Those who live in Chicago know that they have many interesting places to visit in the Windy City. In fact, on many weekends, residents probably turn on their “adt alarm system” and head to the downtown area to enjoy the treasures of their city. Visitors from all over the world visit and appreciate them as well.

One very famous place is Margie’s Candies, which was founded in 1921 and was named for the owner’s wife. Some of its famous visitors were the Beatles and Al Capone. It actually is more famous for its ice cream, which is served in a clamshell-shaped bowl. It is an old-fashioned landmark filled with history and knickknacks.

Chicago’s Field Museum is also a renowned place to visit because it has over 20 million artifacts in its collection. Its most visited attraction is named Sue, history’s most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. The museum also has two stuffed Tsavo Lions, whose killing history was the subject of a horror movie. Right next to the museum is an aquarium that also attracts crowds.

Wrigley Field, one of America’s oldest baseball fields and the home of the Chicago Cubs, schedules tours of their facilities, and many visitors enjoy the information that guides provide. However, it is also possible to attend a game, but it is best to secure tickets in advance because games are often sold out.

The South Side of Chicago is the city’s biggest section, both in area and in population. It is largely a residential area, home to blacks and other minorities. Hyde Park, home of the University of Chicago, is located here. Some of its houses are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Robie House is the area’s number one landmark. It was home to Frank Lloyd Wright.

Lorado Taft Midway Studios was used by the famous sculptor, one of whose

The Midwest is famous for its range of exceptional culinary selections and the Chicago area is no exception. With over 2000 pizza eateries in the metro area, it’s easy to find something new and delicious to enjoy. Although most restaurants offer several varieties of pizza, Chicago style is a regional specialty.

Chicago style deep dish pizza was originated by Pizzeria Uno’s founder Ike Sewell in 1943. It is characterized by a thick, buttery crust made with olive oil and cornmeal. After being placed in a heavily oiled deep sided pan, the dough is pulled up the pan’s sides and prebaked. This

The Windy City, as Chicago is widely known, is one of the most rewarding cities to visit. And I should know, because I’ve been there myself on more than one occasion. In this article I will describe four attractions, all of which I’ve visited.

The Field Museum of Natural History is renowned for its exhibits on prehistoric life and on American Indians.

The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum,http://www.adlerplanetarium.org is heaven for those

Residents often say, “Thank God Chicago isn’t warm for 12 months a year or else everyone would live here.” An immaculate city from spring to fall, particularly pristine in the summer months, winter in the Windy City can get cold and nasty, if you’ll excuse the lack of discretion. Still, Chicago is like no place else on earth, blending first rate amenities, global capabilities and a friendly, hardworking Midwestern attitude, all of which fails to vanish when temperatures drop below freezing. While its wintry reputation may be less than pleasant, Chicago is a great place to visit year round, as long as you bring your coat, with a full calendar of events sure to leave tourists and locals in need of a little diversion smiling and satisfied. Here are the highlights this January:NHL at Wrigley (New Year’s Day) Experience hockey as it was meant to played, outside, as your Chicago Blackhawks take on the visiting Detroit Red Wings. Though perhaps a frozen Lake Erie would be most appropriate, the home of the Chicago Cubs serves as a fan friendly environment, with plenty of seating and no danger of thin ice for players.Ice Skating at Wrigley (until February 27) If perhaps you’re not quite good enough to lace it up with the pros, anyone can skate in the shadow of arguably Chicago’s most hallowed grounds, at least according so some Northsiders. Set up outside the stadium, the rink is open 7 days a week from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m., opening at 10 a.m. on weekends and closing an hour early at 8 p.m. on Sundays.

Chicago is renowned the world over. The Second City is the famous metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States, serving as a hub for entertainment, business and general American culture for the middle third of the country. Cook County, Chicago’s proud primary host county, however, is a little less well known outside the area of Northeastern Illinois. Named for Daniel Cook, the second U.S. Representative from the state of Illinois and the state’s first Attorney General, the county was created in 1831 as the 54^th county within the State of Illinois. According to its original boundary, modern day DuPage County residents would find their homes well entrenched within the Cook County borders.

Boxed in by some of the most prominent streets in the Chicago area, Michigan Avenue to the west, Lake Shore Drive to the east, Randolph St. to the north and Roosevelt Rd. to the south, if downtown Chicago were a schoolhouse for the city’s businessmen and women, Grant Park would be the playground on which they spent their recess hour. Grant Park has helped to shape the vibrant social life of the Second City since its early days as “Lake Park” back in 1844. Rechristened as Grant Park at the turn of the century, in honor of heroic Civil War General and later the 18^th President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant, the park soon saw widespread improvement and expansion throughout the early part of the 20^th century, as the park’s boundaries were increased to take over former landfills and its grounds were augmented by buildings of cultural and academic value, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum of Natural History and the Shedd Aquarium.

Today, Navy Pier is one of Chicago’s most iconic tourist destinations, blending perhaps a flair for old timey fun with top of the line restaurants, lakeside boating access and vendors that line the boardwalk, from adult beverages for mom and dad to flavored nuts and cotton candy for the kids. However, as recently as 1989, Navy Pier was bordering on disrepair, overlooked by city government and underutilized despite its prime real estate. Originally opened in 1916, Navy Pier was once the largest pier in the world, housing military personnel, Red Cross teams and homeland defense units. Soon after, it began to take shape as an entertainment hub, opening a theater, largely to entertain the stationed soldiers, in addition to a street car line and an emergency room. The structure was first christened as “Navy Pier” in 1927 to honor the many Navy sailors who were spending the majority of their years stationed in Chicago.

Though Soldier Field has been around since 1924, known in its first two years as “Municipal Grant Park Stadium,” the Chicago Bears didn’t make the grounds their permanent home until the 1971 season, previously forcing the Cubs’ Wrigley Field baseball stadium to double as a multi-sport facility. Serving primarily as a site for special exhibitions and events over the first 40 years of its existence, the arena first donned its “Soldier Field” moniker in a formal dedication ceremony before the 1926 Army vs. Navy game, its name serving to honor the countless American soldiers who have died in battle serving our great nation.

The friendly confines of Wrigley Field first welcomed the Chicago Cubs in 1916, serving the Chicago area and the beloved Cubs fan base as backdrop to healthy juxtaposition of fun-filled family days at the ballpark and well-documented post season agony. Taking to the field just 8 years after their second of back to back World Series titles in 1907 and 1908, Cubs fans hoped the new stadium would welcome winning teams for years to come. Ultimately, the top echelons of baseball success have eluded the Cubbies, though they have had relative success in terms of records and pennants. Still, tempered expectations have in no way diminished fans appreciation of their one of a kind ballpark, endearing fans amid the anguish. Surrounded by a collection of bars and restaurants, “Wrigleyville,” as the area has come to be known, is a often a place for Cubs fans to drown their sorrows after another season of unfulfilled expectations.