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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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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