Popular Topics
Trip Report
Tremendous Chicago
Chicago is a city where I would love to live
North AmericaUnited States15 days / August 2019
Highs & Lows
Stan's Donuts are the best
Chicago is an expensive city
Itinerary Overview
This was the first time I visited Illinois, I came from Atlanta Georgia so the flight was only 2 or 3 hours long. I was traveling with my sister and her husband had some family in the city, so I stayed with them for 15 days. The weather in the summer is sunny and hot. My first trip was to see Lake Michigan. The lake is available for everyone and the water is very clean. There is a cycle path on the outside of the lake and that's how I arrived there. Once you get there, you can see there are always people playing volleyball or other sports at the beach. The day I visited there were some restaurants opened at the beach so I had some amazing cheeseburgers and ice-cream.
Chicago is a very safe place and the 5th Avenue has everything a city needs. In midtown you can easily find guides who can give you information about the city and tips about places to visit. I also went to try various places to eat. The first one had some delicious donuts, the other one had popcorn and the last one had some delicious pizza. I also went shopping for clothes. There's a variety of cheap and expensive stores so everyone can find something for their budget. You can also visit some places to learn about the history of the most representative buildings of the city, as well as some cathedrals and churches.
There is a public zoo at the center in Chicago. It's located about 15km away from 5ft Avenue. It was about a half an hour walk from the place where I stayed. Since it was a beautiful summer day, we decided to walk to the zoo from our apartment. On the way there, we visited some parks and look at the boats and yachts that anchored to the shores of the lake. As it's a public zoo so the entrance is free.

Lake Michigan It's the most representative lake of Chicago
There are bicycles to rent all around so you can move around by bike and not by car. The lake was about a 10 minute walk from the place I stayed in. Although the beach was a bit too far away to walk, so I rented a bike and cycled to the beach. The beach is quite big and it's divided by zones: places to do sports like volleyball or running, places to eat and places to relax and get a tan. The beach is open until 10pm and opens early in the morning.

The Bean Iconic figure of the city
That day I rented a bike and rode all the way downtown, I walked around and visited The Bean and the Art Institute of Chicago as it is close to The Bean. If you're hungry look around for Stan's Donuts. You can find it all around the city. These donuts are originally from Chicago and you won't be able to buy them anywhere else. After lunch we signed up for a boat tour. On the boat there was a guide who told us about the history of the city and its architecture. I recommend going on a boat tour when you're in Chicago!

Lincoln Park Zoo The animals!
I am an animal lover, so I wanted to visit the zoo. This zoo is about 30 -40 minute walk from the city center and the admission is free. There is a great diversity of small and large animals but there are no felines and no animal shows. However you can see how they feed the animals. There is a place to have lunch and it is a buffet. Nearby there's a mini farm with some domestic animals such as pigs, chickens, rabbits, and ponies.
Q & A
What would you have changed?
Try to visit more places outside of the cityRestaurant recommendations?
Stan´s DonutsTips you would give a friend?
I got around on a bike
Lodging