ChicagoTravel Guide

The heart of Mexican Chicago, and the most visually alive neighbourhood in the city: block after block of murals, mosaic-fronted buildings and painted shutters along 16th Street and beyond.

Four days covers this comfortably; three covers it if you drop Pullman.

Two immigrant high streets on opposite ends of the north side.

One of the largest conservatories in the United States, designed by landscape architect Jens Jensen to look like a landscape rather than a greenhouse.

An abandoned elevated freight line running nearly three miles above Bucktown, Wicker Park, Logan Square and Humboldt Park, replanted as a walking and cycling trail.

Chicago's fine dining is world-class: Alinea remains one of the most decorated restaurants in the United States, Girl and the Goat built its reputation on bold shared plates, and Kasama turned a Filipino bakery into a destination.

deep-dish gets the fame, but tavern-style thin crust cut into squares is what locals eat more often.

First visit, three nights or fewer: the Loop, or River North if your evenings matter more than your mornings.

HI Chicago, a large hostel in the South Loop close to the Art Institute and the Museum Campus, is the volume option, with rooms of eight to ten beds, most of them en-suite, a guest kitchen and rates that at the time of writing typically start somewhere around USD 40.

This is where Chicago is at its most rewarding, because the money buys a building rather than a brand.

At the top, you are paying for a landmark.