Chicago Highlights: Places to See & Eat

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the third-most populous city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents. Adjacent to Lake Michigan, the Chicago metropolitan area (commonly referred to as Chicagoland) has a population of more than 9.5 million people in three U.S. states, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, and was the third largest U.S. metropolitan area in 2000. One of the largest cities in North America, Chicago is among the world's twenty-five largest urban areas by population, and rated an alpha world city by the World Cities Study Group at Loughborough University.

Chicago incorporated as a city in 1837 after being founded in 1833 near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. The city soon became a major transportation hub in North America and the transportation, financial and industrial center of the Midwest. Today the city's attractions bring 44.2 million visitors annually. O'Hare International is the second busiest airport in the world. The city has a notable and famous political culture, is a stronghold of the Democratic Party, and has been home to numerous influential politicians, including the first African-American President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Chicago is called the "Windy City", "Chi-Town", "Second City," and the "City of Broad Shoulders".

Chicago Neighborhoods

Chicago is partitioned by the city into four main sections: Downtown (which contains the Loop), the North Side, the South Side, and the West Side. In the late 1920s sociologists at the University of Chicago subdivided the city into 77 distinct community areas. The boundaries of these areas are more clearly defined than those of the over 210 neighborhoods throughout the city, allowing for better year-by-year comparisons.

The Loop contains downtown's commercial, cultural, and financial institutions. The North Side is the most densely populated residential section of the city and the River North neighborhood features the nation's largest concentration of contemporary art galleries outside of Manhattan. The South Side is also home to two of the city's largest parades, the annual African American Bud Billiken Day parade and the South Side Irish Parade. It is home to two of Chicago's largest public parks. Jackson Park, which hosted the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, is currently the site of the Museum of Science and Industry. Washington Park, which is connected to Jackson Park by the Midway Plaisance, is currently being considered as the primary site of the Olympic Stadium for the 2016 Summer Olympics if Chicago wins the bid. The West Side holds the Garfield Park Conservatory, one of the largest collections of tropical plants of any U.S. city. Cultural attractions include Humboldt Park's Puerto Rican Day festival, and the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen.

There are around 228 named neighborhoods of Chicago.The boundaries and names of these neighborhoods are not strictly defined and change as a result of gentrification and immigration. Residents and realtors tend to assign new names as neighorhoods evolve. Often, two residents of the same neighborhood, will describe different neighborhood boundaries, which may be based on zip codes, ethnic groupings, or simply personal opinion.

Chicago contains some of the most culturally rich communities in the United States. Each neighborhood maintains a strong identity and because of this, two different neighborhoods could seem like different parts of the world. One neighborhood might have multi-million dollar condominiums with a yuppie population, and another bordering neighborhood could have an impoverished immigrant ethnic contingent with street side fruit and vegetable marketplaces.

Chicago is partitioned into four main sections: Downtown (which contains the Loop), the North Side, the South Side, and the West Side. In the late 1920s, the Social Science Research Committee at the University of Chicago subdivided the city into 77 distinct community areas for a long-term population study. The boundaries of these areas are more clearly defined than those of the over 210 neighborhoods throughout the city, allowing for better year-by-year comparisons. However, the ever-changing nature of a city means that several of the designations given in the 1920s may not still be in common use.

 

Places to see

(This list is endless so I'll keep it brief. Call me for more!)

 

 

Millennium Park is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design. The result of a unique partnership between the City of Chicago and the philanthropic community, the 24.5-acre Park features the work of world-renowned architects, planners, artists and designers. Among Millennium Park's prominent features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor’s hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture. Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the west, Columbus Drive to the east, Randolph Street to the North and Monroe Street to the South.

 

 

The Gold Coast neighborhood grew in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire. In 1882, millionaire Potter Palmer moved to the area from the Prairie Avenue neighborhood on the city's south side. He filled in a swampy area which later became Lake Shore Drive, and built the Palmer Mansion, a forty-two room castle-like structure designed by Henry Ives Cobb and Charles Sumner Frost. Other wealthy Chicagoans followed Potter into the neighborhood, which became one of the richest in Chicago. In the late 1980s, the Gold Coast and neighboring Streeterville comprised the second most-affluent neighborhood in the United States, behind Manhattan's Upper East Side. Today, the neighborhood is a mixture of mansions, row houses, and high-rise apartments. Highlights include the Astor Street District and the James Charnley House.

 

Places to eat!

(Another endless list that I will keep brief. You won't find touristy recommendations here, just places that are great!)

Nuevo Leon: Located in the heart of the heavily Mexican Pilsen neighborhood, this family owned gem has been serving Chicagoans for more than 40 years!

Ristorante Agostino: Located in the heavily Italian area of Harlem Avenue on the Northwest Side, this restaurant specializes in Italian fine seafood.

 

Chicago Brauhaus: This Bavarian treasure is located in the heart of Lincoln Square, and features great German food, beer and music 6 nights a week!

 

Opera: Located in the South Loop, this chic restaurant is Chinese with Modern Presentations! Voted best Chinese in 2007.

 

Twin Anchors: Located in an historic Old Town building that dates back to 1881, Twin Anchors Restaurant & Tavern is one of the oldest restaurants in the city of Chicago. It features great, tender, barbequed baby-back ribs that can be enjoyed in a quaint neighborhood tavern atmosphere. Notes for the adults: This was a Frank Sinatra favorite! Notes for the younger generation: Scenes in the blockbuster "The Dark Knight" were also filmed at the Twins!

 

 

Gene & Georgetti: founded in 1941 by Gene Michelotti and his partner Alfredo Federighi, who was nicknamed “Georgetti” after a famous Italian cyclist. Located in the heart of River North, Gene & Georgetti is Chicago’s oldest and one of its finest steakhouses.