Experience Chicago

Beyond Chicago's many world-class museums—and they truly are spectacular (click here to read our reviews of them), we like to get outdoors in the Windy City. This is a city of magnificent works of public art, the most famous of which is likely Cloud Gate, the huge elliptical 'kidney bean' by British artist Anish Kapoor, is one of Millennium Park's most popular attractions. Stare into the sculpture's mirrored surface to see city skyscrapers reflected in funhouse-like distortions.

Here are a few other sights and experiences newbies to Chicago must try:

Patterned after the Latona fountain at Versailles, Grant Park's immense centerpiece is the starting point for the country's famous Route 66 to Los Angeles. From April through October, Buckingham Fountain spurts water up to 150 feet in the air every hour on the hour; at 4pm, a whirl of colored lights and dramatic music amps up the drama until the fountain shuts down at 11pm.

The Chicago Cultural Center's basic Beaux Arts exterior doesn't begin to hint at the building's sumptuous interior. Inside you'll find rare marble; stained glass; and mosaics of Favrile glass, colored stone, and mother-of-pearl inlaid in white marble. The crowning centerpiece is the dazzling Louis Comfort Tiffany art glass dome.

Pizzeria Uno invented Chicago-style pizza, and many deep-dish aficionados still refuse to accept any imitations. Uno's is now a chain of restaurants throughout the country, but this location is the original.

Take yourself out to the ballgame at Wrigley Field, home to the country's most beloved baseball losers. This historic, ivy-covered ballpark is best experienced on a summer afternoon, when you'll be surrounded by plenty of natives playing hooky from work -- a Windy City tradition.