Chicago, IL

Collections

• Best Chicago Architecture Stops

  Landmarks that tell the story of Chicago architecture, from Loop skyscrapers and Beaux-Arts interiors to Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie-style work.

• Best Chicago Blues & Comedy Clubs

  The rooms that made Chicago famous for electric blues and improv comedy, from Buddy Guy's Legends to The Second City, for a classic night out.

• Best Chicago Deep Dish & Tavern-Style Pizza

  Chicago's two signature pies, deep dish and square-cut tavern thin crust, from the 1943 birthplace of deep dish to neighborhood favorites locals line up for.

• Best Chicago Hot Dogs & Italian Beef

  The stands behind Chicago's two street-food icons: dragged-through-the-garden hot dogs and dipped Italian beef, in the city and close-in suburbs.

• Best Chicago Jazz Clubs

  From Al Capone's booth at the Green Mill to the avant-garde stage at Constellation, these clubs show why Chicago jazz is still evolving. Eight rooms for straight-ahead bebop, free improv and late-night jam sessions, for serious listeners and curious first-timers alike.

• Best Chicago Lakefront Spots

  Beaches, parks and points along Lake Michigan where locals and visitors swim, stroll and catch skyline sunsets, from Montrose to Hyde Park.

• Best Chicago Mexican Restaurants

  A taco-and-mole trail rooted in Pilsen's 18th Street and Little Village's 26th Street, with detours to Archer Heights masa and Rick Bayless' River North flagship. Carnitas by the pound, goat birria, suadero and mariscos for anyone hungry for Chicago's Mexican heart.

• Best Chicago Neighborhood Taverns

  Eight cash-friendly, decades-old corner taverns where Chicago still drinks like Chicago: Malort shots, Old Style, glogg and photo booths in bars that survived Prohibition and the condo boom. For locals and visitors who want regulars and history, not bottle service.

• Best Chicago Polish & Eastern European Food

  Chicago has one of the largest Polish communities outside Warsaw, and these spots prove it: pierogi counters, highlander buffets, Ukrainian Village cafes and Old World dining rooms along Milwaukee Ave. For anyone craving zurek, golabki or a pastry case.

• Best Chicago Public Art

  A free, walkable museum of modern masters in the Loop: Picasso, Miro, Chagall, Calder, Kapoor and Plensa, plus giant murals honoring Muddy Waters and Chicago women. Perfect for visitors with an hour to spare and locals who walk past these daily.

• Best Chicago Riverwalk Stops

  The 1.25-mile Chicago Riverwalk, stop by stop: a wine garden, a cider garden, a bridgehouse museum, river cruises, a giant art projection and quiet memorials beneath the skyscrapers. For visitors and locals planning a riverside stroll; many vendors run May to October.

• Best Chicago Rooftop Bars

  Chicago's best drinks with a view, from the Millennium Park atrium at Cindy's to the world's largest rooftop on Navy Pier. Each stop notes whether it is enclosed or seasonal, so visitors and locals can sip skyline cocktails in July or January.

• Best Chicago Winter Warm-Up Spots

  When the hawk wind blows off the lake, retreat here: steamy palm-filled conservatories, fireplace bars, a candlelit cocktail den, cheese fondue and thick hot chocolate with giant marshmallows. A survival map for Chicago winters, for locals and visitors.