The Rough Guide to Chicago

Rough Guides, 2003. — 300 p.Sitting squarely in the middle of America, surrounded by hundreds of miles of pancake-flat prairies, Chicago is, in many ways, the last great American city. Having come of age during the industrial age – the grain, lumber, meatpacking, steel and railroad trades all took turns dominating the economic landscape – Chicago’s bluecollar roots still shine through, with all the can-do attitude of a small town, the ambition and diversity of a dynamic metropolis, and a distinct lack of pretension throughout. While the city may stand in the shadow of more cosmopolitan New York or cutting-edge LA, there’s no shortage of top-notch art and architecture, or street-level excitement, with less of the hassle and infrastructure problems of the coastal rivals.