“Chicago is New York’s cleanest little sister.”
This is how some people derisively refer to Chicago. Yet the metropolis on Lake Michigan has a charm all of its own, which can certainly stand up to the overpowering Big Apple and Los Angeles. I was there in winter – a frosty pleasure. But also the fact that the city is considered to be the coldest in North America is taken by the inhabitants with stunning nonchalance. Winter or summer – Chicago is just cool!
Business Stay
There are plenty of hotels with history in Chicago. Not only is The Blackstone Autograph Collection centrally located on South Michigan Avenue, near the lake and many of the city’s attractions, it is also a masterpiece of the city’s great architecture. 20 US presidents have stayed here.
Business Food
Chicago is world famous for two dishes: the “Chicago Style Hot Dog” and the “Pan Pizza”. The hot dog here consists of pure beef, plus gherkins, onion relish, mustard and definitely no ketchup! At Gene & Jude’s you (seriously!) have to audition if you want to drown the sausage dog in the tomato sauce.
The Pan Pizza is a typical Italian-American invention: Pizza with a thick crust and thick topping. Share one of these calorie bombs with at least two of you, otherwise you won’t be able to get up from your chair.
And this place is also a must when it comes to food: the Billy Goat Tavern, named after Billy the Goat, which was the founder’s gift to the goat and was part of the tavern’s permanent inventory for many years, will catapult you back to the 1950s. The “Cheezborger” has existed at this legendary place for just as long. The Greek owner could not pronounce cheeseburger correctly and his verbal-horned meatball with cheese even made it into the “Saturday Night Live Show” due to this speech impediment. You can find the original here: 430 N Michigan Ave
Business Quick Getaway
Museums like The Art Institute of Chicago, the Aquarium, the Millennium Park with huge works of art, the baseball stadium of the Cups – all these are grouped around the lakeside. One of the most exciting eye-catchers here is certainly the Cloud Gate on the AT&T Square in Millennium Park, known to many only as the “Chicago Bean”. There is probably no cooler way to see the sights of Chicago than on a Segway.
Kai Böcking …
is thrilled with Chicago’s coolness. Of its history, of its people, big and small, and of its original American kitchen creations that were invented and cultivated here.
Photos: Konzack
