Chicago travel info

Stand on any bridge over the Chicago River and both banks are walls of buildings: the twin corncobs of Marina City, the white clock tower of the Wrigley Building, new glass towers with the river rippling across them. When an architecture tour boat slides underneath, the guide's voice echoes off the bridge. The city burned down in the Great Fire of 1871, architects poured in to rebuild it, and the skyscraper was born here.

Overhead, the elevated 'L' trains rattle their way around the Loop. Walk a few blocks out from under the steel girders and you hit Lake Michigan, wide enough to show a horizon, with real sand beaches where people swim in summer. A typical day: snap your reflection in the silver Bean at Millennium Park, stand inches from Seurat's dots at the Art Institute, then catch the roar of a ball game over the walls of Wrigley Field.

The food is heavy. Deep-dish pizza two knuckles tall, a hot dog with seven toppings and no ketchup, Italian beef dunked whole in its own gravy. Winter demands respect: January highs hover around freezing, and the wind off the lake tears between the towers. O'Hare, the main international airport, is a direct train ride from the Loop.

Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)

Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)