Around Frank Lloyd Wright's old stomping grounds in Oak Park, Ill., 2014 was a big year. Of course, every year is a big year at the architect's first home and studio, which draws crowds of people from around the world even when it's not celebrating its 125th anniversary. People come to Oak Park for the sensational stories as well as the architecture. Wright was notoriously ill-behaved, breaking promises and scoffing at rules. He was a genius, and he knew it.
Go to story ...Chicago is like one big theme park. The thing is, you have to bring your own theme. I have one every time I go there: Blues and bicycling. Museums and dim sum. Skyscrapers and food tours. That's because the possibilities are endless. There's so much to do in Chicago that it's easy to bounce around like a kid in a candy store, overwhelmed by choices, as time runs out.
Go to story ...If you love to visit Chicago, as we do, you have a compelling reason to look for discounts when you're visiting — the more you save, the sooner you can return.
Go to story ...everything about Chicago is ethnic. Chicago is a mosaic, a city of neighborhoods settled by waves of immigrants who arrived to dig its waterways, build its railroads and work in its slaughterhouses. One of its first neighborhoods was Bridgeport, settled by Irish canal workers in the 1840s and the stronghold of Mayor Richard J. Daley and his son Richard M. Daley, the current mayor.
Go to story ...Visiting Chicago during the holidays, I'm always bowled over by how merry everyone is. Can it be . . . Chicago Nice? It's either that or pixie dust.
Go to story ...For parents, it's hard to predict what kids will like best about Chicago. Pitting high culture against popular culture, we knew what the biggest hits would be: the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier, Lincoln Park Zoo, the elevated train, deep-dish pizza, perhaps the Museum of Science and Industry.
Go to story ...Everything that's worth doing, you can do along Chicago's lakefront. Seniors in Speedos climb out of Lake Michigan after swimming laps. Chess players hunch over boards in a 1957 pavilion that looks like the Jetsons' carport. Young people gather for beach volleyball and paddle kayaks in the shadow of yachts. Overhead, a biplane pulls a flapping beer banner through the sky.
Go to story ...The Chicago River never has run clear. Before settlers arrived, it was a lethargic prairie river that ran through a swamp the Potawatomi calledChecaugou — for "swamp weed,'' or "wild onion.'' Then factories and slaughterhouses turned it into a sewer. At the confluence of the main branch with the north and south branches, Bubbly Creek was named for the methane gas that rose from decomposing carcasses on the river bottom.
Go to story ...These days, tourists have to compete with hordes of conventioneers and suburbanites fleeing back to the city. Prices, of course, have gone up. Still, there's a lot to do for free. Here are 10 tips for making a trip affordable.
Go to story ...There's an endless number of fun things to do in Chicago, which is why tourists flock to it from around the world. To paraphrase the English wit Samuel Johnson, "When a man is tired of Chicago, he is tired of life.''
Go to story ...In Chicago, there's great people-watching — but the building-watching is even better. The city is best known for humongous buildings - the Willis (Sears) Tower, 875 N. Michigan Ave. (the Hancock Center), the Aon Center. But clustered around their knees are others that attract tourists from all over the world, buildings with so much flair it's tempting to give them personalities. There's Helmut Jahn's Thompson Center, the brassy showgirl with the heart of gold, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Federal Plaza, the geek with the thick black glasses.
Go to story ...Once, Chicago was a meat-and-potatoes town, the City of Broad Shoulders. Chicagoans still brawl over who has the best deep-dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs, which come with no ketchup but so many condiments they're "dragged through the garden." But these days locals are just as likely to seek out the best macarons and gelato, and on special occasions, they dine at Michelin-starred restaurants with avant-garde chefs who are more Jeff Koons than Betty Crocker.
Go to story ...Chicago has come a long way since it was hog butcher to the world. There was nothing very appetizing about early Chicago. The factories and slaughterhouses that made it grow also made it stink. Rotting carcasses made the Chicago River bubble; a glass of water came with a side of cholera. But the city grew up. The immigrants who packed its meat, dug its waterways and built its railroads moved on and were replaced by new immigrants, who settled in places that became known as Little Italy, Andersonville, Polish Village, Ukrainian Village, Chinatown, Greek Town and Pilsen.
Go to story ...Chicago is a fun, fun place to be.
Go to story ...It isn't true that dead men tell no tales. Actually, they can be quite chatty. At Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, their stories keep up to seven tour guides busy, especially during Halloween season.
Go to story ...In high-spirited Chicago, Halloween is the most spirited weekend of the year. We came dressed as Lame Tourists, but no one seemed to mind. We had no idea Halloween was that big in Chicago, but we were glad we'd stumbled into it.
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