Chicago is not known as a beach destination, but Lake Michigan is the largest freshwater lake located entirely within the United States, and Chicagoans flock to it. Anyone can show up and swim — “private” beaches spoil virtually none of Chicago's lake-front. And despite the latitude, the water is quite warm in the late summer and early fall. Where there are beaches, there are lake-front parks, which, during the summer months, are a destination for organised and impromptu volleyball and soccer games, chess matches, and plenty more.

There are also terrific parks further away from the lake. In the Loop, Grant Park hosts music festivals throughout the year and Millennium Park is a fun destination for all ages, especially during the summer.

Chicago is also known as ‘the Windy City'. Walking around town, you might suspect that Chicago got this nickname from the winds off Lake Michigan, which shove through the downtown corridors with intense force. With a wealth of iconic sights and neighbourhoods to explore, there's enough to fill a visit of days, weeks, or even months without ever seeing the end.

While the city has many great attractions downtown, most Chicagoans live and play outside of the central business district. To understand Chicago, travellers must venture away from the Loop and Michigan Avenue and out into the vibrant neighbourhoods, to soak up the local night-life, sample the wide range of fantastic dining, and see the sights Chicagoans care about most — thanks to the city's massive public transit system, every part of Chicago is only slightly off the most beaten path.

From the sternly classical to the space age, from the Gothic to the coolly modern, Chicago is a place with an embarrassment of architectural riches, where the past meets the future. Chicago is also the birthplace of the skyscraper. It was here that steel-frame construction was invented, allowing buildings to rise above the limits of load-bearing walls. Naturally, competition with New York was fierce, but in the end, Chicago built them taller. Chicago boasts three out of America's tallest five buildings: the Sears Tower, the Aon Center and the John Hancock Center.

Chicago has been rated as having the most balanced economy in the United States, due to its high level of diversification, and the city is also home to three major financial and futures exchanges, including the Chicago Stock Exchange, the Chicago Board Options Exchange and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.