Cheap Car Rental Chicago

Discover Chicago and its surrroundings with your car rental

The metropolis on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan has approximately three million inhabitants, the third largest city in the USA. Since the beginning of the 19th century it is also one of the most important trade cities in the United States. Due to the strong winds from the lake (and the organized crime of earlier years), especially in the spring and fall, Chicago is also called “The Windy City”. The city has a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters that make the residents and visitors have to face some extreme weather conditions. Nevertheless, it is worth visiting the largest city in the state of Illinois. It is the cultural and economic center of the region and has offered a lot in the past, the present and in will continue to do so in the future.

Chicago is considered to be the birthplace of skyscrapers. In 1885 the first skyscraper in the world was built and had a total of ten stories, but the building was torn down already by 1931. Many of the other skyscrapers from around 1900, though, are still there between the many modern high rise buildings and are a real bright spots in the skyline. In Chicago there are many buildings that go over the 985 foot mark, but the tallest building is also the landmark of Chicago, the Sears Tower on South Wacker Drive and the corner of Adams Street. With a height of 1450 feet it is also the third tallest building in the world. Another building worth seeing and also a landmark is the Old Water Tower that was built in 1869.  It is located on North Michigan Avenue and it is one of the oldest buildings in Chicago. In the castle-like limestone building you can now find tourist information.

Besides the architecture, Chicago is also the “capital” of jazz. Since 1922 the city has increasingly gained in importance and also played an important role development of blues and soul music.  Musicians like Louis Armstrong or Curtis Mayfield have their roots here and until today Chicago has kept its name as a music city. Whether summer or winter, you constantly find music festivals of all kinds, but the horticultural or cooking festivals also have their fans outside of the city. Since 2004 there is the Millennium Park on the shore of Lake Michigan, another cultural institution that pays tribute to the sounding muse with the Jay Pritzker Music Pavilion. The outstanding acoustics, the stunning architecture of Frank Gehry and weekly free concerts make the building a popular meeting place in the city. The theater culture is also important, because Chicago is also the birthplace of improvisational theater, which even now is being further developed and encouraged.

The nightlife of the city can only be described as legendary. In the downtown you enjoy the clubs and bars, as well as live music around Halstead and Rush streets. A special bar is the Coyote Ugly Bar on West Erie Street in the center of the city. Just like the movie of the same name, cool ladies show the men how exotic drinks are served in a rocking atmosphere.

A real highlight is the lively district of Little Italy, where the emigrants from Italy in the 1920s and 1930s settled. Here is where Al Capone, the former mafia boss from Naples, conducted his business. Today you can find the most delicious pizza in the USA here, such as pizza made in the famous restaurant Maggiano’s. 

During the daytime you can stroll through the downtown of Chicago, also referred to as “The Loop”. A real exclusive place to go shopping is the Carson Pirie Scott department store at 1 South State Street. Two blocks further to the north you can enjoy shopping in the relaxed atmosphere of Marshall Fields, one of the oldest and largest department stores in the world.

Nature and animal lovers are drawn to Lincoln Park in Chicago, where the zoological garden and zoo are located. The admission is free. In a suburb of Chicago you can admire more than 3,100 animals from 450 species in the Brookfield Zoo. Here the principles of bar free enclosures were applied and so the animals are only separated by ditches or deep gorges. In the Shedd Aquarium at the city gates you can be fascinated by more than 8,000 fish, sea lions, Beluga whales and sea otters. On top of that, you can also enjoy a great view of the skyline of Chicago from here. 

On the many highways and interstates you can quickly and easily get to other parts of the region. An excursion to Springfield, around 210 miles south of Chicago, the capital city of Illinois is worth it. It is exciting, but you will need to have two or three days of time to spend there. There’s no question about it – Chicago is in any case worth seeing!