Catch a Chicago Bears game at Soldier Field.
Chicago isn’t just about sports, though.
It’s a place where you’re sure to find plenty of things to do and eat.
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Just verify you save room for deep dish pizza and a Chicago dog.
Runners may want to wait until October when the city hosts the annual Chicago marathon.
Chicago and its surrounding areas are collectively referred to as Chicagoland.
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Whatever you do, do not ask for ketchup.
Uber, Lyft and cabs are also plentiful across much of Chicago.
It’s easy to get from both Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway to downtown Chicago via the El.
Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria
Bus information is available via text, follow the instructions posted on bus stop signs.
Rideshare: Uber and Lyft are your main options in Chicago.
Uber tends to be a little cheaper than Lyft, though that’s not always the case.
Courtesy of The Drake, a Hilton Hotel
Rooms are spacious and bathrooms are perfect for lounging in a bathtub full of bubbles.
It is located along the Chicago River just a block from the shops of Michigan Avenue.
The decor is inspired by Lake Michigan, and the in-room tech addresses every need you could have.
Courtesy of The Langham
It’s also a Michelin-starred restaurant.
The hotel has a rooftop pool for swimming with a view.
It sits in the Lakeshore East neighborhood, a couple of blocks from the iconic Millennium Park.
Courtesy of The Peninsula
The hotel offers classic St. Regis amenities like butler service and afternoon tea.
This is a luxury hotel with history.
Frank Sinatra used to perform here, and former President Bill Clinton has stayed here.
Courtesy of St. Regis Chicago
The current building is the third iteration of the hotel.
The first structure burned down during the fire of 1871.
The second was visited by Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Grover Cleveland and Ulysses S. Grant.
Courtesy of ACME Hotels
A meeting at that hotel is what gave way to the creation of the Big Ten Conference.
An intimate hotel with just 21 rooms, it’s a 10-minute walk from Wrigley Field.
Rooms and common areas are baseball themed.
Courtesy of Au Cheval
The lobby has baseball bats on the ceiling, and you’ll find plenty of stadium signs all around.
The building was designed in 1929 as an office building and has since been converted into an 89-room hotel.
The hotel is just a few steps from the train to O’Hare International Airport.
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It has a rooftop cocktail bar with exclusive guest happy hours and epic views of the Chicago skyline.
The Robey offers free bike rentals and stocks rooms with local beers.
That’s where you’ll find the Bunny Slope, likely Chicago’s only hot tub bar.
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Menu items include chicken liver, roasted marrow bones, and a signature cheeseburger like none other.
The Au Cheval burger is simple: prime beef formed into four-ounce patties and layered with Kraft American cheese.
Izard is a James Beard Award-winning chef and has beaten chefs including Bobby Flay in cooking competitions.
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Girl and the Goat features family-style dishes with Meditteranean inspiration.
Menu items include swiss chard-kale pierogis, grilled pork belly, wood oven-roasted pig face and goat liver mousse.
Don’t skip the handcrafted cocktails or the bourbon ice cream dessert.
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Don’t miss the eggplant parmesan, roasted baby octopus, organic veal skirt steak, or the burrata.
The restaurant has three locations, one in Chicago’s Chinatown and two suburban outposts in Evanston and Naperville.
Joy Yee’s was among the first places in Chicago where patrons could get Taiwanese-style bubble tee.
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Frontera Grill won a prestigious James Beard award in 2007.
Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizzas are made from scratch using hand-selected California vine-ripened tomatoes.
Gino’s East cooks their deep dish pizza with a cornmeal-like crust and the cheese on the bottom.
Toppings are placed on top of the cheese, then covered in sauce.
Chef Grant Achatz is best known for his outlandish dishes that marry creativity with phenomenal flavor.
A favorite dish: an edible helium balloon made from taffy.
The Architecture Foundation’s boat tour offers an opportunity to do that while learning about Chicago architecture.
It’s now the second-tallest building in the U.S. behind One World Trade Center in New York.
On a clear day, visitors can see Michigan and Wisconsin.
Try the enclosed moving platform that tilts visitors over Michigan avenue.
You don’t have to head to the observation deck to check out the epic views though.
Chicago has 26 miles of lakeshore and 25 beaches.
North Avenue Beach, just north of downtown, is popular for yoga and beach volleyball.
Oak Street Beach is closest to downtown Chicago.
Admission to Chicago’s beaches is free.
Lifeguards are on duty between 11 am and 7 pm during the summer.
Al Capone was once a regular and his favorite booth is still standing.
Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, is located across from the Field Museum.
The Second City
Chicago is a comedy mecca.
The Second City is one of many Chicago comedy clubs.
The fountain operates from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. from mid-April to mic-October.
Water shows are scheduled for every hour on the hour.
Millennium Park, known for its summer concerts and winter ice skating, is located within Grant Park.
Nowadays, it hosts concerts, plays, touring Broadway shows, comedy, and more.
The theater’s famous marquee is frequently used in movies, TV and artwork depicting the city.
Can’t work a live performance into your Chicago itinerary?
Tours of the property are available.
It offers 758,000 square feet of shopping in the heart of downtown Chicago.
It’s also where you’ll find Barney’s, Harry Winston, and a Vera Wang bridal salon.
Among some of Lincoln Park’s more popular shops: Alice & Wonder, Enzo Custom and Art Effect.
Lincoln Park is also home to several chain retailers and the world’s largest Lululemon.
It has two locations, one in the West Loop and another in Pilsen.
The West Loop location alone has more than 50,000 books in its inventory.
It’s also got plenty of places to read.
Wrigleyville:If you’re a baseball fan, Wrigleyville is the neighborhood for you.
Fall is generally pleasant with lots of colorful leaves.
