Dining
5 unique Chicago dining experiences
The food scene in Chicago is adventurous, award winning, exuberant and ever changing. It surprises the senses, tantalizes the taste buds, and says everything about…
Chicago Like a Local blog
Unique perspectives on the city from the people who live here.
Latest blog posts
Arts, culture & entertainment, Dining
3 classic Chicago-invented cocktails and where to find them
Chicago is all in on the cocktail craze, with some of the best mixologist and cocktail lounges in the country. But it wasn’t until Prohibition…
Family, Free & cheap, Tours & attractions
7 things you didn’t know about Lincoln Park Zoo
Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo is a popular destination for tourists, and is also a local hangout. It’s an especially nice place to spend time when…
Dining
Bottomless bubbles + a buffet with filet mignon: Why you must brunch at Maple & Ash
Located in a chic new building where State and Rush converge in the city’s Gold Coast neighborhood, Maple & Ash continues to receive attention as…
Family, Hotels, Sports & recreation
Chicago’s top 5 kid-friendly hotel pools
Traveling moms and dads know that a good hotel swimming pool is key to a fun family vacation. Forget seeing all the sights in town:…
Family, Free & cheap, Sports & recreation, Tours & attractions
5 things you didn’t know about the Lakefront Trail
If you haven’t been to the Lakefront Trail in Chicago, you’re missing a lot of natural beauty (all FREE for everyone to enjoy), efficient transportation…
Dining, Free & cheap, Nightlife
All the cheap (even free) brewery tours in Chicago
What’s better than an awesome brewery tour in Chicago? A free brewery tour, obviously. Here’s your guide to all the free brewery tours in Chicago…
Architecture & history, Arts, culture & entertainment, Tours & attractions
Chicago’s top 6 walking tours
One of the best ways to get to know a city is by walking around and learning about it on foot. That being said, it…
Arts, culture & entertainment, Museums
4 amazing summer adventures at Chicago’s lakefront Museum Campus
Chicago’s Museum Campus is a 57-acre park located alongside Lake Michigan and is home to 3 beloved city institutions: the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium,…
Arts, culture & entertainment, Family, Sports & recreation, Tours & attractions
Chicago’s best bowling alleys
Chicago is a great city for a bowling match: from classic, hand set lanes with pinsetters of a bygone era to sleek, modern bowling lounges,…
Dining, Family
Chicago’s best pizza parlors
Chicago is my kind of pizza town: pizza parlors offer some of the best pieces of the pie in the world. From one of our…
Dining
5 steakhouses, from affordable to five stars
When served in a restaurant, steak is a dish that’s usually the most expensive on the menu. If you go to a steakhouse, there aren’t…
Architecture & history, Hotels
Chicago’s most historic hotels
Why stay in an ordinary hotel when you can stay in a historic Chicago gem? Step into the lobbies of any of these history-filled hotels…
Dining
6 spots for holiday high tea in Chicago
December is high time for high tea. There’s just something about the holiday season that lends itself particularly well to dainty sips of hot beverages…
Arts, culture & entertainment
Haunted Chicago: the most supernatural locations in Chicago (part II)
You’ve made it to part two of Haunted Chicago, but be warned – part two is just as scary! So enjoy some more chilling stories…
Arts, culture & entertainment
Haunted Chicago: the most supernatural locations in Chicago (part I)
Chicago is filled with wonderful attractions and friendly people, but we Chicagoans rarely dig into our dark, eerie history that has left some of the…
Architecture & history, Arts, culture & entertainment, Family, Sports & recreation
Your Chicago location guide to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
“How can I possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this?” We’ve all been there, even if we’re not Ferris Bueller. You…
Arts, culture & entertainment, LGBTQ+
3 of Chicago’s must-visit beercades
A beer arcade or “beercade” is an arcade that serves beer or a bar specializing in vintage video and pinball games. As opposed to Dave…
Architecture & history
A guide to Chicago’s art deco architecture
Art Deco is an architectural style that’s all about streamlined surfaces, linear and geometric shapes, symmetry — and a dose of glamour. The Art Deco era came…
Architecture & history
A visitor’s guide to navigating the Chicago Pedway System
When we venture downtown, with the snow of winter or the humidity of summer, the Chicago Pedway System comes in handy. This mostly underground system…
Sports & recreation
Homegrown talent: Chicago’s all-time greatest basketball players
Chicago has an incredibly rich history on the hardwood. For generations, the ball played in high school gyms around this city has been as good…
Sports & recreation
10 things you didn’t know about the history of Soldier Field
From world famous performances to thrilling sports events, here are 10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the incredible history of Soldier Field. 1. The…
Family
Top 3 family-friendly Chicago beaches
We’ll be spending a lot of time on big, beautiful Lake Michigan this summer. My kids must be part fish: the are oblivious to the…
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