Art Institute of Chicago is home to one of the best and most diverse art collections in the world including the world’s largest group of Monet paintings, pieces by Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Pollock, and Warhol.

Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower); Standing 1454 feet high this skyscraper is easily Chicago’s most dominant structure. Visitors can shoot to the top of the 110-story building via a 70-second elevator ride and catch magnificent views into Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin from the 103rd floor Skydeck.

Field Museum of Natural History has more than 20 million items from paleontology, geology, botany, anthropology, and much more including the museum’s famous Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton.

Baha’i House of Worship is one of only seven Baha’i temples in existence and the only one present in the western hemisphere. With a 191-foot dome and manicured gardens the interior is as breathtaking as the exterior.

John G. Shedd Aquarium the largest of its kind houses both saltwater and freshwater exhibits, along with the Caribbean Coral Reef.

Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio built in 1889 showcases his studio and its chain-hung balcony, along with a playroom designed for his children that offer treetop views.

Wrigley Field opened in 1914, home of the Chicago Cubs; the facility boasts ivy-covered brick walls in the outfield and a manual scoreboard that helps promote a good-old-days ambience.

Navy Pier opened in 1916 is now purely commercial; the pier offers everything from an IMAX theater to performances by a Shakespeare troupe, a grand ballroom, and a fifteen-story Ferris wheel.

Museum of Contemporary Art includes such diverse media as sculpture, photography, dance, performance, and music. With more than 7000 objects, including pieces by Sol LeWitt, Alexander Calder, Jeff Koons, and Rene Magritte, the museum opened in its new aluminum-lined facility in 1996.

Chicago Botanic Garden spread over 400 acres boasts recreated prairies, Japanese gardens, and giant topiaries, along with more than 20 other gardens.

Car rental agencies in Chicago include Budget, Alamo, Thrifty, Enterprise, and Hertz.

Chicago is the third largest city in United States and has its third largest metropolitan area.

Chicago lies adjacent to Lake Michigan in the state of Illinois, a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed making it a major transportation hub, the business, financial and even cultural capital of the American Midwest.

‘Chicago’ is the French interpretation of ‘Shikaakwa’, which means ‘wild leek’.

Chicago has over 40 museums, more than 150 theaters and over 6,000 restaurants and over 200 annual parades.

A city full of firsts Chicago was the birthplace of roller skates, steel frame skyscraper, elevated railway, cracker jacks, zipper, window envelope, hostess Twinkie, pinball game and spray paint.

The Merchandise Mart with 90 acres of floor space in Chicago is the largest building in America (excluding Pentagon).

The only river in the world whose water flows backwards is the Chicago River.

Chicago is home to three of the world’s tallest buildings, Sears Tower, Amoco Building and John Hancock.

Other names for Chicago are the Windy City and the Candy Capital of the World.

Harold Washington Library Center the world’s largest public library with over 2 million books is in Chicago.

Its economic and cultural influence throughout the world has earned Chicago the status of an Alpha City.

The largest indoor marine mammal pavilion in the world ‘Oceanarium’ is in Chicago.

The Art Institute of Chicago has the largest collection of Impressionist paintings in the world, apart from the Louvre (Paris).

Budget, Alamo, Thrifty, Enterprise, and Hertz are among the best car hire agencies offering their services in Chicago.

The third most populated city of the United States, Chicago is the largest city of Illinois. Chicago is a major financial, transportation and telecommunication hub in North America.

Chicago experiences four distinct seasons with warm and humid summers, windy snowy cold winters with temperatures below freezing, and mild spring and fall.

Chicago strategically sits on the continental divide of Chicago Portage, connecting the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes watersheds. At the southwestern tip of Lake Michigan with the Chicago River and Calumet River flowing through it, Chicago handles much of the region’s water borne cargo.

Chicago is considered to be the birthplace of the skyscraper. Chicago has 72 buildings which stand over 550 feet tall, including the Wills Tower and the Trump International Hotel and Tower being the top two in the United States.

Places of interest.

Set on 10 acre lakefront park the Museum Campus has three main museums, each of national importance: the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Shedd Aquarium. The museum campus joins the southern section of Grant Park which houses the Art Institute of Chicago, the Buckingham Fountain, and Jay Pritzker Pavilion which hosts the classical Grant Park Music Festival concert series.

The Brookfield Zoo and the Lincoln Park Zoo are very popular among visitors with children.  Other museums and galleries in Chicago include the Museum of Science and Industry, the Oriental Institute, the Chicago History Museum, the DuSable Museum of African American History, and the Museum of Contemporary Art to name a few.

Chicago is home to over 200 theatrical companies with performances at venues ranging from the Victory Gardens Theater and other big theaters in the Chicago Theatre District in the Loop to storefronts and Laundromats.

Shopping at the Magnificent Mile and State Street, the thousands of restaurants and the architecture makes Chicago a main draw for tourism.  It is also one of the largest convention destinations.

Chicago with its park district of 552 parks, 33 sandy beaches, 16 lagoons, 10 bird and wildlife gardens and the nation’s largest municipal harbor system with berths for over 5000 boats attracts millions of visitors each year.

Sports.

Chicago is home to two major league baseball teams the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox. The Chicago Bears have won nine NFL Championships, including Super Bowl XX. One of the most recognized basketball teams in the world of the NBA are the Chicago Bulls. The Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL have won three Stanley Cups. The Chicago Marathon is one of the world’s five major marathons.

Clubs, Restaurants and Nightlife.

Reflecting the city’s working class roots are the deep dish pizza and the Chicago style hot dog, Chicago offers from the very best world class chefs and restaurants culminating in the annual Taste of Chicago festival at Grant Park lasting from final week of June through Fourth of July weekend. Puerto Rican, Greek, Chinese to vegetarian, Chicago offers world cuisine at its best.