Chicago: Celebrating Summer in the Windy City

The Chicago skyline glistened beneath a cerulean sky, cotton-candy-like clouds drifting lazily above the buildings. Even at this early hour, people were outdoors, walking, jogging and cycling along the city's lakefront path, celebrating the arrival of summer's warm weather.



My sister Valerie and I had come to the Windy City to see how Chicagoans usher in summer, and we began our three-day weekend with a visit to the charming tree-lined streets of historic Oak Park. This scenic suburb on the western fringe of Chicago, a 12-minute drive from downtown (easily reached by the "El" or "L" train system if you don't have a car), is the location of the boyhood home of Ernest Hemingway, as well as architect Frank Lloyd Wright's first home and studio. We loved this "outdoor museum," the country's largest concentration of buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. As fans of Ernest Hemingway, however, we found the Hemingway Birthplace and Museum to be even more exciting. There, we traced the author's life from his first job as a reporter for the Kansas City Star to his WWII work in Europe as a war correspondent.



When our stomachs began to growl we hastened to Grant Park, where a nearly two-week long food extravaganza—the Taste of Chicago—was being held. While musicians played folk, Latin, country and the blues, we strolled beneath vibrantly colored tents set up by more than 70 local restaurateurs, all offering a mouth-watering assortment of edible delights.



Chicago is renowned for its numerous outdoor festivals, beginning with the Chicago Blues Festival in early June. During Venetian Night in July, boat owners decorate their ships and form a festive marine parade. And in August, the Chicago Air and Water Show shakes up the lakefront with military and civilian acts such as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the AeroShell Aerobatic Team.



If you miss the Chicago Blues Festival, as we did, don't despair—Chicagoans revere the blues, keeping the genre alive nightly in the city's many clubs. We spent the evening at Buddy Guy's Legends, the heart and soul of the city of Chicago's blues scene, where everyone from Eric Clapton to B.B. King have jammed.



Bicycle enthusiasts love the Windy City, and during Bike Chicago 2007, more than 150 events will take place to celebrate Chicago's commitment to become more bicycle friendly. We rose early Saturday morning to rent bikes at Navy Pier, then rode along Chicago's scenic lakefront, one of the longest in the country.

The 3,000-foot-long Navy Pier is the city's number one tourist attraction. Built during World War I, the pier, with its Ferris wheel and carnival-like atmosphere, is the jumping-off place for a variety of boat tours. After returning our bikes, we headed straight for the Tall Ship Windy, docked near the west end of the pier's Festival Hall. On the 90-minute cruise we took aboard this four-masted schooner, we had a chance to help raise and trim its 11 sails and even take a turn at the ship's wheel.



Another boat tour not to be missed was The Chicago Architecture Foundation's Architectural River Cruise. This narrated trip down the Chicago River gave us an insider's view of the fabulous architecture the city is known for. The commentary focused not only on the city's landmark buildings, but on the history of the river as well.



One of Chicago's best known buildings, The Sears Tower, was the tallest in the world until Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers surpassed it in 1997. However, we opted to visit the John Hancock Center instead. Nearly as tall as the Sears Tower, once inside we took a swift, ear-popping ride to the 94th floor Observatory for a spectacular view of the entire lake and the north side, all the way up to Wisconsin.



Back on the ground, we window-shopped along Magnificent Mile, a stretch of North Michigan Avenue lined with some of Chicago's most renowned architecture. This once sleepy thoroughfare, nicknamed "Mag Mile," arose from the ashes of the Great Fire of 1871 to become a resplendent shopping area lined with elegant stores and gleaming office buildings.



In the evening we went for a dose of culture—a production of The Taming of the Shrew at The Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Inspired by Italian Renaissance palazzos, this permanent courtyard-style theater on Navy Pier is the home of one of the greatest performing companies in the United States. Afterward, a dazzling display of fireworks lit up the sky.



Sunday's weather was perfect for a walking tour, and we had many options. Chicago Greeter, a free service offered by the Chicago Office of Tourism, will match you with a local who'll take you on an insider's tour of the city. We chose one of Chicago Neighborhood Tour's three-hour Summertime Sampler tours instead, though: a visit to Humboldt Park, Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village. Walking through these diverse multicultural neighborhoods gave us an intimate look at the traditions, history and people who inhabit them—a great way to get to know a city that has so much to offer, at any time of year, that you'll never run out of things to do.

The Five Most Exciting Outdoor Things to do in Chicago:

Attend an outdoor festival

Chicago offers a multitude of festivals throughout the summer. Visit 877chicago.com for a calendar of events.



Browse or buy your way along the Magnificent Mile

Shop and admire the architecture along this famous stretch of Michigan Avenue.



Explore Chicago's parks

Rollerblade, bike, jog or walk through Chicago's lakefront parks, or sit on a bench and enjoy the view. Visit chicagoparkdistrict.com or call 312/742-PLAY; to rent bikes visit bikechicago.com or call 312/595-9600.



See the city from the water

Sail on a schooner (tallshipwindy.com; 312/595-5555), take a sightseeing boat (shorelinesightseeing.com; 312/222-9328), paddle a canoe (chicagoriver.org; 312/939-0490) or take an Architecture River Cruise (architecture.org; 312/922-3432).



Get the blues

Visit Chicago's blues clubs or share a laugh at The Second City, the theater that launched the careers of numerous comic greats. (secondcity.com; 312/337-3992).



Chicago

TACA flies directly to Chicago from Guatemala City. For more information, we invite you to visit our website at taca.com or your local TACA Center, or call a TACA Call Center (numbers are listed on the inside of your ticket jacket).



Photos: ©David Davis Photoproductions/Alamy (top) / D.A. Black