Page 132 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

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MARVELS Chicago FORGET NEW YORK?

vs Manhattan
THE BUILD-UP The Empire State Building is
an American legend. The Chrysler Building
ARCHITECTURAL Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper Building are among many other skyscrapers
spire, Rockefeller Center, and the Flatiron
Manhattan’s soaring skyline dazzles, but
known the world over from movies and TV.

THE LETDOWN New York’s architectural
NEED TO KNOW
icons are scattered over several miles, from the
tip of Lower Manhattan to the top of Central
LOCATION On the shores of
Lake Michigan, in the state of
Park. The best features of many are at the top,
Illinois, 714 miles (1,150 km)
4FBUUMF
west of New York City
other skyscrapers. Few of these are open to the
VISITORS PER YEAR
$)*$"(0
:PSL
public, so expect long lines, security searches,
45 million 4BO 'SBODJTDP $ "/"%" /FX only clearly visible from the upper floors of
8BTIJOHUPO and costly admission to observation decks.
WEATHER Chicago has hot, 6 4 " % $
sunny but humid summers and -PT "OHFMFT
bitterly cold, snowy winters. GOING ANYWAY? Pack comfortable shoes,
Spring and fall are lovely, though /FX 0SMFBOT
nights may be chilly ABOVE Art Deco façade of the Chicago Board of Trade building binoculars, and extra patience. Pre-purchase
.&9*$0
BELOW The impressive Chicago skline viewed from a riverboat cruise Empire State Building tickets online and, if
time is tight, consider an Express Pass.
New York’s skyscrapers may be the most famous You’ll trek miles to take in New York’s landmark
in the world but, in the architectural race to the top, buildings, but many of Chicago’s architectural gems
Chicago has always had the Big Apple beat, literally, lie within The Loop, the historic city center beneath
from the ground up. The first skyscrapers were the “El.” The clattering of this elevated train system
erected, not in the great eastern metropolis, but adds to the urban buzz as workers and visitors
here on the edge of the Midwestern prairie, and bustle between shiny new office blocks, grand old
present-day Chicago offers a fascinating visual hotels and department stores, cozy corner bars,
history of the rise of the modern urban landscape. and art-decked public plazas.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 completely The Chicago Architecture Foundation leads a
devastated the heart of this wealthy industrial city, wide range of tours of this vibrant downtown area ABOVE Visitors who have made it to the 86th-floor
but it also created a blank slate. As Chicago was as well as a skycraper-spotting riverboat cruise. Observation Deck of the Empire State Building
rebuilt, talented architects rushed in from Europe Highlights include Sullivan’s ornate Carson, Pirie,
and the east coast, eager to try out new forms Scott & Company building (1899); the striking Art
and ideas unfettered by traditional styles and Deco skyscraper of the Chicago Board of Trade
constraints. Among them were Louis H. Sullivan, (1930); and the minimalist “glass box” Federal PRACTICAL INFORMATION
John Root, Daniel Burnham, and William le Baron Center by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1959–74).
Jenney. The “father of the skyscraper,” Jenney The 1,450-ft (442-m) Willis – formerly Sears – Getting There and Around Where to Stay
O’Hare International Airport, The luxurious Hotel Burnham
invented the metal-frame construction method Tower (1973) is currently the nation’s tallest building,
17 miles (27 km) northwest, (www.burnhamhotel.com) is a
that made such high-rise buildings possible. beating the Empire State Building by 200 ft (61 m). and Chicago Midway Airport, boutique hotel named after the
While New York so often tore down its old From its Skydeck observatory on the 103rd floor, 8 miles (13 km) southwest, are architect and set in his landmark
buildings to make room for the new, in Chicago you can see four states. Under construction on the connected to The Loop by train. Reliance Building in The Loop.
you can still see some of the earliest skyscrapers lakefront nearby is Santiago Calatrava’s Chicago Spire. This is the cheapest and fastest When to Go
way to downtown, especially Summer has the warmest
ever built. The Rookery, Marquette, Monadnock, When completed, this elegant, spiralling residential
during rush hour. weather. Spring and fall
and Reliance buildings were all erected between tower will stand 2,000 ft (610 m) high. Take a water are also good for outdoor
Where to Eat
1885 and 1895. They sport such features as taxi up the Chicago River for more fine skyline architecture-viewing, but bring
Chicago has a sophisticated
decorative terracotta façades and Jenney’s views on your way to Navy Pier, on Lake Michigan. dining scene as well as a great a warm, windproof jacket.
trademark Chicago windows with narrow opening In summer, this entertainment and dining center range of casual and ethnic Budget per Day for Two
side panels. Their distinctive style has become offers everything from a fairground to a Museum restaurants. Deep-dish pizza is US$220–375, depending on
your choice of accommodations
known as the Chicago School of Architecture. of Stained Glass, as well as year-round live events. a Chicago specialty. Try it at
Pizano’s (www.pizanoschicago. and dining options.
com), a restaurant and sidewalk Website
café in The Loop, still run by the Chicago Architecture Foundation:
family who invented the dish. www.architecture.org

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