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A former Prohibition era speak easy, Uptown’s landmark Green Mill is a vintage treasure with a sweeping curved bar, vinyl booths, fading murals, and an authentic air of Chicago’s gangster past. The city’s premier jazz talents like Kurt Elling and Patricia Barber regularly play gigs here and Uptown Poetry Slam feature every sunday. It’s out of the way but every cabbie knows how to get there.

Try this sports bar for beer-fueled camaraderie and a genuine slice of Chicago fan zeal. A shuttle bus even delivers patrons to the United Center and Comiskey Park in season.

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

Twenty-somethings dress down for beer, live music, and a great restaurant that packs in crowds, especially on the patio during warm-weather weekends.

Ignore the threadbare decor; The Velvet Lounge offers some of the city’s best jazz including jam sessions with the bar’s owner, a saxman himself.

The centrally positioned bar, promotes an open, Cheers-type feel, with conversation flowing among patrons. TVs typically air college sports, while dart boards provide participatory entertainment.

With its musical programming that begins at lunchtime and continues into the evening, Andy’s fills a void for those jazz fans who can’t hold out for the late-night headliners. Prime perches are much sought after at the horseshoe-shaped bar in the no-fuss River North club.

With the chain’s signature wrap-around bar and bright mosaics, this bar is a comfortable favorite for young professionals who appreciate the moderately priced drinks, plenty of tap beers, and huge sandwiches.

A wine bar of warehouse proportions, Bin 36 engenders an infectious enthusiasm for wine and food. The many small dishes encourage sampling.

Run by bluesman Buddy Guy, this club is arguably the city’s best. To get a table, come early and dine on decent barbecue.

A legend himself, bluesman Buddy Guy operates perhaps the best blues club in the city. The South Loop destination draws a mix of students, tourists, and local fans, particularly when Guy himself headlines. The place gets so packed that aisles are marked on the flooring and monitored by bouncers who make sure standing-room-only patrons keep them clear.

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.

The menu at this former fire station is best at its most basic, including burgers and sandwiches.

The Sao Paulo owned Fogo de Chao specializes in the allyou-can-eat churrascaria tradition of Brazilian barbecue. At your table costumed “gauchos” will carve 15 different cuts of skewer-roasted meats, including filet, rumpsteak, leg of lamb, and pork loin. You can use a plate-side indicator to signal for more or “basta.” A lavish salad bar begins every meal.

Boisterous and convivial, Gibson’s exudes a good time. A regular crowd of politicians, sports figures, and conventioneers packs the place nightly. The steak-house fare is in every way a match to the atmosphere – big and bold. Huge lobster tails vie for attention with large slabs of beef. A reservation is critical, but for a more casual, walk-in experience try the burgers next door at Hugo’s Frog Bar.

This no-reservations hangout for pizza and pasta also specializes in mile-high cakes, rich with chocolate, strawberry, coconut, and thick frosting.

Located in the Chinatown Square shopping mall, this simple eaterie serves authentic Chinese Szechuan cuisine.

A classic diner in the Loop where the waitresses call you “Honey” and the coffee is bottomless, Lou Mitchell’s has been around since 1923. Its trek-worthy meal is breakfast, highlighted by double-yolk eggs and homemade hash browns served in a skillet. Tables turn quickly and the staff doles out free donuts and candy to those waiting on line with good cheer.

Great pizza draws the crowds, but sandwiches on home-baked bread and rich milkshakes are also offered.

This homey breakfast haven does everything well, but its signature dish is the apple pancake.

Uno’s has been baking deep-dish pizza since 1943 – about as long as Chicagoans have debated whose pie is best. Its version comes several inches deep, filled with cheese and toppings of your choice, truly a meal in one slice. The smallish Victorian brownstone strains under demand, sending the overflow down the street to its spin-off Pizzeria Due. Uno’s individual pizza served at lunch-time is a bargain.

The perfect, low-key spot for getting messy with thick, saucy barbecue ribs. A back patio opens during warm weather.

Run by Rande Gerber, husband of supermodel Cindy Crawford, this sophisticated, sleek bar attracts a trendy crowd.

A casual dress code, good food, and cheap beer attract all types to this bar especially for burgers and hearty soup.

High style on sale at a fraction of the original prices lure bargain hunters to this charming little sister of the upscale and pricey Nordstrom.

An outpost of New York’s hometown department store that features in-store designer boutiques and a well-stocked shoe department.

You’ll find some fantastic budget-friendly buys as well as a dreamy shoe department in this ornate, historic, 12-story department store (see Carson Pirie Scott Building).

Some 450 stores make this stretch of North Michigan Avenue one of the world’s retail meccas. Besides sophisticated designer boutiques, there are malls (each with high-end department stores); and big-name chain and flagship stores (see Magnificent Mile).

Chicago’s premier shopping destination is a four-lane stretch of North Michigan Avenue. It also has historic significance, claiming two of only a few structures to survive the 1871 Great Chicago Fire.

One of the country’s largest collections of international contemporary art, the MCA displays over 6,000 objects, from painting and sculpture to photography and video installations. Trendy Spago chef Wolfgang Puck runs the airy café, which draws both museum-goers and Mag Mile shoppers alike. In summer, the terraced sculpture garden enhances the MCA experience, while the front lawn often plays host to displays of performance art.

Run by and located in Columbia College Chicago, this museum is one of a kind in the Midwest. It exhibits the portfolios of international modern masters, with shows (including student shows) tending toward the experimental rather than the traditional documentary. Changing exhibitions also present a healthy mixture of local talents and well-established ones, such as Gary Winogrand and William Eggleston. Frequent gallery talks give curators and artists the chance to discuss the shows with museum-goers.

A sidewalk plaque at Randolph and State Streets denotes Chicago’s Theater District, a cluster of old and new theaters.