiting Chicago.

Big city life, cool unique neighborhoods, fantastic food, lakefront fun, and Midwest charm – these are just a few things that await you when visiting the Windy City.

But how to make the most of your visit , see the musts, but also get a bit off the beaten path and simply enjoy the best that Chicago has to offer without getting overwhelmed?

In this guide, we share our top tips that will help you to make the most of your first visit to Chicago. Find out!

These are our top tips for visiting Chicago:

1. Stay in the Heart of the City

If you are traveling to Chicago for the first time, you’re likely planning to see all the main tourist landmarks. For sightseeing, we recommend staying right in the heart of downtown so you will be near all the action. Chicago is a very walkable city, with many attractions close to each other, and the best way to enjoy your trip is to stay as close as possible to the main sights.

A good thing about Chicago is that it has lodging for every budget and every style, from 5-star luxurious hotels to eclectic private rentals in a cool neighborhood. 

Where to stay: The Loop is one of the top areas to stay in because it’s where Chicago’s most popular tourist attractions are located. If you do your research and make your reservation right, you should be able to walk or take a short Uber ride to most of the top spots in the city. 

Go od to know: The Loop is the 1.79-mile elevated train (called the “L”) that “loops” around the Chicago downtown area. Chicagoans use the term “The Loop” to refer to Chicago’s entire downtown area.  

Here are some of the best-rated hotels in this area, for all budgets:

• $$$$$ The Langham
• $$$$ Hyatt Regency
• $$$ Hyatt Place – The Loop (great price/location/quality)
• $$ La Quinta by Wyndham
• $ Congress Plaza Hotel (a very popular hotel on a lower budget)

Personal favorites: The one thing I highly recommend is finding a room at a boutique hotel like The Blackstone for a much more unique experience than staying at a big hotel chain.

Another one of my favorites is the Chicago classic hotel, the Palmer House (Hilton hotel). Staying at the Palmer House during the holidays is a special experience, don’t miss it! The Palmer House is also within walking distance to Millennium Park, Maggie Daley Park, Cloud Gate (the Bean), and the Art Institute. 

Shoppers should stay near the Magnificent Mile while foodies and art lovers will love the River North area, just a few blocks away. This Hilton Garden Inn is well-located for these areas.

TIP: Using the map below, you can also compare hotels and short-term apartment rentals in Chicago city center. Simply insert your travel dates and group size, and you’ll see what’s available for your stay. Check it out!

2. Avoid Bank Holidays & School Breaks

Chicago is a very popular city break destination in the US attracting over 50 million visitors each year.

The busiest times to visit Chicago are, of course, during school breaks and US bank holiday weekends. So if you can,  try to avoid these peak periods  for fewer crowds and better prices.

Summer life in Chicago is extra special and you are going to want to see this gorgeous city during the warmer months. The winters can be gloomy and grey, so the city really feels like it comes to life when the seasons change. 

Now that we told you to avoid the peak times, it would be unfair not to mention that the summer season is popular for a good reason . Even though busy and hot, Chicago is beautiful in summer!

Chicago’s summer festival scene is like no other with various events, such as Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago, Venetian Night, and the Air and Water Show to name a few. There is always something cool to do! The outdoor dining and rooftop bars in areas like River North & Riverwalk are also a huge part of Chicago’s summer fun.

The nicest time to visit Chicago is April-May and mid-September-October when the weather is pleasant and it’s not as busy as in the peak summer months and not as cold as in the winter. On the other hand, Chicago has so much to offer that you can have the most enjoyable visit at any time of the year. You just have to plan well and adjust your itinerary to the season.

3. Book in Advance

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when visiting any popular destination is not to plan your visit in advance, especially if you are traveling during the busy season. Chicago is no exception.

Starting with accommodations and ending with Chicago attractions –  booking in advance means more choice, better prices, and less time wasted queuing.  After all, you want to make the most of your trip to Chicago and not spend your precious time standing in line or have to stay at a hotel far from everything because the best options are either too expensive or aren’t available anymore.

Sometimes, tickets for the main attractions are cheaper if booked online at least a day in advance. Not to mention that some activities can sell out. In addition, by booking in advance, you can read customer reviews, compare different options, and avoid disappointment.

If you want to go see a show or a sports game in Chicago, book your tickets well in advance. Sometimes, you can book last-minute as well, but not for the most popular shows/games, not to mention that you usually get the worst seats when booking last minute.

TIP: For skip-the-line tickets to popular Chicago attractions and the most popular tours, we recommend checking the GetYourGuide website . We book all our tickets/ tours via them when we travel – the prices are good, you can read real customer reviews, and easily find the best tour. Furthermore, they have the most flexible cancelation policy and their customer service is amazing. Viator is also a good option and has a big selection of tours and tickets.

Good to know: The most popular tour in Chicago is the Chicago River Architecture Cruise . No visit to Chicago would be complete without doing this.

4. Take Advantage of Different Transportation Options

Chicago has a plethora of options when it comes to public transportation : CTA buses, the L, and the Metra (suburban train) to name a few. 

If it’s raining or cold, you can also use the Chicago Pedway , the city’s pedestrian walkway system of underground tunnels and overhead bridges. It’s a great way to easily get around the city center.

