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Topped by flying buttresses, this Gothic-style building was completed in 1925. Its faux historic design had won a competition organized by Colonel Robert McCormick, publisher of the Chicago Tribune , the newspaper whose offices still occupy the building. Look closely at the facade, which is embedded with over 120 stones collected by correspondents from famed sights. There’s a rock hailing from each of the 50 states, as well as fragments from international monuments such as Greece’s Parthenon, India’s Taj Mahal, and The Great Wall of China.

Oak Street’s toniest designer boutique, Ultimo carries a range of cutting-edge European and American lines for women as well as men.

Known for its large gay and lesbian section, this Boys Town bookstore also stocks books of all types, particularly kids’ and Spanish language books.

This toy store is especially fun for grownups who yearn to feel like a kid. You’ll find retro items like Mr. T coloring books, silly accessories like oversized sunglasses, and gag gifts like the tried-and-true whoopie cushion.

Elliott Ness (Kevin Costner) brings down Chicago gangster Al Capone (Robert DeNiro) in the true story The Untouchables (1987). In one unforgettable scene, a shoot-out on a Union Station staircase causes a mother to lose her grip on her baby carriage, which bounces in slow motion down the stairs, saved at the last moment by Ness’s partner.

Noted for its research and high educational standards, this remarkable private university has produced over 70 Nobel Prize winners.

Opened in 1892, this private university is an important part of the southside Hyde Park neighborhood. Its public attractions include museums and galleries, and a Frank Lloyd Wright home.

Strolling around the University of Chicago campus, there’s more of visual interest than its buildings alone. Over the years, the university has acquired around 12 outdoor sculptures, including Wolf Vostell’s whimsical 1970 Concrete Traffic , a car embedded in concrete at the southwest end of the Midway Plaisance and the sobering Nuclear Energy , a bronze by Henry Moore that resembles a mushroom cloud. Set within a reflecting pool at 60th Street and University Avenue is Construction in Space in the Third and Fourth Dimension , a soaring abstract piece created in the 1950s by Constructivist Antoine Pevsner, which visually depicts the space-time continuum.

The eclectic Uptown neighborhood is nicknamed the United Nations for its ethnic diversity. Along Argyle Street, it’s called Little Saigon for its predominantly Vietnamese flavor. Inexpensive restaurants serve thinly sliced beef, tangy soups, and shrimp crêpes. Though the area is absolutely fascinating to explore, it’s really not advisable to walk through Uptown late at night.

On this night, boat owners dress up their ships and form a festive marine parade that culminates with fireworks over the lake. For the best views try Monroe Harbor at the lakefront.