Chicago Like a Local blog

Unique perspectives on the city from the people who live here.

Latest blog posts

Architecture & history, Special events

Open House Chicago: 9 places to explore

Open House Chicago is a free, public architecture festival that opens up the coolest buildings in the city for one weekend a year. Mark your…

Published on October 9, 2019 by Alma Bahman

Chicago Architecture Biennial installation 2019

Architecture & history, Special events

Chicago Architecture Biennial: 8 things to see and do

There’s Chicago as it is, and Chicago as it could be. Through the careful curation of dozens of lectures, tours, exhibits, and interactive experiences spanning…

Published on October 3, 2019 by Kelsey O'Connor

Architecture & history, Arts, culture & entertainment

24 hours in Chicago’s Bronzeville

History lines the streets in Chicago’s landmark Bronzeville neighborhood. Dubbed the city’s “Black Metropolis,” this south side community served as the headquarters for African American…

Published on September 10, 2019 by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Explore Chicago’s historic Pullman neighborhood

In 1880, George Pullman set out to build a utopian community in Chicago. The neighborhood we know today as Pullman was the first industrial planned community…

Published on August 22, 2019 by Hayley Grgurich

7 spots to see Chicago history up close

You don’t have to visit a museum to experience Chicago history. There are details and stories of our city history hidden throughout Chicago – you…

Published on February 19, 2019 by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

6 spots to celebrate Black History Month in Chicago

Chicago is a place where black history comes to life. From our celebrated blues, gospel and house music heritage, to homes of the first black…

Published on February 11, 2019 by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Explore Chicago’s hidden underground

There’s so much to see on the streets of Chicago. But most people never see what’s lurking just below the surface. The city hides layers…

Published on October 18, 2018 by Kelsey O'Connor

8 haunted Chicago sights you probably didn’t know about

Chicago is heir to a bevy of spine-tingling ghost stories, from the Congress Hotel, reportedly one of the most haunted hotels in the country, to the site of the Valentine’s Day Massacre.

Published on October 1, 2018 by Judy Giannetto

6 big reasons to visit the new Chicago Architecture Center

The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), which opened its doors on August 31, 2018 as the new home of the Chicago Architectural Foundation, provides a fabulous, in-a-nutshell…

Published on September 13, 2018 by Judy Giannetto

Chicago architecture: 10 iconic buildings not to miss

Chicago is a city of firsts — and nowhere is this better seen than in its architecture. The site of the now demolished Home Insurance Building (1884-1885), credited as the world's first skyscraper (at a diminutive 10 stories by today's standards), you could write a book on the significance of the Chicago cityscape — which is why so many have.

Published on September 3, 2018 by Judy Giannetto