Chicago is called the windy city, but what is there to do and why would you visit? Find out things about the third biggest city of the USA, with my own experiences.
What is important to know before visiting the USA?
Before visiting the United States of America there are some important things to know. It is in general a huge country. When really wanting to see the country, you need to have a lot of time. Otherwise you are able to see parts of the country, which is also fine, but decide which one is best for you! The upcoming is also mentioned in the New York article, click on the link, when interested.
I have a little list what for sure is important:
- Even though you might not need a “visa”, you still need to make the Esta (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation). It is basically like a visa, at least from what information they want from you.
- Not a must have but I would think about it. Have travel insurance because the cost you need to pay for the hospital is just insane. Look also, that your insurance is covering the USA. A friend of mine was receiving a big bill in the five digits, but luckily she had travel insurance.
- The country is extremely expensive and not to compare to Europe, it is more expensive! Not only accommodation, but also food and everything else.
- When you want to go to different places, just know that due to the huge size of the country. The distances between places are just far.
- Living and traveling in the country is a completely different story. I was doing an exchange year in the country and I traveled as well. About that will be in the future another article published.
- The people are really friendly/polite to you, but they are to all. So that most of the time doesn’t mean too much. For US Americans who read that, in Europe there is a bit more distance at the beginning, before getting to know someone. Like the way it is in the US, it would be like how you would be with a friend and not a stranger. That’s just cultural differences.
- Don’t drink in public, it is not allowed and also alcohol is allowed over 21.
- People are supposed to tip high, because the waiters are not getting paid well, they live from the tips.
Where is Chicago located?
Chicago is located in the state of Illinois, there in the northeastern part. It is also right at Lake Michigan and finds its spot at the southwestern side. Lake Michigan is the third biggest lake in the country.
The state of Illinois is located at the northeast central of the country and is part of the Midwestern United States.
What is Chicago known for?
Chicago is known for its wind, that’s why it is also called “The windy city”, also it is the third largest city.
Al Capone was born in New York, but was famous in Chicago, to make some connection with the city.
Every year on St. Patrick’s day, the Chicago river gets completely green, which is a huge tourist attraction. A vegetable based powder is used.
The first skyscraper of the world was built here and many bigger sport teams are based in Chicago, for example the Chicago Bulls in Basketball, who is worldwide famous.
What to do in Chicago?
Chicago, is less touristy than New York, with a bit over 30 million visitors, which is still a huge number. When thinking about that in Chicago less than three million people live, it is equalizing itself again. Still it is not feeling so crowded like NYC
I visited Chicago at the end of spring, where the weather was quite decent. Of course also windy, which is normal. I will mention just five sights, which are quite known, when knowing something about Chicago.
You are able to spend many days in Chicago, seeing new things every day. It seems that in this city everything is a bit slower and not as quick, when compared.
- Millennium Park, with the famous statue “The Bean ”, which you have probably seen. It is a quite nice park with many art works, of course not possible to compare with the central park. You are able to see many skyscrapers, especially behind The Bean. I personally like it there a lot and have gone there a few times.
- Navy Pier was basically back then a training center for the Navy. Now it is full of restaurants and attractions. It is located, like the city at Lake Michigan. I personally like it there, but it is also really crowded, same as the other sights which will be mentioned. It is nice to spend a short amount of time there, but not much time is needed.
- Skydeck Chicago, it is basically a view point, from which you can actually see over the whole city. It is 412m high, which is enough for Chicago, to have the view over the city. It is also located at the highest building in Chicago. The prices are between $30 & $44, if you want to see over the city, then sure. Otherwise it is not worth spending this money. The only special thing there is the glass floor, where you can stand over the edge.
- Adler Planetarium Skyline Walk, it is a spot where you are able to have an overview of the city. Seeing the Skyline from Chicago at the lake. It is an awesome view with not many people along there. Many people are going for a run there or just a walk. It seems peaceful and a nice breeze is also coming.
- Chicago RiverWalk, it is right downtown and it’s quite nice. You can walk along the Chicago River. Many restaurants and hotels are around that region. Besides that, you are able to see the trump tower on the side with other skyscrapers as well. In the region, besides eating and wandering around. There is nothing to do though.
The tourist places, besides the skyline walk, are very crowded. Even though it feels less like less tourists. Still that was happening eight years back, things may have changed in a slightly worse way, due to the rising number of tourists.
What are the pros of Chicago?
Due to the wind, it feels a bit colder, also a negative point, when visiting in winter, which I would not recommend. I personally enjoy it a lot, because it feels less hectic and stressful. Also easier to escape from the masses of tourists.
It was supposed to be cheaper and I felt that it was a quiet clean city, which felt also at night quite safe. There are of course also regions, where I would not feel safe at night. These ones are not in the touristic regions.
In the touristic area it is not needed to take public transportation, most things are able to reach while walking. It is great for people like me, who don’t like public transportation that much, plus it’s cheaper.
What are the cons of Chicago?
When comparing it with New York, there are for sure less things to do in the city! Like mentioned in the pro section, the wind can be especially cold in the colder months.. In the summer it is decent, but just then.
Outside the city center, it is harder to find great spots to visit, because they are more local, which is not bad, when you want local experiences.
Even though there is a big lake, you are only allowed to swim in it during the beach season and only in some regions, which are not many. This I personally find sad, due to the high potential. In Michigan there are many people going to swim there.
My experiences in Chicago
In Chicago I was spending around a week with my father, who visited me during my exchange year. It was during spring time and for me the weather was perfect, not too cold and not too warm.
We were located downtown of the city, which was great for exploring. The public transportation is not needed, everything is not far away from each other.
I was enjoying the city a lot and also the food. We tried every day somewhere a cheeseburger, to find the best one in the city. The best burger from the week was found in a little cafe close to the Trump Tower. It was just meant for a little snack for breakfast. Sadly I don’t find the name, when searching online.
We were walking around every day. Going to explore different places and also going for runs along the waterfront, while the skyline was visible.
We had a lot of fun in the city and also visited a fan club from my favorite football/soccer team, with whom we were watching a game as well.
Maybe there was a good connection to Chicago, because it is also a partner city from my hometown Hamburg in Germany.
Of course not everything was great, you can understand why people are sometimes struggling with the weather over there. The wind can be sometimes just really strong, which is going to make you feel a bit uncomfortable, when it is not the hottest temperature.
What would I do differently today?
Different today would be guaranteed to make the accommodation part different. By using Couchsurfing, I would prefer staying with locals somewhere in Chicago and not in a hotel. Like this it is possible to experience the local lifestyle better and be able to see the city through the eyes of locals. When going with my father, that is probably not a possibility.
When thinking back, then most things went actually quite well in the city. A good amount of exploring and relaxing was happening and the climate was great.
Summary
Chicago, one of the biggest cities in the USA, was a great visit. I was able to see a lot of the city and being there while having great weather, that is something I mess up in most places.
There are many things to explore, for which you don’t need money and everything is nearby available. Same as all cities in the United States it is not cheap, but it is supposed to be cheaper than other big cities.
Having a city this close to the water is always causing a lot of wind, which needs to be expected when visiting. By the nickname Windy City it should still be no surprise that it can be really windy. Also it is not really a city to visit during the winter time, due to the freezing temperatures.
I would love to hear your experiences about this place, or questions. Share it with me in the comments
Due to the reason, that my pictures are more than 7 years old, I was using two pictures from Instagram. All photographer are tagged, just click on the pictures, to find their profiles.
Click on the text for more Central and North America stories. : Chicago the windy city, what is there to do?
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