Top Destinations : Chicago, IL

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Chicago is home to world-famous deep-dish pizza, gourmet hot dogs and various ethnic specialties.

Café Absinthe
Perfect for a first date or quiet dinner with friends, uses the alley as the entrance to a candlelit dining room. This Wicker Park (West Chicago) eatery features Mediterranean-influenced fare with a daily-changing menu. For reservations, please call 773-278-4488. 1954 W. North Avenue, Chicago, Il.

Featuring some of Chicago residents' favorite deep-dish pizzas,Giordano's has been serving the world-famous pies since 1924. The chain restaurant has various city locations, and out-of-town pizza lovers can relive the experience with the restaurant's overnight delivery service. For reservations and locations, please visit www.giordanos.com.

Jackets are required at one of Chicago's best restaurants, Charlie Trotter's. The turn-of-the-century converted townhouse holds 100 guests, and the daily-changing menus include the Grand Menu, the Vegetable Menu and the Kitchen Table Menu. The restaurant is open for dinner only Tuesday through Saturday, and reservations are required. For reservations, please call 773-248-6228. 816 W. Armitage, Chicago, Ill.

Sports are considered sacred to Chicagoans, who will loudly defend their sports teams. The venues themselves are reason enough to check out a baseball, football or basketball game in the city.

Built in 1914, the legendary Wrigley Field is enveloped in thick ivy and natural grass. Chicago Cubs players take fans on tours of the stadium several times during the baseball season. For more information, please call 773-404-CUBS. 1060 W. Addison, Chicago, Ill.

With its open spaces and natural grass, Soldier Field, the home of football's Chicago Bears, is a revered landmark to many Chicagoans. Along with football games, the recently renovated stadium hosts soccer games, concerts, circuses and rodeos throughout the year. For more information, please call 312-235-7000. 1410 S. Museum, Campus Drive Gate 14, Chicago, Ill. Renamed U.S. Cellular Field in 2003, Comiskey Park is home to the recent World Series Champions, the Chicago White Sox. The baseball stadium features an exploding scoreboard and a Sony Jumbo Screen. For more information, please call 312-674-1000 (General Offices) or 866-SOX-GAME (Tickets). 333 W. 35th Street, Chicago, Ill.

Sports and music lovers congregate at the United Center, home of hockey's Chicago Blackhawks, basketball's Chicago Bulls and the best in entertainment, including ice skating, circuses, college basketball and concerts. For more information, please call 312-455-4500. 1901 W. Madison Street, Chicago, Ill.

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World-class shopping awaits in Chicago, with many independently owned boutiques surrounding the Magnificent Mile and other behemoth shopping malls.

Eight blocks of North Michigan Avenue make up the Magnificent Mile, with more than 400 stores and boutiques, 200 restaurants and 50 hotels. This shopper's paradise is lined with chichi boutiques, bakeries, galleries and souvenir shops. For more information, please call 312-642-3570. 625 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 401, Chicago, Ill.

The largest mall on Michigan Avenue, Water Tower Place, whisks guests up and down eight levels in glass elevators. The mall features more than 100 stores and restaurants. For more information, please call 312-440-3580. 835 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill.

A trip to Chicago is not complete without a visit to some of the city's most important sites, including the Sears Tower, Millennium Park and Navy Pier.

The Skydeck of the Sears Tower is open 365 days a year, featuring unparalleled views of the city and surrounding area. The immediately recognizable landmark stands 110 stories tall, complete with a broadcast platform, conference center, fitness facility and seven restaurants. For more information, please call 877-SKY-DECK. 233 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Ill.

Navy Pier, arguably Chicago's top attraction, offers a 150-foot Ferris wheel, miniature golf course, musical carousel, the Chicago Children's Museum, Festival Hall and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. For more information, please call 800-595-PIER. 600 E. Grand Avenue, Chicago, Ill.

Known as the "front lawn" of Chicago, Millennium Park is a 24.5-acre area filled with interactive public art, manicured landscapes, fountains, alfresco dining and a band shell. Completed in 2004, Millennium Park sits just north of Grant Park, and admission is free. For more information, please call 312-742-1168. 201 E. Randolph Street, Chicago, Ill.

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Guests will never stop learning at the museums and exhibits presented in some of the world's most prestigious collections here in Chicago. Visitors can explore the creative, scientific and historical artifacts collected over hundreds of years.

Considered one of the world's premier art collections, theArt Institute of Chicago contains exhibits spanning centuries of artistic human endeavor. Highlights of the museum include Grant Wood's American Gothic and Monet's Impressionist masterpieces. For more information, please call 312-443-3600. 111 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill.

At the Museum of Science and Industry in the Hyde Park area,explore the Aurora 7 Mercury Space Capsule, learn the basics of DNA in the Genetics exhibit and walk through a larger-than-life model of the human heart. For more information, please call 773-684-1414. 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Ill.

Located off Lake Shore Drive at Grant Park's Museum Campus, the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum houses historical space artifacts and interactive exhibits such as the built-to-scale model of the solar system. For more information, please call 312-922-STAR. 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Ill.