Elite Traveler Fall 2022

EXPLORE CHICAGO GUIDE TO CHICAGO OprahWinfrey recalls her fi rst days after moving to Chicago as evoking a sense of coming home to her “motherland.” Mark Twain described the city as forever “a novelty,” while Anthony Bourdain claimed Chicago didn’t have to measure itself against anyone: “It’s tough, it’s opinionated, and everybody’s got a story.” For me, the Windy City boils down to the skyline. “Look up,” said my favorite architecture professor at university, the one who promised me that I’d swoon at the sight of Chicago’s rooftops that punctuate the blue sky, ripping through the clouds. Indeed, Chicago reigns as the home

ketchup; or Greektown’s favorites), with 7,000 restaurants, Chicago also boasts more than 40 world-class museums and a long beloved music (the blues) and comedy scene. Then there’s Lake Michigan, spread along 26 miles of shoreline, profuse with distinctive beaches. (Yes, I’m telling you to bring your swimsuit — though Chicago can be frigidly cold year-round). Add in architectural tours, sporting events, theaters, stellar hotels, the largest convention center in the US and leisure options galore, and Chicago, sometimes called the Second City, is second to none.

of the world’s fi rst skyscrapers — purportedly the tallest buildings in the US. Musingly, Frank LloydWright prophesied: “Eventually, I think Chicago will be the most beautiful great city left in the world.” Whatever may happen later, Chicago’s rocking it now. Though it’s the US’s third-largest city, it strikes an intimate chord. A patchwork of vibrant neighborhoods, each prodigiously distinct and multiculturally informed, Chicago invites discovery. Driven by its culinary spirit (both haute cuisine and street food aplenty — don’t miss deep dish pizza; hot dogs with mustard only, no

by Becca Hensley