A visit to Chicago leaves you spellbound. Like all other metropolitan cities of North America such as Los Angeles and New York, Chicago also has a truly cosmopolitan nature. This is evident by the number of people from all over the world who have made this lovely city their home.
The incredible diversity of people give Chicago its character, with an incredible blend of culture and arts. Chicago is a unique place to find jazz and blues, it permeates the city. The cultural also creates a rich diversity in the culinary circles of the city. With so much happening, Chicago should be on the top of your list of cities to visit.
You can view examples of Chicago's rich cultural heritage from the past 5000 years, all in one place at the Art Institute of Chicago. It showcases among other stalwarts of art and culture, a wide spectrum of postimpressionist and impressionist paintings. When surround by such beauty very often you can loose the thread of time finding it hard to let go of the past. But no worry you can take memories of this visit with you in form of pictures such as those with lions in front of the museum.
A good way to truly experience the lifestyle of any city is to visit its neighborhood. One such area is Lincoln Park, which is famous for its Biograph Theater, site of the John Dillinger shootout by FBI in 1934. This neighborhood never sleeps and reflects the spirit of Chicago. At all times you can find people strolling, walking, running, cycling or even rollerblading among the hustle and bustle of a busy city life.
Other attractions in this neighborhood include the Lincoln Zoo, which is free to the public. Visit with the gorillas and chimpanzees before checking out the more uncommon animals, such as the Galapagos turtle and poisonous spiders from around the world. A big hit at this zoo is when the chimpanzees come out to draw for you. Some of the art created by the chimpanzees has been sold around the world.
By now quite a few of you must be wondering about an important aspect of any trip, shopping. Chicago provides ample opportunity for this, on the Magnificent Mile avenue stretching from the Park to the Chicago River. Another landmark of Chicago that you can find on path is the Tribune Tower, standing in all its gothic beauty from 1925 till today. This tower's base is also the resting place of various rocks that have been brought from all over the world by newspaper reporters.
Besides the zoo, Chicago also boasts of one of the earliest aquariums with world's largest marine and aquatic animals collections, the Shedd Aquarium, built in 1929, popular among kids. You can have look at marine life such as penguins, dolphins, beluga whales, harbor seals, moray eel & quiet nurse shark. There are as many as 500 variety of tropical fish here.
No visit to Chicago is complete without a stop at Wrigley field, the famous baseball field of the century. Walk around and get a feel for the game. Taking home a few pictures of this famous landmark will make you the envy of any baseball fan.
Chicago does not have any season to its name. In fact it is a city for all seasons, though the winters are a quite cold with the snow added in. Nonetheless its charm gets to you, it has something for everyone true to its reputation.
