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.

Taste of Chicago

Chicago’s signature foods including deep dish pizza star during the nearly two-week long Taste. Musical entertainers, a carnival with rides, and cooking demonstrations entertain at the sprawling Grant Park event.
The Art Institute of Chicago

The consummate high school comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) stars Matthew Broderick, who skips school and takes his girlfriend (Mia Sara) and best friend (Paul Ruck) on an action-packed Chicago day. At the Art Institute, Broderick and Sara kiss in front of a window designed by Chagall, while Ruck stares intensely at A Sunday on La Grande Jatte–1884.
The Art Institute of Chicago

This grande dame of Chicago’s art scene features world-renowned collections. The ever-popular Impressionist section includes outstanding exhibits such as Renoir’s Acrobats at the Circus Fernando .
The Berghoff

Founded in 1898, this German institution is adored for such hearty food as wiener schnitzel and sauerbraten.
The Berghoff

Holder of post-Prohibition liquor license number one, the Berghoff is a Chicago landmark, beloved for its 100-plus-year history as well as its traditional, robust German food. The Bavarian-styled dining rooms serve up generous portions of wiener schnitzel and sauerbraten as well as lighter fare for New World palates. The atmospheric standing-room-only tavern also sells sandwiches at lunch.
The Blake Hotel at Printers Row

This hotel contained printing presses before ever housing people. Now a National Historic Landmark, it offers large, light rooms. Savor Midwestern delicacies at the award-winning Prairie restaurant.
The Café at American Girl Place

Vendor of dolls with educational aims, American Girl Place feeds its fantasy world, literally, in a café where dolls are welcome in clip-to-the-table chairs. Lunch leans to simple crowd-pleasers like tomato soup, while dinner supplies standards like chicken potpie. In between, the imaginative tea proffers chocolate pudding in a flowerpot or heart-shaped sandwiches. Reservations recommended.
The Closet

This dance club attracts a mostly lesbian crowd, but gay men and straight couples also groove to R&B, rap, dance, and diva videos.
The Co-op Market

Mingle with the melting pot of shoppers at this cooperative market, where aisles are dominated by organic, vegetarian, and international foodstuffs.
The Cotton Club

In this lively two-room club, the jazz room is modeled on Harlem’s famed Cotton Club. In another room DJs spin hip-hop and contemporary beats.

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Restaurant price categories

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

For a standard, double room per night (with breakfast if included), taxes and extra charges.
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