THE WASHINGTON POST/NELS AKERLUND (MUSICIAN), HOSSEIN FATEMI/PANOS PICTURES (PARK)SEE IT
CHICAGO
Shoreline
to Skyline
Stroll waterside paths,
obsess over architecture,
and get your groove onExterior Design
When the Great Chicago
Fire razed the city in 1871,
rebuilding efforts focused
on architectural innovation.
The recently renamed
Chicago Architecture
Center, now housed in a
Mies van der Rohe build-
ing, offers river cruises
that tell the story of the
city’s transformation into
a megalopolis of cloud-
tickling skyscrapers.
You can also stroll the
Chicago Riverwalk to ogle
the landmarks. At night,
catch the latest iteration of
Art on the Mart, the projec-
tion that dances across
the facade of the former
Chicago Merchandise Mart.Outward Bound
Sun, rain, wind, or snow,
residents embrace the
weather and get outside. It
helps to have the 18.5-mile
Chicago Lakefront Trail
that connects Lincoln Park
with four others to encour-
age cycling, running, and
rambling. There are even
beaches—27 of them to be
exact. If you’re a volleyball
buff, hit the sand at popular
North Avenue Beach.
Outfitters provide guided
kayaking excursions on the
river and stand-up paddle-
boarding on the lake. Every
Saturday morning bird-
watchers meet on Jackson
Park’s Wooded Island to
add to their life lists.Pursuing POTUS
Before he became
president, Barack Obama
lived here, working as
a community organizer,
Illinois senator, and
University of Chicago law
professor. Now, with the
imminent construction of
his presidential library, the
Hyde Park neighborhood
near the Obama home is
hot. Fans of 44 can spend
the night at the new
Sophy Hotel, themed to
the university’s cultural and
academic prowess; attend
a storytelling session at
the community-focused
Silver Room boutique; and
raise a glass to the Obama
mural at the Cove Lounge.Behind the Music
From Chance the Rapper
to the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra, music sets a
big-time beat in this city.
Explore the scene’s roots
in jazz and blues with a
stop at Uptown’s Green
Mill Cocktail Lounge, a
Prohibition-era speakeasy.
Then join reverent audi-
ences at the cabaret-style
Winter’s Jazz Club near
Navy Pier, or swing by
the Jazz Showcase in the
South Loop where Sunday
matinees welcome all ages.
Blues artists take the stage
at Buddy Guy’s Legends,
including the Grammy-
winner himself during
annual wintertime stints.NATGEOTRAVEL.COMBuddy Guy at
his eponymous
music club; a
little romance in
Lincoln ParkTHE WASHINGTON POST/NELS AKERLUND (MUSICIAN), HOSSEIN FATEMI/PANOS PICTURES (PARK)SEE IT
CHICAGO
Shoreline
to Skyline
Stroll waterside paths,
obsess over architecture,
and get your groove on
Exterior Design
When the Great Chicago
Fire razed the city in 1871,
rebuilding efforts focused
on architectural innovation.
The recently renamed
Chicago Architecture
Center, now housed in a
Mies van der Rohe build-
ing, offers river cruises
that tell the story of the
city’s transformation into
a megalopolis of cloud-
tickling skyscrapers.
You can also stroll the
Chicago Riverwalk to ogle
the landmarks. At night,
catch the latest iteration of
Art on the Mart, the projec-
tion that dances across
the facade of the former
Chicago Merchandise Mart.Outward Bound
Sun, rain, wind, or snow,
residents embrace the
weather and get outside. It
helps to have the 18.5-mile
Chicago Lakefront Trail
that connects Lincoln Park
with four others to encour-
age cycling, running, and
rambling. There are even
beaches—27 of them to be
exact. If you’re a volleyball
buff, hit the sand at popular
North Avenue Beach.
Outfitters provide guided
kayaking excursions on the
river and stand-up paddle-
boarding on the lake. Every
Saturday morning bird-
watchers meet on Jackson
Park’s Wooded Island to
add to their life lists.Pursuing POTUS
Before he became
president, Barack Obama
lived here, working as
a community organizer,
Illinois senator, and
University of Chicago law
professor. Now, with the
imminent construction of
his presidential library, the
Hyde Park neighborhood
near the Obama home is
hot. Fans of 44 can spend
the night at the new
Sophy Hotel, themed to
the university’s cultural and
academic prowess; attend
a storytelling session at
the community-focused
Silver Room boutique; and
raise a glass to the Obama
mural at the Cove Lounge.Behind the Music
From Chance the Rapper
to the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra, music sets a
big-time beat in this city.
Explore the scene’s roots
in jazz and blues with a
stop at Uptown’s Green
Mill Cocktail Lounge, a
Prohibition-era speakeasy.
Then join reverent audi-
ences at the cabaret-style
Winter’s Jazz Club near
Navy Pier, or swing by
the Jazz Showcase in the
South Loop where Sunday
matinees welcome all ages.
Blues artists take the stage
at Buddy Guy’s Legends,
including the Grammy-
winner himself during
annual wintertime stints.NATGEOTRAVEL.COM
Buddy Guy at
his eponymous
music club; a
little romance in
Lincoln Park