Just Back From Chicago
by Jennifer Liss
Recently back from holiday in Chicago, a big city where the locals are friendly.
The “taste of Chicago” is a big music (mostly blues) and food festival which happens every year at Grant Park in July which runs for a week and was on whilst I visited. There you can have the foot long hot dogs, soft pretzels with honey mustard, cinnamon roasted pecans, as well as Mexican tamales, quesadillas, hickory smoked baby back ribs (local favourite) and polish sausages with heaps of grilled onions.
The most recent development in Chicago is the new Millennium Park which is central to the city near Grant Park, The Art Institute of Chicago, and Buckingham Fountain. It really is amazing how they have created a space for live music amphitheater with speakers that hang overhead so everyone can hear... Really a treat to listen to outdoor concerts which happen daily/nightly all throughout the summer and a lot of them are free. Aside from Millennium Park there are many great Blues and Jazz bars - I recommend Buddy Guys’ if you are a Blues fan and for Jazz fans make sure you make your way to Green Mill a place Al Capone used to hang out. The décor still reflects the 1930’s Chicago is reknown for its Architecture, and its shows. There is an interesting array of buildings from each decade still standing the icons - would be Frank Lloyd Wright and Meis Van Droh and currently Donald Trump has began construction of Trump Towers going up on State Street in the heart of the city. The city offers Architectural boat cruises which I can highly recommend. There is a city highlights bus tour that departs from the Watertower and currently is a free tour, this is worthwhile for a bit of history and orientation.
There is plenty to see and do in Chicago it is very cosmopolitan city, a melting pot of culture with big influences of Latino, Polish, Italian and Irish. It is also a pretty city situated around Lake Michigan; the beaches are clean good for swimming and very hot summer. Chicago is definitely a town that never sleeps...and nobody should be bored in this town. Chicagoans are big on their live music and food. At any hour you will find something to suit your taste and mood. This city is also pretty compact and easy to get around using the EL and the buses. |
