DK Travel : Chicago

Big-city sophistication combined with small-town hospitality create the perfect blend in this, the Mid west’s largest city. Chicago’s influential architecture, cuisine for every budget and taste, great shopping, diverse ethnic neighborhoods, and outstanding museums are reason enough for a visit. And the icing on the cake? The city boasts a lakefront and park system that are as beautiful as they are recreational.

Jeweler’s Center

On the strip commonly known as “Jeweler’s Row” this one-stop-shop is a friendly place to source gold, pearls, watches, diamonds, and gems at relatively low prices.
Jeweler’s Row

This small strip in the Loop boasts a large number of jewelers that sell everything from discount diamonds to top-of-the-range gems. The Jeweler’s Center at the beautiful 1912 Mallers Building packs about 50 wholesale and retail jewelers and appraisers into 13 floors.
Joe Segal’s Jazz Showcase

Those reverent about jazz appreciate the cabaret-style Jazz Showcase. There’s no smoking and a lot of shushing from the next table if you attempt to talk during a set. Consequently, musicians love the club, making this the spot to catch a date with Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, and other stars. As well as standard evening shows, the club offers Sunday matinees.
John Barleycorn Memorial Pub

Disguised as a laundry during Prohibition, this cozy pub has been dispensing beer and spirits for over a hundred years.
John G. Shedd Aquarium

The second of the three Museum Campus sights, the Shedd is also one of the oldest public aquariums in the world. Dive in to discover the many treasures of the aquatic world.
John G. Shedd Aquarium

Chicago’s amazing aquarium is located on the lakefront and is home to thousands of marine animals from big beluga whales to tiny seahorses. Get a fun, fish-eye view at the Oceanarium’s underwater viewing galleries.
John Hancock Center

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed this 1970 landmark using the signature X’s on the facade as cross-braces to help the 1,100-ft (335-m) building withstand the winds coming off Lake Michigan. An alternative to soaking up the view from the 94th-floor observatory is drinking it in from the Signature Room restaurant and lounge on the floors directly above. Many say you get a better view from here than from the South Side’s Sears Tower – and the lines are usually shorter too.
Julius Meinl Coffee Shop

A delightful Vienese coffee shop selling delicious pastries and perfect coffee. Your coffee is presented to you on a silver tray with a tall glass of water and a tasty cookie. The shop is situated on the bustling Southport Avenue in Lakeview.
Keefer’s

A steakhouse that goes beyond the men’s club stereotype, also serving French specials and ample fish selections.
Kenwood Historic District

A world apart from some of the Far South’s dicier areas, this wealthy enclave within Kenwood, founded by John A. Kennicott in 1856, has mansions that have to be seen to be believed. In the late 19th century, this area was an upscale Chicago suburb, where wealthy residents built majestic homes on spacious lots, a rarity in the quickly booming city. A stroll around the district will uncover architectural styles ranging from Italianate and Colonial Revival to Prairie style, by influential figures such as Howard Van Doren Shaw and Frank Lloyd Wright (see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park).

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Price categories include a three-course meal for one, a glass of house wine, tax, and a 15–20%% tip.
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