If the weather is gorgeous and you are looking for a fun way to explore Chicago check out the city’s bike-share program at various locations all over town. Riding your bike down Lake Michigan and taking in the gorgeous Chicago skyline is always so much fun. Biking is also a great way to cover bigger distances and see more of the city in a shorter time. See also bike tours and rentals for more ideas.

If you’re looking for a fun way to explore the Chicago Riverwalk, Michigan Avenue, or the West Loop area, you can also buy a ticket for the Chicago Water Taxi . This cool mode of transportation connects several Chicago neighborhoods AND they do have restrooms on board.

And, of course, there are hop-on-hop-off buses , segway tours , and so many other fun ways to explore Chicago without having to walk all day.

Airport transfers: The easiest way to get to and from both O’Hare and Midway airports to the downtown area is by rapid trains on CTA . They run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It will take you about 45 minutes to get from O’Hare to downtown on the CTA Blue Line. And it will take you about 25 minutes from Midway to downtown on the CTA Orange Line. You can also book private transfers online if you prefer not to take public transport, but of course, it will be more expensive.

5. Take Advantage of City Passes

If you are visiting Chicago for the first time, you’ll likely want to see at least some of the main tourist attractions. Sometimes, it makes sense to look into getting a City Pass instead of booking separate tickets for each of them.

There are two best options when it comes to attraction passes in Chicago: Chicago Explorer Pass and the more popular option – Chicago: Go City All-Inclusive Pass. They both cover the same main attractions, but in a different way:

• Chicago Explorer Pass allows you to see 3, 4, 5, or 6 attractions of your choice within 2 months from its first activation.
• Chicago: Go City All-Inclusive Pass allows you to see as many attractions as you want within a certain period (the number of days purchased). You can get this pass for 1, 2, 3, or 5 days. It’s ideal for those who want to see as much as possible in a short time and can save you up to 45% on the attraction tickets.

Also worth mentioning is the Chicago CityPASS . This pass gives you free entrance to 5 of the main Chicago Attractions over 9 consecutive days. However, it has a rather limited selection of attractions you can choose from. But if those are the ones that you want to see, then it’s a great value as well.

TIP: Be sure to see which attractions are included before deciding if these passes are worth it for you. And if you get a pass, make the most of it! It can be of great value if you use it right.

6. Enjoy FREE Chicago Attractions

A city trip can quickly become quite expensive – there are just so many sights and attractions that you want to see. The good news is that you can also enjoy some of the nicest places in Chicago free of charge.

Here are just a few suggestions of free things to do in Chicago:

• Millennium Park, Grant Park, Maggie Daley Park.
• Lakefront Trail, parks, and beaches.
• Chicago Riverwalk.
• Lincoln Park Conservatory and Lincoln Park Zoo.

There are also many free museums in Chicago and some museums offer free museum days. So be sure to do some research before you go and take advantage of it.

7. Foresee Enough Time and Don’t Try to See Everything

If you are traveling to Chicago for the first time, you are probably wondering how much time you need in the city. Chicago is huge and there is no way to see everything in just a few days… So don’t come here thinking that you can see it all in just one or two days.

That being said, you can see most of the main sights in Chicago in 2 days and this makes Chicago a nice weekend-break destination as well. However, this will just be enough time to get a feel of what Chicago is truly about.

If you want to explore a bit deeper, spend some time at the museums, explore some local neighborhoods, etc., we recommend at least 3-4 days in Chicago.

Also, don’t try to see ‘everything’ in Chicago. This is simply not possible and will leave you tired and frustrated. Plan to visit just 2-4 bigger attractions every day and leave some time to experience the food (maybe even go on a food tour ), take a boat trip on Lake Michigan , or get a bit off the beaten path… You’ll have a much more enjoyable trip this way!

8. Spend Time on the Water

One of the best things about visiting Chicago is getting to experience the waterfront fun. Both Lake Michigan and the Chicago River offer so many fun activities and it’s well worth your time. 

Chicago has some of the most spectacular architecture in the world. As already mentioned, one of the most popular things to do in Chicago is to take an architecture boat tour down the Chicago River.

Take a bike ride or walk down Lakefront Trail and soak in the lakefront breezes and panoramic views. Hit the beaches (Oak Street Beach and North Avenue are my favorites) for a relaxing day in the sun. Also be sure to take a ride on the giant Centennial Wheel at Navy Pier to see the city from a different perspective. 

There are also many companies offering all kinds of boat tours on Lake Michigan, or sometimes a combination of both – the lake and the river. From scenic cruises, lunch- or dinner cruises, to romantic sunset cruises and so much more… It will be hard to choose, but you also can’t go wrong – it’s always worth it.

9. Explore Local Neighborhoods

If you have more than just 2-3 days in Chicago, get out of the city to explore some of the cool neighborhoods beyond the downtown Chicago Loop area! Each neighborhood has its own unique personality. 

Explore Chinatown, Greek Town, or Little Italy to feel like you have been transported across the world.  Each of these towns has a unique cultural heritage, and – of course – some great restaurants with authentic delicious food from all corners of the world.  

TIP: If you want to feel like you’re living in a scene from the old Chicago Al Capone mob days, be sure to check out the iconic Rosebud Restaurant in Little Italy. It has been around for over 40 years and is a celebrity hot spot! Be sure to try their signature Rosebud Meat Lasagna or Chicken Parmesan. 

