The ultimate in a shopping excursion is a cruise down Miracle Mile, the place to go for both upscale stores and luxury hotels. Equally worth a visit are the traditional Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods, now big favorites among the art crowd. But the city of Al Capone fame is also one of America’s top locations on the fine dining circuit. Gourmet options range from Charlie Trotter and Sunda to the trendy Table 52, restaurant in an old carriage-house where Art Smith (Oprah Winfrey’s chef) runs the show. There’s also Tru,
for progressive French cuisine.
As for the Gibson Steakhouse, it’s a must. The bar there, one of the noisiest in town, is where local sports stars and politicians head for a drink. At lunchtime, however, nothing beats Terzo Piano, the Chicago Art Institute restaurant. It’s on the third floor, is a Renzo Piano design and offers

a fab view of the park.

SUPERSTAR LAND
Chicago is the icon-city of U.S. architecture. For starters, there’s the Charley-Persky House designed in 1901 by Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Henry Sullivan (a.k.a. the “father of skyscrapers”), as well as Wright’s Robie House and other mansions in the Oak Park and Lincoln Park parts of town. But credit for the vast green areas making the city so livable goes to Daniel Burnham, mind behind the 1909 urban plan. In 1895, along with Charles Atwood, he also designed the Hotel Burnham, a classic of the Chicago School Style. Mies van der Rohe is another prominent architect who made a mark here, with the Lake Shore Drive Towers and the Crown Hall. Recent works include Renzo Piano’s new wing of

the Chicago Art Institute in the Millennium Park district. The latter is also the place to find Frank Gehry’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion and Anish Kapoor’s mercury-inspired Cloud Gate sculpture which reflects quite stunningly the Chicago skyline.

LAKEFRONT VIEW
Even though despite Barack Obama’s all-out efforts Chicago won’t be hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics, it is a beautiful city with remarkable architecture, wonderful parks and a great lakefront location. In fact, what is
generally thought the most “American” of U.S. cities hugs the coast of Lake Michigan – the fifth largest in the world.