City LIVING

Living in Chicago

Neighborhoods, places to eat, things to do and the LOCAL Merchants who make Chicago home.

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Chicago's Near North skyline, with the John Hancock Center at center and Lake Point Tower at far left, rising above turquoise Lake Michigan under a clear blue sky, seen from the North Avenue Beach pier

Community LIVING

Welcome to Chicago: the lake, the grid and the seasons that shape city life

A newcomer's guide to how Chicago is laid out, how its people get around, how the year turns along Lake Michigan, and where to find a library card, a city service and the neighborhood news.

November 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM CST

The main branch of the Chicago River at blue hour, looking east toward the Michigan Avenue bridge, with the Wrigley Building's clock tower, the Riverwalk, tour boats and high-rises on both banks

Community LIVING

Ten things worth knowing about Chicago

A wild leek, a river running backwards, a flag full of history and a pair of rooftop hot dogs: ten Chicago facts to keep handy the next time a visitor asks.

November 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM CST

North Clark Street in Andersonville, Chicago, with the Swedish American Museum, the blue-and-yellow Swedish flag water tower and neighboring shopfronts on a sunny day

Shopping

Shopping LOCAL in Chicago: Clark Street, Milwaukee Avenue and the winter markets

Feminist books in Andersonville, used records and zines in Wicker Park, wooden toys in Lincoln Square and farmers markets that move indoors for winter: where Chicago shops independent.

November 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM CST

The Bloomingdale Trail on The 606, an elevated path lined with tall plantings and a brick loft building, with two walkers in the distance

Health & Wellness

Getting outside in Chicago: the lakefront, the big parks and the trails between them

Eighteen miles of lakefront trail, an elevated path above the Northwest Side, a Japanese garden on Wooded Island and a marsh turned bike park: how Chicagoans get outside, and how to do it safely in every season.

November 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM CST

Arched wooden footbridge, stone-edged pond and pruned pines in the Japanese Garden of the Phoenix on Wooded Island in Jackson Park, Chicago

Entertainment

Eight Chicago places worth a second look

A museum of 30,000 pinback buttons, surgical history in a lakefront mansion, a cemetery full of architects, a Japanese garden with a Yoko Ono lotus and a whole company town: places in Chicago you may have passed without stopping.

November 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM CST

Superdawg Drive-In at night, with its two hot dog figures on the roof, neon signs and diamond-patterned windows at Milwaukee, Devon and Nagle on Chicago's Northwest Side

Dining

How Chicago eats: hot dogs, two kinds of pizza, smoked fish and Saturday markets

The dishes Chicagoans argue about, the Midwest farms that fill the market stalls, and the long-running independent places locals send visitors to.

November 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM CST

Tree ferns, cycads and a still pool under the glass roof of the Fern Room at Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago

Family Life

Family days in Chicago, season by season

Lifeguarded beaches and a free zoo for summer, a steamy conservatory and storytimes for January, and the lights, parades and skating that carry families through the holidays.

November 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM CST

Aerial view of Logan Square in autumn, with the Illinois Centennial Monument in its green circle, tree-lined boulevards and the downtown skyline on the horizon

Community LIVING

Chicago, one neighborhood at a time

From Andersonville's Clark Street to Pullman's brick rowhouses, seven Chicago neighborhoods, what gives each its character, and where to learn more about the one you call home.

November 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM CST

The red-brick Pullman factory administration building and clock tower at Pullman National Historical Park, Chicago, under a blue sky with white clouds

Community LIVING

Chicago's story, told in places you can still visit

From a trading post at the river's mouth to a planned factory town and a Prairie Avenue mansion, the landmarks and traditions that keep Chicago's history close at hand.

November 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM CST

Wooden Christkindlmarket stalls hung with garland and lit ornaments at night in Daley Plaza, with the columns of City Hall behind and lit trees at left

Entertainment

What's on in Chicago, November 2026 to February 2027

Zoo lights, a German market in Daley Plaza, a parade up Michigan Avenue, poinsettias in Garfield Park and a Lunar New Year parade down Wentworth: the dates for Chicago's cold-weather season.

Through February 28