Fancy a boogie? Sound Bar and Enclave are your passes to the best late-night hedonism Chicago has to offer. The former has two levels and is invariably packed: downstairs plays hip-hop music and upstairs grooves to an unrelenting house beat. You can engineer your very own oasis of calm, though, by booking a table in the VIP room. The drinks are phenomenally cheap, you get waitress service and the chance to retreat if the music becomes too much or the people too raucous. Not the best club in the world, but a good laugh nonetheless. Altogether better is Enclave. This upscale location has undergone a full year of renovation: new floors, new (clean) bathrooms, new furnishings, impeccably styled bar areas, etc. And it’s been worth it. This is now the premier dance spot in Illinois, with beautiful people to match. Get a table in the circular, curtain-swathed VIP area and forget all about work.

Sound Bar
226 W. Ontario, Chicago, IL 60610, Tel: 312.787.4480 sound-bar.com
Enclave: enclavechicago.com

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If you’re looking for a post-dinner drink or two, the J Bar at The James is a good place to start. In harmony with the rest of the hotel, it’s sleek, sophisticated and very cool. The barmen fashion martinis with olive lollipops (so you can look like Kojak for the night) and the waiters provide appetizers from David Burke’s in-house restaurant. If you get there early enough, you might also get a seat on the attractive low-slung banquettes.

James Hotel55 East Ontario, Chicago, Illinois, 60611Website: jameshotels.com/chicago

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Fantastic local pub - especially for homesick football fans. Good atmosphere and friendly staff, the Globe will even open at 6am for midday premier league kick-offs.

1934 W Irving Park

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Good ribs and great atmosphere in old Chicago hang-out.

1655 N Sedgwick Street.

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Now, I am not normally a cocktail man. But on a weekend in Chicago with my then-fiancee, we discovered The Terrace at the Conrad. You snuggle up on a sofa five stories above the rest of the world but feel like you're a million miles away, so it's perfect either for romantic drinks or for a relaxed night with friends (and not as pretentious as a lot of other bars we tried in the city). The unique cocktail menu was a really big hit with my other half and even I was a fan of the 'TerraceTini'. Go in the summer and soak up the atmosphere, or go now and soak up the alcohol whilst the exchange rate is so good... the lovely lady I took is now my wife so it must have been a reasonable success!

The Terrace, upstairs at the Conrad Chicago at 521 North RUsh St.
Chicago, Illinois, 60611.
Tel number 1312 645 1500

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If in Chicago during the summer an afternoon at "the ball game" is hard to beat and is a fraction of the price you'd pay to watch football in the UK.

Chicago even offers you two teams. On the north side are the world's greatest under-achievers; the Cubs. The fact that they haven't won anything for approaching a hundred years only seems to fuel the fanaticism of their supporters. On the south side are the traditionally working-class White Sox, world series winners in 2005. Strangely, a baseball game is the nearest thing in the US to the atmosphere of a football match in Britain. Both are within easy reach of the Loop via the red line subway.

Tickets can be booked online well in advance on each team's website. One word of warning though, beer prices inside both grounds are extortionate. So enjoy the build up in the pubs near the stadiums, particularly at Wrigley Field.

Cubs at Wrigley Field. Clark and Addison.
Subway:Addison.

Sox at US Cellular Field. 35th St. Subway: Sox/35th St.

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The Hancock building offers a better view of Chicago than the taller Sears Tower. Go at sunset and rather than pay to visit the observation deck, spend what you saved on a couple of cocktails in the bar two storeys higher. Sit back and watch the whole of Chicago light up.

Michigan Ave

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So you want to watch the Cubs or the Blackhawks in a gay sports bar? Loads of TVs, beer and spirits of all descriptions, friendly and knowledgeable locals, and all sports catered for: hell, they're American and they're even showing the World Cup.

4804 N Broadway, take the red line to Lawrence (which is one block east of the venue);
tel: 773-784-CREW;
www.worldsgreatestbar.com

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