Chicago
Located next to Lake Michigan in Illinois, it is among the largest cities in the United States, being the third with the largest population. Famous for its bold architecture, its skyline is dotted with skyscrapers. This city is considered the origin of skyscrapers since important constructions and advances were made in the fields of skyscraper construction, architecture and engineering, as well as the first skyscraper in history, the Home Insurance Building. Currently the tallest building is the Willis Tower (previously called Sears Tower), but in the 1920s it was the Wrigley Building, whose tower was designed after the Giralda in Seville. There are more than 1,100 tall buildings, some of them are today important centers of attraction for the city. The city is also known for its museums. Chicago has made significant contributions to popular culture. In the field of music, Chicago is known for Chicago Blues, Chicago Soul, jazz and its gospel music. It is also known as the cradle of house, whose history is related to the development and adoption of techno-electronic music in Detroit.
These are our recommendations to complete a visit to the city:
- John Hancock Center: Currently known as 875 North Michigan Avenue, it is a 100-story, 344-meter-high skyscraper located at the address indicated by its name. When it was crowned on May 6, 1968, it became the second tallest building in the world and the tallest outside New York. If its antenna is included, it has a total height of 459 meters. It contains offices and about seven hundred homes, as well as restaurants and commercial space. It is named after the developer and original occupant of the building and is nicknamed Big John. From the 95th floor restaurant, you can see all of Chicago and Lake Michigan. The 360º Chicago observatory, which competes with the Willis Tower Skydeck, offers panoramic views of the city and up to a maximum distance of more than 120 kilometers. This observatory has Chicago's only outdoor SkyWalk and also offers a free multimedia tour in six languages. The sky lobby on the 44th floor contains the highest indoor pool in the United States.
- Willis Tower: Formerly known as the Sears Tower, it is a skyscraper of 442 meters of architectural height. At the time of its inauguration, it was the tallest building in the world for twenty years. With a maximum height of 527 meters, the Willis Tower is the third tallest tower in America.
- Chicago Tribune Neo-Gothic Tower: Located in the 435 North Michigan Avenue, is the headquarters of the Chicago Tribune and the Tribune Company. WGN Radio broadcasts from the building, and has its studios on the ground floor, with views of nearby Pioneer Court and Michigan Avenue.
- Art Institute of Chicago: It is a museum and art school located on Michigan Avenue next to Grant Park, across from Lake Michigan. It is one of the most important art museums in the world and is often named one of the top three in the United States. It has one of the most important permanent collections of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism paintings in the world. It was founded in 1879. In 1893 the museum moved to a Renaissance-style building. The building had been built for the Colombian World Exposition, held that same year. The museum's collection is due in part to donations made by wealthy families as gifts to the city of Chicago. The most significant collections are those of Italian, Flemish, Dutch and Spanish painting. Some famous painters represented are El Greco, José de Ribera, Rembrandt and Frans Hals.
- Millennium Park: It occupies 10 hectares located between the avenues Michigan and Columbus Drive. With free admission, the park is open daily, between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. It brings together several works of art and architecture, the most notable work being the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, with capacity for 7,000 people, distributed between the stands and the grass in front of the stage. Also found are the Cloud Gate sculpture, colloquially known as The Bean, the Crown Fountain, and the Lurie Garden.
