In addition to the abundance of things to do, places to eat and sites to see, Chicago is simply a gorgeous city. Its location on the lake, and the river which runs through it, give it a natural head start over some other cities, but the emphasis on form and detail, in buildings both new and old, combined with the geography, make it special.
The Architecture River Tour
The Reid, Murdoch & Co. Building (1914)
Vista Tower (The Residences at St Regis Chicago) is the tallest building in the world designed by a woman, Jeanne Gang. The small black stripe near the top of the 3rd tower is actually an open floor. It is designed to allow the winds from Lake Michigan to pass through the building thereby minimizing sway. Many of the new buildings had some feature like this, to reduce sway. Both the old and new buildings were also designed with features that allowed light and air to reach the street level of the city (2020).
The Civic Opera House (1929)
Architecture NOT on the River (but interesting, still the same)
