You don’t have to look for gourmet restaurants to taste Chicago. Many cafes, bars and pizzerias will offer a hearty American breakfast, snack or lunch of a quite solid level with a check from 50-70 USD per person.
According to toppharmacyschools, Chicago is a city of many districts with different architecture, culture, and sometimes a dominant nationality. Thousands of emigrants from all over the world did not dissolve in it, but founded tiny colonies – small Poland, Ukraine and Honduras. Accordingly, you can taste quite worthy national dishes in local restaurants. Not far from the tourist trails, for example, there are restaurants “Tbilisi” and “Old Lvov”, where Russian-speaking waiters will bring worthy khinkali, borscht, bison or “Kindzmarauli” at an affordable price from 20 to 40 USDper person. And in the popular Russian restaurant Russian Tea Time, located in the very center and enjoying the fame of a bohemian place, you will find, albeit somewhat controversial, but not bad Russian cuisine (although you should not expect that the staff there necessarily speak Pushkin’s language). The average check without alcohol is from 35-50 USD.
Opposite this establishment, right in the building of the Chicago Museum of Arts, is The Garden Cafe, recommended for family or just cultural tourists. This is a self-service cafe with local cuisine and affordable prices.
Restaurants located on the local “Magnificent Mile” (Magnificent Mile – a section of Michigan Avenue north of the Chicago River) are certainly more expensive than establishments of a similar level, which are located a little further. So do not be lazy and walk a kilometer in any direction.
Restaurants serving local Chicago cuisine are mostly small, so it’s best to book tables in advance. With an average check from 70 USD per person, you can appreciate all its diversity. If you decide to follow our advice and order hot game, remember that bison is a bait for tourists, and not at all the most exquisite delicacy. Consult with the waiter, listen to his recommendations. Try to give preference to dishes based on cheeses, fresh meat and milk.
Entertainment and attractions
Skyscrapers, one taller than the other, are the main attraction of the city, where its own architectural style of high-rise buildings was born. Since the 1880s, after a gigantic fire that destroyed everything around, Chicago has been growing steadily upwards and currently bears the title of the highest city in the world. You can easily verify this by going up to the observation deck on the 94th floor of the Willis Tower skyscraper – the Chicago record holder with a height of 443.2 m. kilometer Naval Pier, which in itself is a popular leisure place.
On the left bank there are two famous “corn” of Marina City, beloved by directors and creators of computer games. Trump Tower is clearly visible from almost everywhere from the river – the second tallest skyscraper in Chicago, which “played” in the movie “Transformers 3: The Dark Side of the Moon.”
The title of the most beautiful skyscraper in the city is the 87-storey Aqua Tower with an unusual curved facade that makes it look like a giant ice colossus with water streams flowing over it. Abstract street art quirks include Alexander Calder’s giant scarlet Flamingo in front of the Federal Center, Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons mosaic in front of the National Bank, and a 15-meter-high Picasso sculpture in Delay Place—the figure is unnamed, and debate over what still portrayed by the master, do not subside until now.
Between the palisade of skyscrapers and Lake Michigan stretches a huge Grant Park – a pleasant place for walking and family recreation. From the north, the new Millennium Park adjoins it with the most futuristic buildings of the 21st century. His concert stage is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion made of curved steel bands and pipes, the fruit of the irrepressible imagination of the famous Frank Gehry. He also designed the British Petroleum Pedestrian Bridge, which looks like a giant snake. The iconic sculpture of the park and the new symbol of Chicago – “Cloud Gate” is the height of a three-story building. They resemble a giant drop of mercury hovering in the air, in the shiny surface of which skyscrapers and people standing below are reflected.
Another unusual art object is the Crown Fountain. It is made in the form of two 15-meter towers, standing opposite each other. On three sides of the towers, water flows in thin streams, and the fourth is a liquid crystal screen on which the faces of Chicago residents are projected. Every 5 minutes a person smiles and, to everyone’s joy, spits out a trickle of water into a shallow pool.
Businessman Lester Crown donated $10 million for the construction of the fountain, and public organizations chose about 1,000 Chicagoans appearing on the screens.
Museums in Chicago
Museums occupy a worthy place on the tourist map of the city.
At the heart of the exposition of the Museum of Modern Art is a very intriguing collection of avant-garde and postmodern art. The largest exhibit is the museum building itself with a riot of colors and an unusual interior design. The Art Institute of Chicago is a prestigious educational institution and the second largest museum in the country. Known for his collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and American art.
The Museum of Science and Industry is one of the largest science museums in the world, where everything is done on a truly American scale. Among its exhibits are a Boeing 727 aircraft, the first diesel passenger train in the United States, the Pioneer Zephyr, a German submarine from World War II, an active coal mine, and the Apollo 8 spacecraft.
Chicago CityPASS
The best way to save money and time is to purchase a Chicago CityPASS subscription. The owner of the subscription receives the right to free admission to 5 popular attractions, including the Shedd Aquarium, the Museum of Natural History, the observation deck of the Willis Tower.
The subscription can be paid in advance via the Internet and received at the box office of the first object of visit along with a map, description of places and coupons for discounts in stores. The CityPASS is valid for 9 days, the cost is 125 USD, which is twice as low as the total price of tickets purchased separately.
Weather
The best time in Chicago is spring and autumn. Winter here is quite cold, down to -30 °C, and summer is hot, the temperature can rise up to +40 °C. It is worth focusing on the following months: April and May – the time when all 500-odd parks in Chicago bloom, and from early October to the first half of November – when the crimson-gold autumn comes to the city.