10. See a Sports Game

Chicago is one of the top sports cities in the U.S. and Chicagoans take their teams very seriously. No matter what time of year you are visiting you will have the opportunity to paint your face, buy a logo hat, and start cheering for your Windy City favorite!

Here are just a few suggestions:

• April – September: Baseball. Check out the Chicago Cubs or the Chicago White Sox .
• October – April: Basketball or Hockey. Check out the Chicago Bulls and take a selfie with the towering statue of legendary Bulls star Michael Jordan right outside of the United Center. Hockey fans, check out the Chicago Blackhawks or Chicago Wolves .

TIP: Here, you can see what’s scheduled and find tickets for local sports games . 

11. Don’t Miss the Museum Campus

Museum Campus is one of the best things to do in Chicago for anyone that loves to learn. You could spend several days exploring the 57-acre park located in Grant Park right alongside Lake Michigan. But even if you only have half a day, it’s well worth checking it out!

The Museum Campus consists of the Field Museum of Natural History , Adler Planetarium , and Shedd Aquarium all side by side right next to Soldiers Field . The museums are easily walkable along very pedestrian-friendly walkways.

TIP: About 6 miles south of the Museum Campus is another favorite, the Museum of Science and Industry . You could easily spend an entire day here!

Good to know: All these museums are included in the Chicago Go City All-Inn Pass – ideal if you want to just quickly check out a few of them on the same day. Otherwise – if you are on a longer visit – Chicago CityPASS offers a better value because it remains valid for 9 consecutive days, allowing you to spend more time at each museum.

12. Wear Layers & Comfortable Shoes

There are some theories as to why Chicago is called the Windy City, and just one of them is the weather. However, it’s often very windy in Chicago indeed, especially at Lake Michigan.

The Lakefront area can sometimes be 10 degrees cooler than other parts of the city.  So, no matter what time of the year you visit Chicago, it is wise to wear several layers so that you can adjust and stay comfortable during your visit. 

Also, comfortable shoes are a must when visiting Chicago! You’re going to be doing a ton of walking so make sure your feet are prepared for all the mileage. 

We also recommend taking a reusable water bottle with you.

13. Eat Like a Local

There are three things that every traveler must experience while they are visiting Chicago. These three things are the most iconic Chicago foods that are Windy City classics: 

• Chicago Style Hot-Dog . This is an all-beef dog with a poppyseed bun, relish, mustard, tomatoes, and onions.  Do NOT ask for ketchup on your Chicago dog, everyone will know you are from out of town. Portillo’s Hot Dogs and ADB (America’s Dog and Burger) serve some of the best Chicago hot dogs! The most convenient ADB location is at the Navy Pier food court.
• Deep-Dish Pizza . This saucy thick-crust pizza is one of a kind, and one of the foods you must try in Chicago. Some of the best places for this include Lou Malnati’s, Giordano’s, or Ginos East and you can’t go wrong with either of them. 
• Italian Beef Sandwich . This is Chicago’s version of Philly’s Cheesesteak (see our guide to Philadelphia for more info).  Be sure to get your sandwich “dipped” in the special juice that makes this sandwich a favorite of the locals.  Hit up Johnnie’s Beef or Al’s to get some of the best Italian Beef in town. 

TIP:   Malört (wormwood-based digestif liquor) might be one of the worst-tasting liquors around, but it’s legendary in Chicago. The shot of Malört has become quite a cult classic in Chicago and somewhat of a rite of passage. So give it a try, if you dare! 

Chicago Travel FAQ

The best time to visit Chicago is anytime but winter. Winters can be brutal with freezing cold temperatures and lots of snow. Summers are fantastic in Chicago and the best time to enjoy the lake and outdoor fun. For the best weather and fewer crowds, visit Chicago in April – May or September – October.

While there is so much to see and do in Chicago, if your time in Chicago is really limited, don’t miss the architecture river cruise , lakefront, and Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower), the 3rd-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

Chicago is famous for its architecture, skyscrapers, Lake Michigan, great sports teams, deep-dish pizza, and fantastic midwestern locals who passionately love their city. It’s also world-known for the green-dyed Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day.

While there are some areas of Chicago that may not feel safe, visiting the main tourist attractions in the city center, you shouldn’t worry too much. Still, you should always be cautious and it never harms to do some research, especially if you are traveling alone or at night. 

Ideally, you plan at least 3-4 days in Chicago, but you’ll be able to see many of the ‘musts’ in 2 days as well. You will never run out of things to do in Chicago, so if you have the time, we recommend staying for a week. This will allow you enough time to see all the main sights, explore the museums, and get a bit off the beaten path as well.

Yes, Chicago is always worth a trip – no matter how little time you have. If you have just 1 day, focus on the downtown area: do a river cruise , spend some time at Millennium Park and Grant Park, and visit Willis Tower Skydeck and potentially also 360 Chicago Observation Deck .

READ ALSO: How to see the best of Chicago in 2 days

You may also like our guides to 1 day in New York , 2 days in New York , and 1 day in Philadelphia . Even on short visits, you can cover a lot of ground and see much more than you think – check it out!

