Chicago

My favourite thing about Chicago is the fact that it’s not just a normal city…it’s located next to a beach. This means that you can walk down the street with soaring metropolitan skyscrapers to your left and a relaxing, sandy beach with views across Lake Michigan to your right.

You could spend the morning shopping in the city and the afternoon sunning yourself on the sand, before going back into town in the evening to eat dinner in a restaurant or catch a show at one of Chicago’s many theatres.


Chicago’s Millennium Park is home to Cloud Gate – a large mirrored legume-shaped sculpture, which is the centrepiece of the AT&T Plaza and is appropriately nicknamed The Bean. If you photograph it from the correct angle you can capture a reflection of the city’s impressive skyline, as seen above.


Chicago hosts some of the world’s tallest buildings, including Sears Tower – the highest building in the western hemisphere – and the John Hancock Center, a building full of offices, restaurants and living accommodation. The photo above shows the gift shop on the top floor of the JHC.


The Chicago Trolley & Double Decker Co. provides a fascinating hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tour of the city. It’s a two-hour, fully narrated tour that covers 13 miles of downtown Chicago. When you board the trolley, you receive a free Hershey's chocolate bar and Garrett popcorn sample. Book online before your trip and save 10 per cent off the ticket price.


There’s something for everyone in Chicago. It’s one of the best cities in the world for entertainment, shopping, sports, culture, cuisine and nightlife and is well worth a visit.