Chicago, Illinois

The first non-native to settle in the area now known as Chicago was Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, a fugitive slave from San Domingo. By 1779, a small settlement had sprung up around his camp, and du Sable's stake was eventually purchased by another trader, who was bought out by Jonathan Kinzie in 1804. As the settlement grew, the government began to see it as a gateway to the Western frontier and erected Fort Dearborn (now the Michigan Avenue Bridge), where the Chicago River and Lake Michigan kissed. The Native Americans were quite unhappy with this situation and in 1812 massacred most of the soldiers and their families. The fort was rebuilt in 1814 and by 1833 Chicago was a lively frontier town.

The promise of a quick buck drew people, and in 1837 Chicago was officially incorporated as a city. The Illinois and Michigan canal opened in 1848. Rail lines soon followed, and Chicago became the nation's inland shipping hub. With the opening of the Union Stockyards on the western fringe of town, Chicago, as poet Carl Sandburg famously put it, became the "hog butcher to the world."

In the 1850s and 1860s, things could not have looked brighter. In just a few years, Chicago grew from a small frontier town to a booming metropolis on the lake, drawing both Easterners and European immigrants.

The summer of 1871 was a scorcher, and rain was scarce. Catherine O'Leary lived on the city's southwest side, and on the evening of October 8, a small fire began in her barn and started to spread. The cow knocking the lantern over into a pile of hay has become the stuff of legends, but no one really knows what started the blaze that would become known as the Great Chicago Fire.

The fire swept across the Chicago River and burnt the business center of the city to the ground. It continued north, destroying everything in its path all the way to Fullerton Avenue. Firefighters were powerless, but the clouds finally granted Chicago a few precious drops of rain, which started to beat the flames into submission 25 hours after the fire began. Most of the city was in rubble, 100,000 people were homeless, 17,450 buildings were burnt to ash. At the time, losses were estimated at 200 million. Chicago was rebuilt from the ground up, bigger, better and more uniquely American than any other city in the country. Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, John Root and Dankmar Adler, among other renowned architects, joined local builders. "Form followed function" and buildings rose to the sky supported by gridworks of steel. Such masterpieces as the Rookery Building, the Monadnock Building, the Auditorium Theatre Building, and the Marquette Building took shape during this time. To prove its place, a group of politicians and businessmen set out to secure Chicago as the site of the 1893 World's Fair through a blustery campaign of self-promotion. A bitter rivalry ensued between Chicago, St. Louis, Washington D.C. and especially New York. In the New York Sun, editorialist Charles A. Dana warned not to listen "to the nonsensical claims of that windy city. Its people could not build a World's Fair even if they won it." Although proven wrong, Dana did coin Chicago's most common nickname, "The Windy City."

Chicago won the contest and built the fair. Under the guidance of Daniel Hudson Burnham, whose motto was "make no little plans, for they have no magic to stir men's blood," a gleaming city of white was erected in Jackson Park. Today, the Museum of Science and Industry stands as the sole survivor of the fairgrounds.

For years, the Levee District was the seat of the corrupt First Ward, run by two of Chicago's greatest characters, Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna and John "Bathhouse" Coughlin. Theirs was an empire that consisted of the riches of the Loop and the spoils of vice. For years, they reigned as the "Lords of the Levee," but changing social tides brought their empire to an end.

The late 1890s were a time of social reform, and Chicago was in need of reforming, even though one politician screamed that "Chicago ain't ready for reform yet." Under the leadership of Jane Addams and her settlement house movement begun at The Hull House, the lives of thousands of immigrants were made better. At the same time, former baseball player turned minister Billy Sunday, with the support of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, turned his eyes to the Levee. Increasing public outrage at Hinky Dink's and Bathhouse's shenanigans ended in the breakup of the Levee.

While unions and social workers, with the aid of such writers as Upton Sinclair and Theodore Dreiser, alleviated some of the conditions of the poor, the vice that had been contained in the Levee spread through the city. With no centralized base of control, gangs formed to stake their claims. Chicago was about to enter its bloodiest era, one that still stains the public imagination.

During Prohibition, Al Capone had almost a stranglehold on the liquor supply to the city, and he used any means necessary to keep that control. Prohibition ended in 1933, but the fear and violence did not end. Even though Capone was in jail, "The Outfit" continued to run vice in the city. With the coming of the Great Depression in 1929, things only got worse.

Bright moments emerged in the 1930s, though. In 1933, Chicago once again hosted a World's Fair. Chicago pioneered in the broadcasting industry, and would go on to pioneer in television a decade later. Chicago was also a musical innovator. Jazz had crept into the city from New Orleans, along with the likes of Louis Armstrong, and Chicago put its own spin on the music. Benny Goodman learned to play the clarinet at Hull House and in the 1930s ignited America with his brand of swing.

World War II shook America and Chicago out of the Depression. Chicago was a big player in the manufacture and repair of war ships. Municipal Pier, now Navy Pier, became a temporary Navy base and hundreds of Rosie the Riveters could be seen bustling to work each day. The end of the war brought another boom-time, and Chicago prospered with new building projects. 1968 was a notorious year. The Democrats met in Chicago to nominate their presidential candidate. A large group of protesters assembled near The Congress Plaza Hotel on Michigan Avenue. Fearing a violent uprising, Mayor Richard J. Daley cracked down hard. Film footage of Chicago cops clobbering protesters is still hard to watch. Dissatisfaction set in, and many once proud neighborhoods began to crumble. The 1970s saw a period of great urban decline. Things looked bleak. And then the 1980s hit.

