By Stuart Forster
Glorious summer sunshine dominated the weather during my week in Chicago. Even the sole cool day of drizzle and cloud had barely a hint of a breeze.
I learnt that the ‘Windy City’ nickname was won because of blustering, bigtalking politicians back in the 1800s.
Yet 8 October 1871 was a gusty day. When a blaze broke out in a barn in the city’s southwest, the flames quickly raged far and wide, burning out of control for three days. The Great Chicago Fire destroyed well over 17,000 buildings and displaced more than 90,000 people but is credited with opening opportunities to utilise innovative construction techniques during the rebuild.
The world’s first skyscraper – the Home Insurance Building, designed by William Le Baron Jenney – was built in the centre of the city in the 1880s. Many more followed, helping Chicago win a reputation as an architectural hub. With interactive maps and engaging displays, the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) conveys its urban evolution.
After a morning of sightseeing by foot along the Riverwalk, I appreciated taking a seat on the deck of a Shoreline Sightseeing boat for a detail-packed 75-minute Architecture River Cruise. The guide pointed out highlights such as 115 North Riverside, which tapers out from a narrow base; the St Regis Chicago, the world’s tallest building designed by a female architect; and the Wrigley Building – built as the headquarters of the chewing gum company in the early 1920s.
The Wrigley Building stands on the Magnificent Mile, the stretch of Michigan Avenue between the Chicago River and Lake Shore Drive, which is renowned for its chic shopping. Near its lakeshore end, the tilting observation deck of the 360 CHICAGO building offers views from more than 1,000 feet above street level. Across town, the Skydeck on the 103rd storey of Willis Tower is also an ideal spot for appreciating the city’s layout.
To better understand sporting passions, I headed to Wrigley Field, the baseball stadium which has been the home of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. Remarkably, seating is also erected on top of buildings behind the ‘bleacher’ stand, where vocal fans view the action.
Eating and drinking are part of the gameday experience, and as I went to top my snack, a Cubs fan informed me: “We don’t put ketchup on our hot dogs in Chicago.” Mustard, pickles, relish, tomatoes and onions can be liberally applied but ketchup is most definitely not a thing.
Canvassing advice on where to go to try the best Chicago-style pizza, I noted that the name of Pequod’s came up numerous times. Giordano’s and Gino’s also received mentions, but the idea of deep-dish pizza with a caramelised crust drew me to the Lincoln Park neighbourhood for a satisfying meal accompanied by a couple of pints of hazy IPA. Riding the ‘L’, as the elevated rail service is known, gave views of the city under a golden sky as I rattled back to my hotel after dining.
That proved an unexpected highlight. So too did a chance visit to the Millennium Park the following evening. My research pointed me to attractions such as the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium and the Art Institute of Chicago, and all proved well worth visiting. But a little serendipity helps make a trip truly memorable. I stumbled onto one of the free concerts in the Millennium Park Summer Music Series and had the pleasure of attending a Grant Park Symphony Orchestra performance at the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
I’d been toying with an evening at the House of Blues but that would have to wait. Sometimes travel is about embracing the moment.