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THE ARCHITECTURE You can’t miss Chicago’s stratospheric skyline even as you travel in a cab or bus from the airport to your hotel.

To truly take in the city’s range of architecture styles, hop on board a 90-minute Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise (architecture.org, $47) which takes you on a historical tour of what has been a constantly-changing horizon ever since much the city was destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

Certified volunteers interpret more than 50 buildings along the Chicago River, chronicling its literal rise from the ashes over the past 150 years. Highlights include the neo-gothic Tribune Tower on North Michigan Avenue and the Marina City twin ‘corn cob’ towers.