Tying in with the launch of the Chicago Supreme burger from our sponsors McDonald’s, we’ve picked five of our favourite things to do in one of America’s great cities.
Think of a bustling American city with skyscrapers and you’re most likely going to think of New York. But why be like most people when there’s Chicago to investigate?
New York has the Empire State Building; Chicago has the (bigger) Sears Tower. New York has Hudson Bay and ferry trips across to Staten Island; Chicago has the Great Lake and a trip on the Ferris Wheel.
New York has Central Park; Chicago has Lincoln Park. New York has its rich history of Irish immigration; the Irish played a major part in making Chicago what it is today.
What Chicago has that New York doesn’t is the best pizza in the world, the best jazz clubs in the world and the best nightclubs in the world… or at least that’s what the proud locals say.
To give you a taste of life in the city that put Al Capone and Barack Obama on the map, here are five suggestions for how to spend your days and nights.
1. Head down to the pier
Chicago’s Navy Pier isn’t exactly what you’d call a hidden gem. In fact, it attracts around 8 million people per year. Initial construction started almost 100 years ago and since then there have been a fair few developments, resulting in the tourist magnet of today.
The pier area features around 50 acres of parkland, restaurants, shops and entertainment centres including an IMAX cinema and the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. It’s also home to Chicago’s Ferris Wheel and a miniature golf course.
2. Spend 15 minutes being arty with Andy Warhol
By now Andy Warhol has enjoyed possibly the longest 15 minutes of fame in history. Yet decades after his death, new work from the notorious New York pop artist continues to pop up. Throughout the summer, previously un-toured work is on show at the Arts Club of Chicago and the Smart Museum of Art.
The 102-section silk-screen exhibition entitled Shadows, based on photographs of a single shadow, is usually on permanent display in NYC but 54 sections can currently be seen at the Arts Club (until 29 July).
Meanwhile over at the Smart Museum of Art there’s an exhibition made up of Polaroid pictures that Warhol took as part of his research process.
3. Follow in Al Capone’s footsteps
We’re not suggesting that you get involved in an illegal liquor racket or arrange for rival gang members to be gunned down. What we are suggesting is that you head to the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, a spot that was a favourite haunt of the city’s most notorious citizens (at least, before Jerry Springer moved to Chicago).
What the Green Mill has been providing for a very long time is one of the best venues for live jazz in the city. Opened shortly after the end of Prohibition, this is one of the oldest jazz clubs in the world and stays pretty true to its roots.
There’s a tiny stage and the place gets rammed at weekends. If you’re lucky (and early) you may be able to grab a seat at the front or in one of the velvet booths that line the walls.
While Chicago has built up an impressive reputation for its live music scene, its club scene is equally vibrant. We suggest checking out the mammoth Sound-Bar which spans across several levels and as a result offers something for everyone.
In April 2011 Sound-Bar did a spring clean of its lower level and installed a new lighting system that gives the room an intense vibe that’s perfect for the electronic, trance and house music being played down there.
Basement club Smart also comes highly recommended and boasts a seriously kick-ass sound system that’ll have you dancing whether you intend to or not and attracts some of the best DJs from Europe, Chicago, Detroit and beyond.
4. Take in a game
Baseball is big in Chicago with two teams vying for supremacy. Whether to watch the Cubs or the White Sox, a trip down to the ball park is an essential part of Chicago life.
What could be better than sitting in a stadium on a warm summer day with a beer in one hand and a hotdog in the other while watching glorified rounders?
Wrigley Field (below) is home to the Cubs and has been since 1914, making it the oldest National League ball park in baseball. The team itself has been going since 1876.
The Cubs may be the oldest active team in North American sports, but rivals the White Sox aren’t exactly newbies having been around since 1900. They were the World Series champs in 2005 – ending an 88-year wait for glory – and draw big crowds to their home stadium, US Cellular Field.
5. Drink some beer
Chicago is home to a number of artisan breweries and they’re proud of their output. So much so that they’re celebrating what can be done with hops and a bit of yeast with a festival from 19-27 May.
The Chicago Craft Beer Week offers the chance to ‘research’ loads of local beers at a wide range of hospitable Chicago hostelries. It’s the perfect way to meet the locals (i.e. through a slightly inebriated haze) and details of the event are to be found at chibeerweek.com.
If you miss the event, head down to Revolution Brewing Company where you can sample from a selection of around 35 ales produced through the year.
Where to stay…
Kimpson Hotels are a small American chain of boutique hotels that range from the stylish to the downright funky. They tend to be located centrally in the big US cities and there are four to choose from in Chicago and are reasonably priced given the range of facilities they offer.
Make your choice from the Hotel Allegro, Hotel Burnham, Hotel Monaco and Hotel Palomar. Check out www.kimptonhotels.com for more details.
Where to eat…
While you might get a grudging nod to the fact that Italy is the original home of the pizza, Chicago residents are insistent that their city is the place that made pizza the popular dish it is today.
There are a plethora of places offering big flat servings of the stone-baked stuff covered in a variety of toppings.
But if you want the very best, you need to be prepared to queue. Nick Lessins’ Great Lake pizza joint in Andersonville (1477 W Balmoral Ave) is tiny and comes with the endorsement of food critics from GQ and the New York Times.
He only makes three combinations a night and there are only 12 seats, but what you’ll get will be a pizza unlike one you’ve tasted before (and in a good way).
If you want a pizza that’s not really a pizza at all, then head to Crust (2056 W Division St), home to some mightily tasty German Flammkuchen – basically thin crust pizzas with a base of crème fraîche rather than tomato sauce.
Just to be bleedin’ awkward, Crust replaces the crème fraîche with caraway-seasoned béchamel sauce and then adding chunks of crispy bacon and caramelized purple onions.
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