Chicago became home to the world's tallest building in 1973 when the Sears Tower was topped off after three years of construction.  Designed by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, it is still the tallest building in the world, when measured from sidewalk to the highest occupied floor (110th), and from sidewalk to the top of the roof.  On a clear day, it does seem like you can see forever from your vantage point on the Sears Skydeck, 400 meters (one quarter mile) above the ground.  Or at least as far away as four of the surrounding states.

Other influential builders were Louis Sullivan, a philosopher and romantic who advocated the idea of “form follows function.”  Frank Lloyd Wright, who favored, open, deconstructed spaces, founded the “prairie school” of architecture.  He built many residences whose horizontality evoked the breadth of the prairies.  

On the shores of Lake Michigan are the Shedd Aquarium, proclaimed to be the largest indoor aquarium in the world, Adler Planetarium, Field Museum and Navy Pier.  Any of those sites are worth a few hours of touring.  The streets near Lakeshore Drive are also home to the campuses of Loyola and Northwestern Universities, two of the country’s most prominent schools.

Chicago is home to quite a varied range of performing arts as well.  We experienced a performance of the extraordinary Blue Man Group.  That was a journey to an alternate reality, often hilarious and always entertaining.

When the weather gods are in your favor, the city basks in glorious sunshine.  Even then, this is not called the Windy City for nothing.  Walking around the wide basin of the Soldier Field stadium near Lake Michigan, it took a mighty effort just to stay upright.  Wind chill factor plunged the pleasantly cool temperature to a biting iciness that was merciless on the hands and ears.  We thought Detroit was cold!

Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile is known for its high-end establishments like the Louis Vuitton flagship store, Saks Fifth Avenue, and the opulent Drake Hotel.  The 1925 Tribune Tower, with its flying buttresses and Gothic detailing, houses the editorial offices of Chicago’s morning newspaper.  With the Tribune Tower marking its southern end, the Mag Mile’s northern area is dominated by the John Hancock Center, its steel cross-bracing also designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. 

No visit is complete without sampling great food, and our hosts obliged with generous servings of deep dish pizza.  It’s quite different from New York Pizza, as it’s quite heavy on the tomato sauce and much more of a mouthful.  Though Detroit deep dish didn’t stand much of a chance, a Detroit import, heavily influenced by New York, is the best in its field.  That would be The Cheesecake Factory, with its sumptuous entrées and sinful Godiva cheesecake.

We left the city the same way we entered—driving on the elevated highway, gazing at the moonlit skyline.  This time though, we understood more of how the city was built, and went away even more impressed.      

The river flows the wrong way; change its direction.  They build high; you build them higher.  As Sean Connery said in The Untouchables, “That's the Chicago way.”