Baseball
America's summer pastime is a treat to watch wherever you are, but at Chicago's ivy-clad Wrigley Field, where the score and the pitchers' numbers are still changed by hand, it's simply irresistible.

Modern Architecture
The history of modern architecture is writ large on Chicago's dramatic skyline, where the world's first skyscrapers now stand in the shadow of sleek corporate monoliths.

Art Institute of Chicago
Take in the Art Institute of Chicago's renowned trove of Impressionist and contemporary paintings, including a series of Monet's Haystacks and Grant Wood's American Gothic, the famous if often parodied portrait of a hardscrabble farming couple with pitchfork.

Brother Jimmy's BBQ
Get a taste of Chicago's love for ribs - a leftover from its old meatpacking days - at Brother Jimmy's BBQ , where the barbecued ribs are served with candied yams and collard greens, as well as live music on weekend nights.

Sears Tower
The world's tallest building until 1997, when it was topped by Malaysia's Petronas Towers, the Sears Tower offers predictably stunning views from its observatory - and the stomach-churning one-minute elevator ride up is a thrill in itself.

The Skyline at Sunset
The sunset cruises of the Chicago Architecture by Boat tours give you the city's impressive skyline - filled with the finest modern architecture anywhere - bathed in a stunning orange hue.

Chicago Blues
Chicago is chock-full of flavorful nightclubs for urban blues, such as the storied Checkerboard Lounge on the South Side.

Oak Park
Stroll through Oak Park, the lush suburb once home to Ernest Hemingway and Frank Lloyd Wright - with Hemingway memorabilia at the neighborhood's Historical Society, and several of Wright's key buildings, including the stunningly spare Unity Temple, dotting the landscape.