Chicago – five activities for a city break

Taking around eight hours flying time from London, Chicago is a windy city full of wonder.

Architecture reigns supreme in the third biggest city in the USA and you’ll certainly spend a lot of time staring up in awe at the design of the many spectacular skyscrapers.

So grab a pocket-sized map and maybe try out some of these suggestions.

Visit the John Hancock Building

If you’ve a head for heights then venture up to the 94th floor to take in views from the John Hancock Building. For an extra $6 on ticket price you can get tilted forward three times to get an even more stomach churning view of the world below.

While the Willis Tower would likely be on your to-do list, the queues are far less here and the 360? views no less stunning.

Hop on a boat

As you’d expect from a big city, there’s plenty of choice to be had when looking for a boat trip to go on. I went with a Classic Lake tour run by Sightseeing Shoreline which takes passengers around Lake Michigan for around 40-45 minutes. Architecture tours are also popular where you may even pass one of Trump’s towers. They can be picked up at Navy Pier.

Eat some Chicago pizza

For an authentic deep-dish pizza experience you can head to Gino’s East. Rated highly on TripAdvisor, this place sees customers queuing out the door. However, once you get in and after the first bite, you’ll know the wait was worth it.

Take in some baseball

Chicago is often cited as a sports city and there are two well-known baseball teams, the Cubs and White Sox. The Cubs compete in the National League Central and the Sox in American League Central.

The two teams are at opposite sides of the city – Cubs play at Wrigley Field while the US Cellular Field hosts Sox home games.

Matches take place regularly throughout the week. Games could last around three hours, there’s plenty to eat and drink around the grounds and great views of the action.

Soak up the vibe at Andy’s Jazz Club

It would be remiss to visit Chicago and not go and hear some jazz music.

Andy’s has the perfect, chilled-out atmosphere you’d want from a jazz venue. You can seat yourself for food and drinks at the bar or take a table as you watch and listen to performers throughout the evening. In the very best Fast Show sense, nice …