MY KIND OF TOWN N
Michelle Harbi is won over by Chicago’s superlative attractions and fun-loving spirit
Striking architecture and world-class art make Chicagoago a first-rate destination
Crossing Michigan Avenue on a Friday night en route to dinner, we were suddenly stopped in our tracks by a flash mob of cyclists. A seemingly endless mass of them whooshed through as they headed up the Magnificent Mile, ringing their bells and calling out, “Happy Friday!”
Chicagoans love their weekends – in fact, in the summer, when I visited, they love every day. It’s no wonder, perhaps, for a city that experiences such long and cold winters. From leisurely lunches on streetside terraces to post-work cocktails atop its rooftop bars, everywhere was buzzing with locals enjoying the sunshine. Even after the baseball at Wrigley Field on a Wednesday afternoon, the surrounding bars were thick with a party crowd, no one looking particularly bothered about heading back to the office.
Even if you are not in town for business, the US’s third-biggest city is a good option for a long weekend, with a flight time of about eight and a half hours from London. And it is, undoubtedly, a place with pretty much everything you would want from a top-notch city break.
It has phenomenal architecture – the world’s first skyscraper was built here in 1885, at a then-dizzying ten storeys, albeit somewhat of a dwarf compared with the city’s tallest building these days, the 110-floor Willis Tower. It is blessed by its fabulous setting on Lake Michigan, offers excellent shopping along the Magnificent Mile and beyond, and has abundant green spaces, world-beating art, great hotels, superb dining and lively bars (see overleaf). And, while being a huge metropolis, it retains a relaxed and friendly Midwestern vibe. Can you tell I liked it?
RIVER VIEW
Taking in Chicago’s soaring architecture can simply be done by wandering the streets of the Loop – the business district – where many of the best examples are located. But if craning your neck gets too much, then take them in from the water.
One of the city’s most popular attractions, and rightly so, is the Chicago Architecture Foundation river cruise aboard First Lady Cruises, which will take you past more than 50 of the city’s finest structures. The foundation’s knowledgeable volunteers share the stories behind the buildings,
in doing so providing an insight into the history of Chicago itself.
The river is a great vantage point from which to see the range of architectural styles in close proximity – from the clean lines of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s AMA Plaza to the 1960s corncob-shaped Marina City towers and the majestic Wrigley Building. Tours last an hour and a half and run throughout the day (April-November; from US$44; cruisechicago.com).
MASTER OF ART
Back on dry land, take some time to explore the city’s expansive public art collection. In 1967, the huge Cubist sculpture by Picasso on Daley Plaza was gifted to Chicago by the artist; the following decade, the city council ruled that 1.33 per cent of the budget for new public buildings and spaces be set aside for original art. There are now more than 100 works dotted around Downtown, including pieces by Joan Miro, Sol LeWitt and Henry Moore.
Wander through Millennium Park and you’ll discover some more recent landmarks – Frank Gehry’s eye-popping Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Anish Kapoor’s perspective-bending Cloud Gate sculpture, and the Crown Fountain. Designed by Spain’s Jaume Plensa, this comprises two 15-metre-high glass blocks on to which the faces of Chicago citizens are projected; wait long enough and water will spout out of their mouths, gargoyle style, for kids to splash around in.
At the end of Millennium Park, you could easily spend half a day in the Art Institute of Chicago – one of the world’s best galleries, with a collection spanning about 300,000 works. The Impressionism and New Contemporary sections are superb – the latter reopened last year and is home to pieces by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein – while Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks and Grant Wood’s American Gothic are among the other major draws (open 10.30am-5pm, Thurs 8pm; US$25; artic.edu).