If going southwest, you may like to check our San Diego itinerary suggestions as well as LA itinerary for 3 days .

If you found this post useful, don’t forget to bookmark it and share it with your friends. Are you on Pinterest? Pin these images!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Thursday 9th of March 2023

How to come there

Friday 10th of March 2023

? How to travel to Chicago? Like anywhere else - depending on where you travel from - by plane, by car...

Thursday 7th of October 2021

Hi Jurga, we are visiting Chicago for 3 (full) days. Do you recommend one of the city passes and if so which one? Thx

Friday 8th of October 2021

Hi Charles, it really depends on what you are planning to see and do exactly, but if you are planning to do a lot of sightseeing and visit many places that require a ticket, then I think the Go City All-Inclusive Pass makes the most sense for you. You can get it for 3 days as well, which is a very good value, better than for the shorter durations (it always is with these passes - the longer you stay, the cheaper it is per day).

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20 great things to do in Chicago for tourists

From admiring the breathtaking architecture to taking in a ballgame at Wrigley Field, these are the must-do activities for tourists in Chicago

Chicago is a giant tourist destination, and for good reason. With top-tier cultural institutions , friendly locals and some of the best restaurants in the world (perhaps you've heard of Alinea ?), this city is an ideal place to vacation. Through the city truly comes alive in the summertime , (most of) its best attractions are available year-round. Whether you’re here for a day, a weekend, a whole week or even more, make the most of your Chicago getaway with these must-do activities for tourists.

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Start your stay in Chicago with these great things to do

Take a Chicago architecture cruise

Taking a Chicago architecture cruise down the Chicago River is absolutely one of the best ways to see the city. With incredibly knowledgeable guides and jawdropping buildings at which to gawk, you'll step off the tour boat feeling like you really get Chicago. The Chicago River cuts right through the heart of downtown, so even if you're only around for a day or two, put this activity on your list.

Explore Chicago from every angle with these essential Chicago tours  that even locals love. 

Go full Ferris Bueller at the Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago is home to one of the most expansive and breathtaking collections of fine art in the world at the Art Institute of Chicago . Walk in past the museum's two iconic lion statues on the front steps to explore this vast collection, which ranges from ancient Chinese artifacts to modern contemporary work. You'll recognize such works as Edward Hopper's  Nighthawks,  Georges Seurat's  Sunday Afternoon on the Ile De La Grande Jatte, Grant Wood's  American Gothic , Marc Chagall's  America Windows and much, much more. If you're hungry, grab a bite at Terzo Piano , the museum's delicious sit-down spot at the top of the Modern Wing.

If you're an art buff, you'll love our guide to the best contemporary art galleries in Chicago . 

Take a selfie at "The Bean"

We know, we know—everyone who visits Chicago documents their stay with a Bean selfie. But this piece of public art, however ubiquitous on Instagram, is genuinely stunning. Unveiled in 2006 by artist Anish Kapoor, Cloud Gate  ("The Bean" is just a nickname) is an enormous work that reflects the Michigan Avenue skyline and Millennium Park , where the sculpture resides. 

Want to see more outdoor art? Check out our guide to finding the latest public art in Chicago .

Explore the ever-expanding Navy Pier

Navy Pier is one of the Midwest's top tourist attractions, and over the past few years has undergone significant renovations in an effort to boost its appeal. It now boasts an impressive slate of tasty local restaurants, one of the best theaters in the city, an IMAX theater, an incredible children's museum and is home to a rotating lineup of traveling exhibitions. When you add that to the pier's iconic Ferris wheel (which offers another must-see view of the city), there is a mounting pile of evidence that suggests Navy Pier is worth visiting. 

Check out our complete guide of everything to eat, drink, see and do at Navy Pier .

Devour a slice of deep dish pizza

If you've talked to anyone about visiting Chicago, chances are, you've talked about deep dish pizza . So, first off, let's get one thing straight: The city's signature slice is  nothing like its paper-thin New York counterpoint. Deep dish is a thick, baked, heavy mess of cheese and tomatoes. And it's asbolutely divine. Chains like Lou Malnati's and Gino's East will do the trick for first-timers, but our favorite deep dish in the city can be found at Pequod's in Lincoln Park. 

Looking to dig into more local cuisine? While you're at it, treat yourself to one of the best Italian beefs in Chicago .

Give your brain a workout at the Museum Campus

Museum Campus consists of three of the best attractions Chicago has to offer: The Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium  and the Adler Planetarium . All three are on a peninsula jutting out into Lake Michigan, which offers one of the best possible views of the Chicago skyline. Whether you're a big fan of natural history, aquatic life or outer space—or all three!—you'll be sure to find something to tickle your curiosity at the Museum Campus.

Plan ahead and save a few bucks with our guide to free admission days at Chicago's finest institutions .

Laugh it up at the Second City

Chicago has a reputation for being an excellent comedy city, and this is largely thanks to the Second City . The Old Town comedy venue (and now Training Center) is a breeding ground for comedy giants, and boasts Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Stephen Colbert, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Lynch and many, many more as alumni. You can catch a show at Second City every night of the week, so watch these talents live on stage before they're on the big screen. 

Want more comedy? Dig into the city's vast sketch, improv and stand-up scenes at the best comedy venues in Chicago .

