If you are a city person then Chicago is one of the best for a short holiday.

While the Sears Tower has long queues and you have to pay, the John Hancock tower is free and has a better view.

Also well worth it is a trip on a boat around Chicago itself to see all the buildings or out onto the Great Lake for one amazing view of the skyline.

For more info check out my personal web site with a few ideas:

www.alib.co.uk/guides/index.htm

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Until you've been on a freshwater sea like Lake Michigan you just don't understand. The idea of this unbelievable mass of non-salt-water in the centre of a continent (20% of all the earth's fresh water sits in the Great Lakes system) requires this kind of visual confirmation. And unlike most major cities, Chicago celebrates its waterfront by lining it with parks and beautiful public beaches. Run, walk, play, swim. Free and for the whole family - though that water can be mighty cold most of the year.

It's to the east of the city, wherever you are

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One of the city's least-know jewels, despite being housed in the grandest piece of classical architecture on one of the busiest stretches of Michigan Avenue. An unusual thing in America, the whole place is free to the public.

It is primarily a museum and performance space, with a busy schedule of exhibits and performances. On Saturdays, they often have midday dance classes for young and old (great fun, even if you just watch).

The Chicago Symphony and Opera both offer free performances in the opulent Preston Bradley Hall, covered in glass mosaic, beneath the world's largest Tiffany dome.

On Michigan Avenue, at Randolph. Half a block away from the Loop trains, served by several buses and underground garages;
www.ci.chi.il.us/Tourism/CultureCenterTour/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Cultural_Center

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