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Moon Metro Chicago
3rd Edition
ISBN 1-56691-975-4
ISBN-13 978-1-56691-975-3
$16.95
Purchase here through Amazon.com or visit Booksense.com to find your local independent bookseller.

Upon arriving in Chicago, the first thing you notice is its famous skyline: the collection of iconic buildings that declare the city to be the Midwest’s towering center of culture and commerce. Like all bustling metropolises, Chicago spills out over several hundred square miles, incorporating dozens of neighborhoods and several prominent suburbs, each boasting a character all its own, yet somehow still very much a part of the city as a whole.

During the renewal of its identity following the Great Fire of 1871, Chicago earned a reputation as a tough town, thanks to larger-than-life figures like Al Capone and the first Mayor Richard Daley. The days of powerful gangsters, political riots, and citizens mysteriously voting from beyond the grave are long gone, particularly since the city began its late 1970s comeback and clean-up, but Chicago still exudes a certain stubborn, straightforward charm. With its diverse populace generally coming together to get things done?— and done right?— Chicago earns its reputation as “the city that works.”

At the very least, Chicago residents need a thick skin and a lot of patience to survive the brutal winters, when frigid gusts whip across Lake Michigan to create brag-worthy wind chills. As legend has it, Chicago’s “Windy City” nickname originally referred to the blowhard local politicians, but its dual application is undeniable. Still, even the coldest days of a dwindling, lingering winter promise the imminent arrival of another beautiful Chicago spring.

In fact, once warm weather finally hits and the city thaws, Chicago blooms into action. The mayor makes sure every major street corner is bursting with wildflowers, and the iconic Buckingham Fountain once again spouts skyward like a lakefront beacon. Frolickers pack the beaches and families return to the parks. For all its hustle and bustle, Chicago somehow also stays remarkably clean, a testament to the amount of work that’s put in to make the city presentable to the millions of people it attracts each year.

Unlike so many big cities, Chicago shows off just as much green as it does the cool grey of steel and glass. Several parks and outdoor areas comprise a large part of the city’s character. The imposing buildings are interspersed with broad boulevards and botanical traffic islands, but the ambitious heights of the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center are almost never out of view. The dense downtown epicenter draws attention away from the city’s impressive sprawl. Indeed, this sprawl is ironically one of Chicago’s greatest attributes. Unlike other urban centers, Chicago gives you breathing room as well as an endless supply of things to do. You can drive to the outer points of the city, or spend your entire time within walking distance of the Loop and feel equally fulfilled. Stick to popular tourist spots and you’ll see one spectacular side of the city. Dig a little deeper and you’ll come across dozens of well-kept secrets, from amazing restaurants (home to several cutting-edge chefs, Chicago’s grown into an internationally renowned culinary leader) to unique boutiques and museums.

Chicago’s starting points are obvious, but its destinations are infinite. Think big but start small, easing your way into this cosmopolitan, cultural mecca of the Midwest.