Go shopping on Michigan Avenue

The Gold Coast's Michigan Avenue is affectionately nicknamed "the Magnificent Mile," thanks to the area's ritzy shopping selection. Stretching from the John Hancock Building to the north and the Chicago River to the south, the Mag Mile boasts an array of boutiques, department stores and luxury shops. Water Tower Place and the shops at 900 North Michigan are solid malls to start your shopping spree. 

Shop 'til you drop with our guide to shopping in Chicago .

Eat a Chicago-style hot dog from Portillo's

Yes, Portillo's is a chain, but it's near and dear to the hearts of Chicagoans. Portillo's serves up an excellent Chicago-style hot dog, which is a hot dog topped with mustard, chopped white onions, neon green pickle relish, tomato slices, picked sport peppers, a dill pickle spear and celery salt. (For the love of God, don't ask for ketchup!) Make sure you get fries with that. 

If you're looking to get out of the Loop, grab a bite at one of these incredible, classic Chicago hot dog stands .

Take in the city from above

Chicago is known as the home of the skyscraper, and still boasts some of the world's tallest buildings today. Take a trip to the clouds at the Willis Tower Skydeck , which is on the 103rd floor of what was once the tallest building in the world. Or, if you're in the Gold Coast, shoot up to  360 Chicago , at the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building. Both observatories offer gradiose views of the city and Lake Michigan—you can't go wrong with either—but we're partial to 360 Chicago's view. 

Grab a drink in the sky at Chicago's amazing rooftop bars .

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Welcome to Chicago!

There's plenty to enjoy and do in this great city. With world-class parks, museums, shopping, hotels, nightlife, food and much more, there's never a dull moment here.

At CTA, we provide about 1.6 million rides on an average weekday, and we can get you just about anywhere in Chicago and to 35 surrounding communities.

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We keep it as simple as possible. For the easiest trip:

• Plan your trip. Use an online trip planner (below), use a map , or call +1 (312) 836-7000 .  
• Buy your fare . At every vending machine, you can buy disposable tickets and reloadable Ventra Cards (which can store both value and passes for rides). Learn more about how Ventra Cards work. You can also order Ventra Cards with value or passes on them  in advance  of your trip or at more than 1,300 retailers  around town.  
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Study ranks Chicago as most walkable city in America for tourists

By nbc chicago staff • published april 20, 2024 • updated on april 20, 2024 at 1:52 pm.

With summer on the way and tourism ramping up in Chicago, a recent study shows that there is plenty of reason behind the appeal of traveling to the Windy City.

The study, conducted by Preply , analyzed major U.S. cities and measured how easy it was to navigate each city's most recognizable tourist landmarks on foot.

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Compared to European cities that are known for being walkable, the expansive and car-dependent nature of many American cities makes it much more difficult to see what a city has to offer without a vehicle.

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The study found that Chicago is the most walkable city for tourists in the U.S. by this metric, with it taking just 28 minutes to explore the city's most famous landmarks, including "The Bean" or "Cloud Gate" and the Magnificent Mile.

The brisk pace in Chicago is miles ahead of Orlando, which the study ranked as the least walkable city for American tourists.

According to Preply, it takes over 11 hours and 65,100 steps to cover Orlando's major landmarks on foot.

The only other cities where major landmarks can be seen within an hour on foot were Nashville and Dallas, taking 33 minutes and 41 minutes, respectively.

Rounding out the top five were Santa Fe and New Orleans, each requiring between 6,000 and 7,000 steps and less than an hour and 15 minutes to see the major attractions.

In addition to The Bean and the Magnificent Mile, Preply included Millennium Park itself, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Architecture Center as the spots that could be seen within 28 minutes of walking.

Outside of Chicago, Milwaukee was the lone U.S. city to crack the top 15, coming in at 15th at 2 hours and 35 minutes of walking and 14,280 steps.

You can see how other major American cities ranked along with more information about the study here.

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CHICAGO — From food and drink festivals to concerts to film screenings, there’s no shortage of events happening around the city this weekend.

Sample spirits at Chicago Rum Fest, shop handmade and vintage goods at spring markets or attend an Uptown Poetry Slam at the iconic Green Mill. There are also jazz shows, Western and South Asian classical music concerts, the CineYouth film festival and so much more.

Here’s a roundup of 25 things to do in Chicago this weekend:

Chopin & Tchaikovsky

7:30-9:40 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, 3-5:10 p.m. Sunday

Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Tugan Sokhiev and accompanied by pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, will perform beloved compositions by Chopin and Tchaikovsky. The program includes three works, including Tchaikovsky’s “First Symphony,” nicknamed “Winter Dreams” for “its cozy evocation of Russian winters.”

Learn more about the concert and buy tickets here . They start at $35.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns home to Chicago this weekend for five performances, celebrating 55 years of partnership with the Auditorium Theatre. The shows feature both new and classic works, such as Alvin Ailey’s beloved “Revelations” and the Midwest premiere of Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish’s “Me, Myself and You.”

Tickets start at $40 online .

Pasta Festa

6-7:30 p.m. and 7-8:30 p.m. Friday

Eataly, 43 E. Ohio St.

