Chicago | The Windy City – Graced for Purpose

Chicago embodies true Midwestern hospitality. It’s also a bold city, continually creating evermore exciting and inspiring experiences. And it’s a city with a legacy–Jean-Baptiste-Point DuSable is regarded as the first Chicago resident. His mother was an African slave and his father a French mariner. It is believed by historians that he was born free around 1745 in St. Marc, Saint-Dominique (Haiti). Read more about DuSable below in the African-American Heritage section.

Chicago is home to comedy star-maker—The Second City; five Tony Award-winning theaters; championship sports teams; the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-impressionist art outside the Louvre, housed within the Art Institute of Chicago; the largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world; the largest science and industry museum in the Western Hemisphere – and that’s just for starters.

Big city culture isn’t the only thing you’ll find in Chicago. You’ll also enjoy outdoor escapes and urban adventure, with the iconic city skyline as your backdrop. Go kayaking along the award-winning Riverwalk, then zip to the top of a skyscraper for rooftop cocktails (The 360 Chicago Experience); or venture to the new Chicago Architecture Center (housed in a Mies van de Rohe designed building); and board the #1 architecture cruise in Chicago. Cycle the 18-mile Lakefront Trail, dotted with harbors, beaches, restaurants, and bars—then hop over to the celebrated Museum of Contemporary Art, with its envelope-pushing exhibits and lakefront views. You may spend the day at Navy Pier, one of the city’s top attractions, and board a cruise ship to sail the waves of Lake Michigan. But only after you have shopped and snacked along the way. At the Shops of North Bridge, located in the heart of the city’s famed Michigan Avenue, you will find Chicago’s most stylish shopping and dining destinations.

Some food favorites in the Chicago area include the following locations:

African-American Heritage

DuSable Museum of African American History
During your stay in Chicago, you must visit the DuSable Museum of African American History (located in George Washington Park on the South Side of Chicago). The museum promotes the heritage, achievements, and experiences of African-Americans with cultural exhibits and artifacts. The museum was named in honor of Jean-Baptiste-Point DuSable, a frontier trader, trapper, and farmer regarded as the first resident of Chicago. It is believed by some historians that he was born free around 1745 in St. Marc, Saint-Dominique (Haiti). His mother was an African slave and his father a French mariner. DuSable traveled with his father to France, where he received some education. It was through this education and the work that he performed for his father on his ships, that he learned languages including French, Spanish, English, and many Indian dialects.

DuSable arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1765 and migrated north, up the Mississippi River, later settling in an area near present-day Peoria, Illinois. He built a home on the North bank of the Chicago River, claimed about 800 acres of land, and established a thriving trading post which included a mill, smokehouse, workshop, barn, and other smaller buildings. The post became a major supply station for other traders in the Great Lakes region.

On May 7, 1800, DuSable sold his trading post for $1,200 to Chicago resident John Kinzie and moved to St. Charles, Missouri (which at the time was part of French Louisiana). DuSable died in 1818 and was buried in a Catholic cemetery in St. Charles. Later Chicago would honor its first citizen. A high school, museum, harbor, park, and bridge in Chicago have been named or renamed after him. The place where he settled at the mouth of the Chicago River is recognized as a national historical landmark.

Bronzeville
The historic Bronzeville district is renowned as an early-20th-century African-American business and cultural hub, with famed residents like poet Gwendolyn Brooks honored with plaques on the Bronzeville Walk of Fame. Today, the area is embracing its legacy as a mecca of civil rights, jazz, blues, and gospel music. The South Side Community Art Center hosts exhibitions by local artists, and colorful murals dot neighborhood streets. A lively dining scene includes coffee shops, bistros, BBQ joints and soul food restaurants.

The Green Mill Jazz Club
The Green Mill dates back to the early 1900s. Along with other nearby spots like the Uptown Theatre, the Green Mill Gardens helped the area become a nexus for entertainment and boozing right before Prohibition.

The Mill’s Jazz Age pedigree has no equal in Chicago. Superstars of the era routinely performed at the Mill, including Billie Holiday and Al Jolson, along with cabaret icons like Texas Guinan. After World War II, the Green Mill gradually faded until the 1980s. Dave Jemilo, a Chicago south-sider and bar owner, purchased the Green Mill in 1986. Today, the club is thriving —listen to live music and on some evenings there is dancing. Visit this historical site before leaving Chicago.

Don’t forget to add this amazing travel destination to your list!

HOTELS
Four Seasons Hotel
The Langhorn Hotel
Nobu Hotel
The Peninsula Hotel
Waldorf Astoria Chicago