Chicago Travel Guide
For details of what to do and see in Chicago check out our Chicago guide to car hire in Chicago.
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Chicago, The Windy City is the third largest city in the United States of America, and arguably the commercial capital of the country, the home of many of America's most prestigious businesses. Chicago is unashamedly a city of business, yet at the same time, offers a colossal amount of interesting attractions for tourists visiting, and plenty of leisure activities to take part in as well.
Chicago's importance over its history has always been linked to its location in the centre of the country, at the point where the east of the country meets the west, and is seen by many as the gateway to the great plains and beyond. Initially important as a supply point for the expansion into the north west, Chicago quickly grew wealthy on the back of the railway and farming, and many of the grand projects from this era, in the shape of philanthropist museums and galleries are still attracting visitors today.
The railroad, and then the air network across the country set the foundations for the city's more recent industrial and commercial growth, and now, many visitors to the city of Chicago are travellers stopping off for a few days on their way west to California, Las Vegas, or to Hawaii.
One of the main reasons for visiting Chicago is the city's status as one of the best places in the country when it comes to the sheer number and variety of shopping opportunities that are on offer there. All the major American department stores, such as Bloomingdale's and Sak's have outlets in the city, and the jewel in Chicago's shopping crown is the Sears Corporation, who are based in the city. Many people travel to Chicago every year in order to pick up bargains in the run up to Christmas, and in respect of the shopping; Chicago rivals New York for variety.
Other attractions that are commonly visited are the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the USA, and until recently, tallest in the world; the famous John Hancock Centre, and the many resorts that front onto Lake Michigan in the countryside surrounding the city, and from where you can enjoy a variety of water sports on one of the largest lakes in the world, or just relax on the sandy beaches during the hot summer months.
Chicago's nightlife is as exciting as anywhere else in the world, and the city claims to be the birthplace of the blues, as well as being one of the comedy capitals of America, and home to a huge variety of clubs where you can hear music and acerbic socio-political critique in equal measure.
