Chicago has numerous nicknames, which reflect the impressions and opinions about historical and contemporary Chicago. It has been commonly known as the “Windy City, “Second City”, and the “City of Big Shoulders”. Chicago has also been called “the most American of big cities”.
For many international tourists, Chicago is often overlooked for more well-known cities like New York, or Los Angeles, but if you never give Chicago a second glance, you have no idea what you’re missing. Until now.
Chicago is a very welcoming city, as my brother and I discovered on a quick trip back in 2005.
We stayed at the Hyatt McCormick Place, just south of the city centre. We arrived to find that our basic level room had been given away (the Miss Illinois Beauty Pageant was being held here over the same weekend, so it could have been worse), but they proactively took care of us and gave us a $60 bar credit, credited our parking fees, and upgraded us to a city view suite – a room that was 3x the size of the one week booked. Kudos to the management team for taking care of a Hyatt Gold Passport Member. It’s customer service like this that makes me want to return.
The city of Chicago is amazing cozy. We visited in late November, when the winter was just starting to get a hold on the region. Cold, but not bitterly so, it created an inviting atmosphere with the city just gearing up for Christmas. From “Miracle Mile“, to “Navy Pier” there’s always something to do, even during the coldest Chicago days. After all, there’s something to be said about having a gingerbread latte while it’s snowing outside – enjoying the holiday spirit.