Eataly is launching its first-ever line of pasta — and Chicagoans can stroll through the shop and taste them all this weekend, from ricotta pasta to gnocchi to lasagna. Tickets are $40 and include more than eight pasta tastings inspired by northern, central and southern Italy.

Buy tickets for 6 p.m. here and 7 p.m. here .

CineYouth Festival

Kicks off 7 p.m. Friday

FACETS, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave.

Founded in 2005, this free film festival for filmmakers 22 and younger celebrates the upcoming generation of storytellers. It features 65 international short films written and directed by younger filmmakers, from family-friendly animations to comedies to documentaries.

Learn more about the films, the festival schedule and buy tickets online .

Bends & Brews

7:15-10 p.m. Friday

Edgewater Athletic Club, 1040 W. Granville Ave.

Kick off the weekend with an evening of yoga and beer. There will be a 60-minute yoga class for all levels, followed by a complimentary drink at Beard & Belly, 6157 N. Broadway — whether that’s a beer, wine, cocktail or mocktail.

Guests should bring their own yoga mat and water bottle. Yogis who can’t stay after class will get a coupon they can use for a future drink.

Tickets are $25 online . They include the yoga class, beverage and a $5 guest pass to Edgewater Athletic Club.

Chicago Soul Jazz Collective With Dee Alexander

7:30 p.m. Friday

Winter’s Jazz Club, 465 N. McClurg Court

Enjoy a night of jazz with Chicago’s very own Chicago Soul Jazz Collective and Dee Alexander, a premier vocalist in the city. Alexander’s performances span “virtually every genre related to the African diaspora,” from gospel to blues to neo-soul.

Tickets start at $27.75 online .

Gateways Festival Orchestra

Chicago Symphony Orchestra, 220 S. Michigan Ave.

The Gateways Festival Orchestra is a multicultural, New York-based group that celebrates the African diaspora in classical music, affirming “the important role people of African descent have played in classical music for centuries.”

Tickets for this weekend’s Chicago show start at $35 online .

Fire & Water Quintet

7:30-9 p.m. Friday

Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St.

Acclaimed jazz musicians Myra Melford, Ingrid Laubrock, Mary Halvorson, Tomeka Reid and Lesley Mok will be bringing their talents to Hyde Park for a concert where “jazz meets visual art.” The Friday night showcase is inspired by American painter Cy Twombly’s “Gaeta Set,” which fittingly explores themes of fire and water.

Tickets are $10-40 online .

Sitar & Tabla Concert

South Asia Institute, 1925 S. Michigan Ave.

Internationally recognized musicians Pandit Partha Bose and Indranil Mallick will be playing their respective instruments, the sitar and tabla, in downtown Chicago this weekend. Through this classical music recital, attendees can hear South Asian tunes by leading South Asian instrumentalists.

Tickets are $15-30 online .

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9 p.m. Friday through 1:30 a.m.

​Emporium Arcade Bar – Fulton Market, 839 W. Fulton Market

An official DJ for the Chicago Blackhawks and White Sox, DJ Zel will be bringing her high energy sets to Emporium Arcade Bar in Fulton Market this weekend. Guests can hear Zel spin while playing arcade games and sipping on drinks.

RSVP for arcade tokens online .

420 Celebrations

Various times and locations Friday-Saturday

Check out Block Club’s 4/20 roundup , which includes dank deals, pot-friendly parties and markets in honor of the “high” holiday.

Record Store Day

Various times and locations Saturday

Since 2008, Record Store Day has been an annual celebration of independent record stores. They typically celebrate by stocking limited-edition vinyl and CDs for fans and shoppers, among other festivities. Search for participating stores on Record Store Day’s website .

YarnCon 2024

10 a.m. Saturday-3 p.m. Sunday

Local 130 Plumbers Union Hall, 1340 W. Washington Blvd.

YarnCon is a place to promote, sell and celebrate the “yarny arts.” Attendees from across the country come to attend “Chicago’s homegrown yarn-centric exhibition,” according to organizers. Learn more here .

Día De Los Niños Y Libros: A Celebration Of Children & Books

11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday

Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St.

There will be art activities, music, storytelling and book giveaways at this library open house Downtown. The family-friendly celebration is open to all ages and also features special guests, including Miss Katie Sings and WTTW Kids’ Nature Cat. Learn more here .

Spring Vendor Market

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday

Thrift, 2517 W. 59th St.

Chicagoans can go thrift shopping, buy beauty products, get access to special deals, enjoy popcorn and music and more at this local spring market. Learn more here .

Grilled Cheese Fest

11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday

Cheesie’s Pub & Grub – Wicker Park, 1365 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Cheesie’s Pub & Grub is celebrating grilled cheese sandwiches with bottomless tomato soup, a Ranch fountain, grilled cheese eating competitions, cheese sauce chugging, a sandwich-naming contest, games and more. Ticketholders can also catch a screening of the film “Half Baked” (1998).

Learn more and purchase tickets for $24-45 online .

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Ravenswood Makers Market

1-6 p.m. Saturday

KOVAL Distillery, 4241 N. Ravenswood Ave.

There will be 25 local makers at KOVAL Distillery this weekend for a family-friendly makers market. Attendees can shop a variety of handmade and vintage goods — including art, home decor, clothes, jewelry, soap, candles and more.

