Eat to the beat
delightful tour guide David said we’d have “just a few bites” – American for just a few meals – in three hours I scoffed: the best meatball in marinara sauce ever at Nonnas, light-as-air buttermilk doughnuts at Do-Rite, Roman-style pizza at Bonci, caramelised chicken dumplings at Urbanbelly and bee pollen chocolates from Bad Bach at the Time Out Market.
I also learn it’s sacrilege to put ketchup on your hot dog here. They are a huge deal in Chicago and there are about 2,000 stands – 10 times the number of McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s combined.
West Loop was put on the map when talk show queen Oprah Winfrey opened her studios here in 1988, now top chefs flock in.
Italian-Croatian fusion restaurant Rose Mary has been booked solid since opening last April and boasts months-long waiting lists. One bite of the lamb ragu with peppers and caciocavallo and I see why. Of course you can’t visit
Chicago without trying the deep dish pizza. It’s hotly debated who serves the best but I was hooked on the 3in thick ones at Lou Malnati’s.
What to do
You can get a serious case of the blues in Chicago – but only the good kind. We got our first hit at Buddy Guy’s Legends – owned by Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame member Buddy, who inspired the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, and toured with The Rolling Stones.
At lively jazz club The Green Mill, which opened in 1907, revellers cram in every night to watch bands perform on a stage once home to Billie Holiday. Al Capone had his own booth and there’s still a trapdoor which mobsters once used for a quick escape.
Join the crowds to take selfies at the ‘Bean’ artwork, officially called Cloud
Gate, in the $500million Millennium Park. The sculpture by British artist Sir Anish Kapoor is made from hundreds of seamlessly welded steel plates. Check out improv at comedy club The Second City which spawned Bill Murray, John Candy, Steve Carell and Tina Fey.
Walk past Magnificent Mile’s swanky shops to North Beach for stunning skyline snaps.
Visit quaint neighbourhood Andersonville, one of Chicago’s best kept secrets and voted America’s coolest place to live.
Head to Replay for delicious drinks and food at Southern-style restaurant Big Jones, where the cornbread is to die for.
Back in the city we hop aboard Chicago Architecture Foundation Center’s tour boat Chicago’s First Lady as we chug along the Chicago River learning about skyline stunners including the Chicago Tribune and the cathedral-like Wrigley Building.
Chicagoans used the Great Fire in 1871 as a rebirth, with architects building skyscrapers and setting the standard for every American city.
Second to none...
Some say Chicago’s ‘Second City’ nickname stemmed from this rebuild, others say it’s because it’s viewed as second to New York.
It may not be the Big Apple but with beautiful buildings, the blues, beaches, brilliant bars and baseball, this is a city I’d prefer a bite of any day.
Al Capone had his own booth and there’s still a mobsters’ trapdoor