Friday, September 10, 2010

It may be the self-styled “Second City” of the United States, but compared to its flashier rivals Chicago attracts far less publicity.

Los Angeles trades off its Hollywood glamour, San Francisco its hippy past and New York well, it needs no epithet. And Chicago? We can name deep-pan pizza and corrupt local government as two of its better known products.

But there is far more to the city than this.

Unlike its supercool cousins, Chicago does not sit on the trendy East or West Coast, but in the rather less hip Midwest.

This makes it something of an unexpected treasure when, after a drive through the endless Illinois prairie land, its majestic skyscrapers appear on the horizon.

Built on the shore of Lake Michigan, it is a modern metropolis accommodating some of the finest architecture in the Western world.

The best way to see it is by boat.  To get my bearings, I took a Chicago Architecture Foundation cruise along the turquoise river that snakes through the heart of the city.

Towering overhead on both banks, against a piercing blue sky, were a dizzying number of Victorian, Modernist, neo-classical, neo-Gothic and Postmodernist masterpieces - all built since the Great Fire of 1871, which all but destroyed the centre.

The blaze provided Chicago with an opportunity to start afresh and fashion a wonderfully liveable new city from the embers of the old.

European influences abound - as one tour guide told us, “America didn’t have its own architectural style before Frank Lloyd Wright” - but Chicago looks nothing like anywhere in Europe. Its triumphs include Tribune Tower, whose resemblance to a cathedral is not accidental - the home of the Chicago Tribune was inspired by Rouen Cathedral in Normandy, complete with decorative buttresses and scrollwork.

A sort of Midwestern Xanadu perhaps.

My favourite - The Carbide and Carbon Building is designed to look like a champagne bottle, with every bit as much fizz and sparkle in its unusual gold tower and dark green base. And then there’s the beach a charmingly incongruous addition to the urban landscape.

Gaze out from it across the lake and you’ll fancy yourself on a seaside holiday.

Turn around and you’ll see the skyscrapers looming over you - a surprising contrast.

The pleasant walk along the lake shore - or cycle ride, if you prefer  will take you to touristy Navy Pier. Here, the air hangs heavy with the smell of fast food while greedy yet agile seagulls swoop to snatch morsels dropped by the overfed crowds.

Sandwiched between the usual end-of-pier attractions is a McDonald’s restaurant whose sign sports the legend: ‘McDonald’s the future.’

But in Chicago, McDonald’s is very much the present.

Somehow I can forgive this though. For a fan of Americana in all its glorious and inglorious forms, the ubiquitous fast food chain is far easier on the eye here than it is at home.

Still, while Navy Pier merits a visit especially for the twice-weekly firework display it is not a place to spend the bulk of your time. I lingered longer in the Art Institute of Chicago. A whole day, in fact.

With one of the best collections of Impressionist paintings in the world, this enormous gallery is an art lover’s paradise.

Also worth a look is the American Modern Art section, where Grant Wood’s American Gothic hangs alongside works by Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe and others. And when your aching feet can’t take any more, conceptual art-filled Millennium Park offers a vast expanse of green on which to lay back and take in that skyscraper-lined skyline some more.

The park will give your purse a rest as well and allow you some time to recharge but have no fear, Chicago is not a city that never sleeps. There’s no lack of nightlife, but it does get its beauty sleep. Maybe that’s why it feels so laid back and fresh.

After dark, if you squint, you can picture Gotham City.

But open your eyes wide and you’ll see the Midwest’s finest jewel: a
stunningly conceived slice of urban America - with Coke and extra fries.

Chicago - the facts
Best for: Spectacular architecture and rich history.
Time to go: Early summer or early autumn, when the climate is moderate.
Don’t miss: A river boat tour is the ideal way to see the city.
Need to know: The CTA - Chicago’s train system - is a good way to get around but taxis are also relatively cheap.
Don’t forget: Save the diet for when you get home: burgers, chops and hot dogs are standard Chicago fare.

How to get there
Etihad flies direct to Chicago and Emirates has several routes to the US, from which you can take a connection to Chicago.

www.visitchicago.com to plan your trip