What to see in Chicago, an itinerary including the main places of interest, including a large lake, parks, shops, skyscrapers, neighborhoods, period buildings and breathtaking views from above.
Tourist information
The city of Chicago is located in the state of Illinois USA, in the Midwest of the United States of America.
It is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, the only one of the five major Laurentian lakes in North America to be entirely included in the United States.
Chicago is the third largest city by population in the United States, a multi-ethnic metropolis that has managed and managed over time, an important industrial, financial and cultural center. Its architectural heritage is noteworthy, characterized by some of the highest buildings in the world.
The origins of the city date back to the early part of the 1800s when, with the Greenville treaty, the native population of the area, the Potawatomi, was forced to surrender its territory to the United States government.
The Town Hall was founded in 1833 and an important waterway, the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which connected Lake Michigan to the Illinois River tributary of the Mississippi, was inaugurated in 1848, while many railways were built for land connections.
These works contributed greatly to the development of trade and the expansion of the city. Chicago found itself in a strategic position, a point of union between the Atlantic area of New York and the great central plains of Mississippi and soon became a thriving place for trade in agricultural and livestock products, as well as an important industrial center for processing and meat preservation.
All this thanks to people from all over the world, who moved to these lands and created this attractive city. In the second half of the twentieth century, with the entry into crisis of the traditional economy, the inhabitants of Chicago were able to adapt to the change by moving towards a service-based economy.
What see
In Chicago there is the most important grain exchange in the United States, the second US stock exchange, after the one in New York.
The loop is the financial, commercial, cultural and political center of Chicago.
It is surrounded by an elevated railway from which it takes its name and characterized by extraordinary works of modern architecture, including skyscrapers of great architectural interest and sculptures made by famous artists.
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Lake Michigan is a large lake of glacial origin, falling within the region of the great lakes, with the Strait of Mackinac connecting it to Lake Huron.
In it you can carry out various activities, including fishing and windsurfing, walking along its banks on foot or by bicycle, or sunbathing on the numerous beaches during the summer.
Millennium Park is the largest green area in the city, popular with locals to relax and breathe fresh air.
It is the exhibition venue for works of art and modern architecture, including Cloud Gate, Crown Fountain, Lurie Garden and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
The Cloud Gate is the sculpture that became famous for its particular size, with over 100 tons of steel, the work of the artist Anish Kapoor.
Michigan Avenue is the shopping street dedicated to the big brands, which starts from Millennium Park.
The avenue itself is lined with buildings that are considered among the most beautiful in the city, including Wrigley Building, John Hancock Observatory, Water Tower and Chicago Tribune.
The Rookery is a period commercial building, built in 1888 by architects Daniel Burnham and John Root, finely decorated.
John Hancock Center is the building where one of the tallest bars in the world is located, ideal for enjoying a wonderful panoramic view of Chicago from above.
Lincoln Park Zoo is the city's zoological park with free admission.
At Willis Tower, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city, you can experience the sensation of walking suspended in the void, moving over the floor of the glass balconies located on the top floor at 396 meters high.
Michigan Avenue Bridge is the main drawbridge in the city, serving as a link between the south and north, where the large parks are located.
Andersonville is a neighborhood in the north of the city on the shores of Lake Michigan.
In the past it was a simple fishing village, created by a community of Swedes who moved here, today it has become a reference point for the gay and lesbian community of Chicago.
Buckingham Fountain represents one of the most suggestive fountains in the city, designed by the French architect Jacques Lambert following the Fontaine de Latona in the Versailles gardens as a model, at the behest of Kate Buckingham in memory of her brother Clarence Buckingham.