The event is free to attend; guests will only pay for the items they purchase and KOVAL drinks they consume. Learn more here .

Chicago Rum Fest

2 p.m. Saturday

Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Blvd.

This 8th annual festival returns, bringing together hundreds of rum lovers and trade professionals from Chicago and beyond. Enjoy rum tasting from an assortment of vendors — including two Illinois-based vendors, Star Union Spirits and Chicago Cane Collective. There will also be entertainment, seminars and more.

Tickets are $20-200 online and include souvenir cups.

Rooftop House Music Day Party

4-11 p.m. Saturday

VU Rooftop Bar, 133 E. Cermak Road

This house music day party is 22 floors high and features DJs Spen, Terry Hunter and Wayne Williams. This is a 21+ event and food will be available for purchase.

Tickets are $20 and sold out online , but a limited batch is available at the door.

Chicago Palestine Film Festival

7-10 p.m. Saturday

Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St.

The 23rd annual Chicago Palestine Film Festival kicks off this weekend — and tickets are selling out quickly. It opens Saturday night with “Bye Bye Tiberias” (2023) starring Hiam Abbas, who has gained prominence in recent years through her roles in HBO drama series “Succession” (2018–2023) and Hulu comedy series “Ramy” (2019-present). Other film fest screenings include the award-winning “Israelism” (2023) and “Lyd” (2023). It closes May 4.

Learn more about the films, find the festival schedule and purchase tickets online .

Hyde Park Handmade Artisan Bazaar

11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday

The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave.

Hyde Park Handmade is a monthly indoor market featuring craft and food makers from the South Side. The free and family-friendly event offers shopping, lounge areas, workshops, cocktails and a live DJ.

Learn more and find a list of vendors here .

Dog-Friendly Market

Noon-5 p.m. Sunday

Midwest Coast Brewing, 2137 W. Walnut St.

This market boasts an afternoon filled with beers, dogs and shopping, with vendors specializing in items for pets. These include Chicago Dog Co., Art by Embee, K9 Training and Doggy Glam Boutique Plus.

RSVP for free online .

History Of Harmony

3 p.m. Sunday

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St.

Chicago a capella will be performing “History of Harmony,” a musical show co-created and narrated by Deke Sharon, music director of the “Pitch Perfect” movies. The performance, which will be put on by ten Chicago vocalists, explores how vocal harmonies have changed over time and impacted popular culture, from barbershop quartets to doo-wop to boy bands.

Tickets are $10-48 online .

Uptown Poetry Slam

3-5 p.m. Sunday

Green Mill, 4802 N. Broadway

Local talents will take the stage at legendary Uptown jazz club the Green Mill for its annual poetry slam . There is a $10 cover upon admission.

7 p.m. Sunday

Old Town School of Folk Music, 4545 N. Lincoln Ave.

Raul Midón is a celebrated singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Mexico. Blind since birth, his lyrics “explore the senses with unworldly vibrance,” inspired by a variety of rich, soulful genres like jazz, blues, R&B and folk. Midón will be bringing his talents to Chicago this weekend for a Sunday night show.

Tickets are $28-30 online .

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New Migrants Get Work Permits. Other Undocumented Immigrants Want Them, Too.

Long-term undocumented immigrants — and their employers — are feeling left out by Biden administration policies allowing most who just crossed the border to work legally.

By Miriam Jordan and Lydia DePillis

Sam Sanchez, a Chicago restaurateur, was incensed when President Biden announced last September that his administration would extend work eligibility to nearly half a million Venezuelans, many of them migrants who had recently crossed the border illegally.

Listen to this article with reporter commentary

What about his undocumented employees like Ruben, a Mexican father of two U.S.-born children who has been in the United States since 1987, and Juan, another Mexican worker, who has trained dozens of new hires at Moe’s Cantina?

“It’s offensive that my employees and other immigrants are being leapfrogged by new arrivals,” said Mr. Sanchez, who is on the board of the National Restaurant Association.

Having built lives and families since entering the country unlawfully many years ago, they have been waiting for Congress to give them a path to work legally. “For those of us here a long time trying to do everything right, it’s just not fair that we are forgotten,” said Juan, 53, whose last name was withheld out of concern about his immigration status.

Confronted with an influx of migrants making their way to Chicago, New York and other big cities, Mr. Biden has used executive power to allow several hundred thousand of them to live and work temporarily in the United States in an effort to make them less reliant on shelters and other assistance.

Now groups representing undocumented immigrants and their U.S.-citizen children — as well as their employers — are urging the president to deploy the same broad power to open channels for the more than eight million living in the United States who are barred from legal employment.

“If President Biden can grant work permits to new arrivals, he can do it for people picking our crops, emptying bedpans and cleaning hotel rooms for more than 10 years,” said Rebecca Shi, executive director of the American Business Immigration Coalition, whose 1,400 members include business associations and company executives.

Business leaders have lobbied Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill for decades to overhaul the broken immigration system and address their labor needs. But the calls have gone nowhere in an increasingly polarized Congress.

At a rally in Chicago last month, demonstrators urged the Biden administration to allow undocumented immigrants to work legally. And in Las Vegas, Nevada’s governor, a Republican, and the state’s U.S. senators, both Democrats, joined employers, unions and immigrant advocates to send the same message.