With the upsurge in the economy, building began once more in the Loop, with huge office towers springing up everywhere, joining the ranks of the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) and the John Hancock Tower. It was the busiest time for building in the Loop since Mies van der Rohe erected his steel and glass buildings 20 years before. An influx of people returned to the city from the suburbs. Neighborhoods that had been in decline, such as Lincoln Park and Lakeview, had new life breathed into them.

Today, Chicago stands as a thriving metropolis, the proud home of millions and a popular destination for travelers.

Chicago may have more neighborhoods than any other city in North America. While many of them have begun to look similar, each maintains distinct features. Whether looking for the exotic or a bit of the city made famous by novelist Nelson Algren, you can find what you need in Chicago.

Four of Chicago's neighborhoods offer most of its best hotels: the Loop, North Michigan Avenue, the Gold Coast and Lincoln Park. Each neighborhood has its pros and cons, but you can be assured that you won't have to worry about stray bullets coming through your window or the elevated train clattering by, à la The Blues Brothers.

The Loop

When people think of Chicago, the Loop is often what first comes to mind. This district encompasses towering skyscrapers including the Willis Tower, the Chicago Board of Trade and the Art Institute of Chicago, along with numerous theaters, restaurants and universities. The Loop is the historic heart of Chicago and offers a wealth of buildings rich with architectural and historic significance. However, while it teems with life during the business week and on weekends, outside of the theaters, little nightlife can be found.

If you want to stay in the heart of the city with easy access to every neighborhood and attraction, consider booking a room at the Palmer House Hilton or the W Chicago City Center (formerly the Midland Hotel). Each of these hotels has historical significance, but the Palmer House really takes the cake. This is actually the hotel's third incarnation. The first building was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and the second was torn down to make way for the present building. Check out the Hotel Burnham or Hotel Allegro for posh alternatives adjacent to the theater district.

North Michigan Avenue

As two of the few surviving buildings from the fire of 1871, the Water Tower and the Chicago Water Works look out proudly over the growth that has occurred around their home on North Michigan Avenue. A post-World War II boom turned this strip into the Magnificent Mile, Chicago's preeminent shopping and tourist district. The Mile begins at the Chicago River near the Wrigley Building and continues north to ritzy Oak Street. Along the way, you will find not only upscale stores and theaters, but entertainment ventures like the ESPN Zone. Just off Michigan Avenue there are lots of themed restaurants for families including old favorites like the Hard Rock Café.

Most tourists opt to stay in this district because of its location and proximity to attractions. Staying in this area will cost you, but you can find weekend rates and more moderate prices at hotels such as the Lenox Suites. Business travelers and families alike find reasonable rates and welcome amenities at the centrally located Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown North and the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile. For those wanting to flex their credit cards, the Four Seasons Hotel consistently ranks as one of the best in the country, and it has the prices to prove it. The Drake Hotel, the stately and luxurious home of the famed Cape Cod restaurant, has offered a four-star experience since 1920.

Some people might want to stay on North Michigan for the convenience it offers, but at the same time avoid the tourists and weekend shoppers who congest the area. The Tremont Hotel offers the perfect hideaway, located just a block off Michigan Avenue.

The Gold Coast

People thought Potter Palmer was crazy when he uprooted his family from their Prairie Avenue home and moved them to the wilderness of the North Side. For years Prairie Avenue was synonymous with wealth, but Palmer's move marked the beginning of the end for this once fabulously wealthy street. Not long after his departure, the poverty of nearby immigrant neighborhoods began to encroach upon the homes of Chicago's wealthy. So they joined Potter Palmer in the part of town now called the Gold Coast.

To this day, it remains an elite place to live, the mark of wealth and sophistication. Walk along Astor and North State Street to admire the gorgeous brown and red stone buildings. Perhaps you will even decide to stay at a first-class place like the Omni Ambassador East Hotel. It is home to the Pump Room, where celebrities such as Frank Sinatra drank and talked the night away. Some of its 1940s glamor still survives. You may need to rely more on taxis or buses if you're staying in the Gold Coast, but for seclusion, elegance and a piece of the high life, this area can't be beat.

Lincoln Park

It is hard to believe that Lincoln Park was once a cemetery. Nothing is left of those days except the Getty Tomb. Instead, Lincoln Park is a thriving community that borders the park of the same name on the east, Ashland Avenue on the west, and North and Diversey Avenues on the south and north. If you want to stay in a real Chicago neighborhood that has all the convenience of the Loop, look no further. Bus and train routes cut across Lincoln Park at several points, making it easy to get just about anywhere in the city or suburbs.

A number of moderately priced hotels are available, and for a rock bottom rate you can't beat the Days Inn Lincoln Park on Diversey. Check out the Willows Hotel or the Majestic Hotel if you want to stay on a quiet residential street. For a more invigorating, Art Deco atmosphere, check into the City Suites Hotel, located on Belmont Avenue. A frequent haunt of gangsters and mobsters during Prohibition, the hotel now caters to both tourists and business travelers.

From the lake to the park to museums, restaurants and transportation options, Lincoln Park is probably the best place to stay in Chicago if you don't mind being away from the throngs of North Michigan Avenue or the history of the Loop. Get up early to jog along Lake Michigan, or sit on Belmont Rocks to watch the sun set over the city. Lincoln Park is truly a great place to experience city life at its best.