Opening image: Chicago’s iconic skyline of Art Deco skyscrapers. / A classic American diner in The Loop, an eclectic area filled with vibrant shops and eateries in the heart of Downtown. / Sugar-glazed apples at old-fashioned confectioner Kilwins, near the Jackson subway stop. / Craft beer haunt Miller’s Pub, which has been serving frothy brews since 1935. / Chicago is generally regarded as the birthplace of the modern skyscraper.
Main image: an ‘L’ railcar trundles overhead. / An ice-skater casually hangs his skates by their laces outside the Millennium Park Ice Rink. / The hub of the Chicago ‘L’ is the Loop (historically called Union Loop) – a 1.79-mile-long circuit of elevated rail track. / Posters peel off the walls of the Loop line. / Ice-skating is free in Millennium Park from November to March every winter.
Main image: the Chicago ‘L’ stops all the way along the waterfront of Lake Michigan, the second largest of North America’s five Great Lakes. / An American flag flies at Chicago Union Station, a grand Beaux-Arts structure in the heart of the city. / Nature meets futuristic architecture in Millennium Park. / 35 East Wacker, also known as the Jewelers’ Building, peeks out between more modern skyscrapers in the Loop district. / An urban section of the Loop railway circuit, which forms the core of the ‘L’ system.
