Has Chicago finally gotten over its "Second City" inferiority complex? Sure looks like it. The city is booming, bursting with restaurants, hotels, and shops in every price range. The heart of downtown, formed by the "Loop" of elevated train tracks, was on life support a decade ago; now it beats with a new energy, invigorated by the renovation of some grand old theaters and nightlife options that keep office workers out well past sundown. In Grant Park, the massive Millennium Park complex -- Chicago's largest public-works project in decades -- has taken shape. Loft condos and trendy bistros have sprung up in formerly deserted industrial areas, creating brand-new residential neighborhoods. Walk around Chicago these days, and you'll feel an undeniable energy, a sense that the town is on a roll.
This isn't the first time Chicago has reinvented itself. From the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, Chicagoans not only rebuilt -- they reached for the heavens with the first steel-frame skyscrapers. Before too long, a frontier trading town was transformed into a center of international business, and Chicago proudly showed off its new muscle by hosting the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, a massive fair that celebrated the 400th anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the New World. Legendary Chicago architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham summed up the city's attitude at the turn of the 19th century: "Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood."
Today Chicago continues to think big, creating such attractions as an easy-to-navigate Museum Campus; lively Navy Pier; a resurrected North Loop theater district; and a "who's who" of luxury shopping destinations along the city's fabled Magnificent Mile. A busy convention trade has sparked hotel construction, and the city's eclectic mix of restaurants has gained an international reputation, with star chefs such as Charlie Trotter and Rick Bayless showing that Chicago cuisine goes far beyond deep-dish pizza and bratwurst (although you find plenty of that too).
But the Second City complex still lurks just beneath the surface. Chicago still feels that it has something to prove. Visitors find that Chicagoans like myself will readily brag about our hometown. Get us talking, and we'll keep going, full of suggestions about what you should do and eager to help you enjoy your visit. (Remember, it's called the "Windy City" after our bombastic politicians, not our much-maligned weather.) So without further ado, let me tell you what we locals consider the quintessential Chicago experiences.