The business coalition, in a letter to the president signed by more than 300 employers and trade associations, urged “immediate action” to extend work authorization to long-term undocumented people. In particular, Ms. Shi said, the president should prioritize work permits for those without legal status: more than one million undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens, 800,000 parents of U.S.-citizen children and 300,000 farm workers.

About three quarters of the 10.5 million undocumented people in the United States as of 2021 were in the labor force, according to the Pew Research Center , an independent think tank. Roughly two million people out of the overall undocumented population have a temporary legal status that makes them eligible to work.

But a sweeping action by the president to allow millions more to work legally could prompt court challenges and political attacks from critics, even as some of those same critics have stymied or undermined the administration’s efforts.

Mr. Biden’s latest proposal — a bill this year to curb unlawful migration — was backed by top Republicans in Congress. But it collapsed after Republican leaders withdrew support, bowing to pressure from former President Donald J. Trump, their party’s presumptive presidential nominee.

The surge in migration to the United States has left Mr. Biden with no easy options. The perception that he is favoring newcomers over longtime undocumented immigrants could hurt him among Latino voters, long a Democratic bloc that has begun to fragment, with an increasing number supporting Republican candidates.

Eduardo Gamarra, a professor at Florida International University who recently polled Latino voters , said that some of them who have settled in the United States may see themselves as having less in common with the new immigrants.

“When you try to say, ‘Why are you supporting these positions?’ they will tell you, one, ‘We don’t like illegals,’ even though they might have been illegal themselves,’” Dr. Gamarra said.

Channels exist for foreigners to immigrate legally to the United States, but they are available primarily to those who have specialized skills or family already in the country.

Meanwhile, international crises have pushed millions of people toward the U.S. border. Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua have endured years of political and economic turbulence. Over the last year, President Biden has used humanitarian “parole” to allow about 390,000 people from those countries to come to the United States and receive work authorization, provided they have a financial sponsor.

Hundreds of thousands of other Venezuelans who have fled their country have received what is known as Temporary Protected Status, which has helped Venezuelans leave shelters as they receive work permits.

To better manage the flow of migrants, the Biden administration has promoted a smartphone app that since last year has granted parole to those who use it to schedule appointments at the border, creating another way for migrants to obtain work eligibility.

Margaret Stock, an immigration lawyer, said that the president has legal authority to authorize employment for others. “He may be reluctant, but Biden could grant parole and work permits to whoever he wanted,” she said.

A White House spokesman, Angelo Fernández Hernández, responded in general terms when asked about the push for work permits, saying that Congress had failed to consider the president’s 2021 proposal to reform immigration , and that, “the administration is constantly evaluating possible policy options.” Obtaining a work permit opens up a wider range of opportunities and raises immigrant wages by 10 percent on average, research shows .

Those who have lived unlawfully in the United States for decades typically work off the books, or present documents under a fake or stolen name to get hired, which is illegal. It has become more difficult to do that because about half of all states require employers to use an electronic system to detect irregularities.

Business owners like Mr. Sanchez who employ people without valid work documents have become increasingly vocal about the plight of their workers and their struggle filling jobs amid a labor shortage.

And although more seasonal guest worker visas have been issued in recent years for some sectors, like agriculture, employers say that granting work permits to longtime unauthorized immigrants would do more to address the problem.

“We have operations that want to grow,” said Matt Teagarden, chief executive of the Kansas Livestock Association. “Labor is a limiting factor.”

The billions of dollars that undocumented immigrants contribute to public coffers has heightened the sense that Mr. Biden’s recent efforts for newcomers are unfair. According to an analysis of 2021 census data by the American Immigration Council , undocumented workers paid $31 billion in federal, state and local taxes, including into the Social Security system from which they cannot draw retirement benefits.

Eréndira Rendón, whose parents are undocumented Mexicans in their late 60s, has watched mayors press the White House to issue work permits to recently arrived migrants straining municipal resources.

Her mother jarred pickles and her father worked in a slaughterhouse. They put two children through college and bought a home. Because they cannot receive retirement benefits, they depend on their children to help them.

“I wish the mayors were advocating as loudly for undocumented people who have been here all these years,” said Ms. Rendón, 38, who works for a nonprofit in Chicago called the Resurrection Project that helps new migrants complete work permit applications.

For some immigrants, new migrants also create competition for jobs. Although research generally shows that immigrants do not depress wages overall, there can be short-term effects on similar workers.

The dynamic is palpable in New York City at the corners where immigrants hustle for work. Lucia Goyen, director of day laborer programs at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, says newcomers will often accept just a few dollars an hour, lowering wages for everyone.

When new arrivals receive work permits, they are free to find a job in the formal economy that is still off limits to many who have been in the city far longer.

”There has been this frustration of, ‘I’ve been here 20-30 years, I have no access to a work permit, but this is a growing list of things that new migrants are getting handed to them,’” Ms. Goyen said.

Read by Miriam Jordan

Audio produced by Jack D’Isidoro .

Miriam Jordan reports from a grass roots perspective on immigrants and their impact on the demographics, society and economy of the United States. More about Miriam Jordan

Lydia DePillis reports on the American economy. She has been a journalist since 2009, and can be reached at [email protected]. More about Lydia DePillis

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