CHICAGO

Chicago is the third largest city in the United States, with its 2.8 million citizens, 8.7 million in the greater Chicago area. Chicago is situated in the north-eastern part of the state Illinois by Lake Michigan. The city is known for its magnificent architecture in the downtown area. Some of the world’s tallest buildings are also located here, Sears Tower as the highest (527 metres with the spire), which is the tallest building in the US. Several global companies have their headquarters in Chicago.


Culture
Chicago is well-known for its cultural attractions within music, theatre, history, sports and shopping. In music Chicago has great traditions with blues and jazz, and this you can experience in the many blues and jazz bars around town, and at the international festivals, such as Chicago Blues Festival and Chicago Jazz Festival. Furthermore Millennium Park and Grant Park offer free concerts during the summer.

Chicago has more than 200 theatres and a lot of top class shows and plays. Venues include the Harris Theater and The Civic Opera House.

There is a big selection of museums, and many of them are of a very high standard. The Art Institute of Chicago possesses works of Monét and Van Gogh among others, the Field Museum and the Shedd aquarium are some of the biggest and best, all situated around the Museum Campus. Chicago also offers many outdoor activities, especially in the summer time, with the many parks, zoos, fairs, festivals, concerts, parades, along with the lake and Navy Pier as popular field trips. Viewing Chicago from the top from one of the skyscrapers is also worthwhile.

The Magnificent Mile runs through Chicago on Michigan Avenue, and here you will find many shopping opportunities, as well as great cafes, restaurant and bars, which can be found in large numbers in Chicago. During summer time these cafes and bars move outside, creating a nice and lively atmosphere.

As every big city in the US, Chicago is very keen on sports, and is represented in the big national sports, football (Chicago Bears), basketball (Chicago Bulls), baseball (Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox) and ice hockey (Chicago Blackhawks), as well as a local soccer team (Chicago Fire).