CHICAGO FUN FACTS PERFORMING ARTS The city is home to more than 200 theatres, including the award-winning Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Broadway In Chicago touring productions, and The Second City, birthplace of improv comedy. Some 250 live music venues include Buddy Guy’s Legends, owned by the famed blues guitarist who also performs there every January. You’ll also find 200 professional dance companies. ROUTE 66 The starting point of Route 66, known as the Main Street of America, is in the Loop, close to Grant Park’s Buckingham Fountain. Look for the Historic Route 66 sign posted on Adams Street, near Michigan Avenue, that marks the start of the Mother Road. Art Institute of Chicago Millennium Park concert MUSEUMS More than 55 world-renowned museums include the Art Institute of Chicago (featuring the largest collection of Impressionist art outside of Paris), the Adler Planetarium (the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere) and the Field Museum (home of Máximo the Titanosaur, the largest dinosaur known to man). SPORTS Chicago boasts eight major league sports teams that run the gamut from football and basketball to two beloved baseball teams. The historic Wrigley Field is the second-oldest ballpark in the nation. TRANSPORTATION Operated by the Chicago Transit Authority, the second-largest public transportation system in the country includes Chicago’s signature ‘L’ train, the first elevated railway in the U.S., which made its debut in 1892. FREE FESTIVALS Chicago hosts hundreds of downtown and neighborhood festivals year-round, with 70 music festivals that include the Chicago Blues Festival, the largest free blues festival in the world. 2 choosechicago.com/tools ABEL ARCINIEGA (ALL PHOTOS)
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