Travel guide Chicago

Chicago has a very contrasting architecture, the city having become the architects' playground after the Great Fire of 1871. Frank Lloyd Wright, the main protagonist of the Prairie School movement and one of the most important American architects, subsequently worked there for almost twenty years.

In addition to housing one of the country's most prestigious art museums, the Chicago Art Institute, the city has many urban works of art that brighten the sometimes cold streets of downtown. One can contemplate works by Picasso, Dubuffet, Chagall, Miro or Anish Kapoor with his famous Cloud Gate, the centerpiece of Millennium Park.

It was in Chicago that the blues really developed and became electric, after the phenomenon of the Great Migration of African-Americans to the north. The greatest bluesmen of all time have lived there, from Muddy Waters to Howlin' Wolf to Buddy Guy, who in fact opened his own club, Buddy Guy's Legends, in 1989.

For many, it's the first thing that comes to mind when they think of Chicago. It is true that the city was the scene of particularly violent clashes between criminal gangs during Prohibition in the 1920s. Al Capone, the terrible godfather of the Outfit, has in fact become the most famous mobster of all time!

If there's one specialty to be tasted during your stay, it's this one! The Chicago version of the pizza is quite different from its Italian cousin: it consists of a thick crust, lots of cheese, topping and tomato sauce, all baked in a pan. You can taste it at Lou Malnati's, Gino's East or Pizzeria Uno.

Like many great American cities, Chicago is cosmopolitan and proud of its diversity. However, communities coexist but don't mix, with African-Americans and Latinos living in outlying neighborhoods to the south and west. A phenomenon of segregation and social fracture also found in Detroit.

Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario make up the world's largest group of freshwater lakes. Lovers of wide open spaces, deep forests and camping will be delighted. In Chicago, sandy beaches are colonized by hordes of Chicagoans, and to the north, you'll find deserted beaches or lakeside villages.

Chicago was the birthplace of the world's first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building, which opened in 1885. Chicago is considered the cradle of modern architecture, which developed after the Great Fire of 1871 that destroyed a third of the city. Today, the Willis Tower is the high point of the skyline.

Chicago is the heart and main city of the Midwest, a region that encompasses the states of Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio. The Midwest is centered around the Great Lakes, with the majority of its economy based on agricultural activity. Its inhabitants are known to be welcoming and friendly!

Chicago's museums are numerous and of excellent quality. The rich collections of the Art Institute, the Field Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Science and Industry or the Chicago History Museum will delight enthusiasts and the curious. In winter, when it's freezing cold, we spend even more time discovering them!

The locals are avid sports fans! Chicago boasts two great teams: the Bulls, Michael Jordan's legendary basketball team, and the Cubs, who won their last world baseball title in 2016 after a 108-year wait. In American football, the Bears won the Superbowl once, in 1986.

There are over two hundred and fifty theaters in Chicago alone! The most mythical is the Chicago Theatre, built in 1921 in a French neo-baroque style. Some theatres have only a few dozen seats, while the largest can accommodate several thousand people. The experience is unique every time!