Which neighborhood is in Chicago?

Are you going to visit the American Midwest and the Chicago megalopolis? Here are the best areas to sleep in Chicago!

Third largest city in the United States by population – after New York and Los Angeles -, Chicago is an economic and cultural centre of the Midwest. The city has 2,704,958 inhabitants and 9,526,434 people throughout the urban area, spread over an area of 606 km2. Located on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago is also the second industrial lung of the United States, and attracts millions of tourists each year. And yes, Chicago is no longer affected by the crime and violence of Sicilian mafia in Little Italy.

Staying in Chicago is rather easy: there is plenty of accommodation, with about 100,000 hotel rooms concentrated in the Loop, Near North and Gold Coast. In general, sleeping in Chicago is expensive. Here's our presentation of the neighborhoods to stay in Chicago.

The Loop

The Loop is named after the loops described by the railway lines linking the city centre to the periphery. This is the Chicago business district. This neighborhood saw the first skyscraper in the United States. In the neighborhood, don't miss the Willis Tower, the Michigan Avenue facades and the shores of Lake Michigan. Millenium Park and Grant Park, on the edge of the lake, are real green lungs in the middle of a concrete ocean, ideal for rejuvenating near Buckingham Fountain.

You will notice the arcades of the air subway, which we find in many films shot in this capital of the blues. Take your cultural outings with a concert at the Chicago Theater, between North State Street and Lake Street, a city emblem. In addition, many bars and restaurants play the avenues alongside luxury boutiques for shopping. The Loop to stay in Chicago is central, but expensive.

Gold Coast

The Gold Coast area attracts the wealthy guests and tourists from Chicago. You will find luxury shops and you will not be without seeing a Rolls Royce going on the boulevards from time to time: Saint-Tropez next door, is a popular village! Visit it 360° Chicago a 310-metre high skyscraper overlooking Lake Michigan and the city. On the skywalk, a terrace perched in height, you will feel the power of the wind – Chicago is the "wind city" – and hear the noises of the city.

Enter the contemporary art museum of the city, which contains a collection of 6,000 works created by many internationally renowned artists: Frida Kahlo, Antoni Tapies, Dan Flavin and Jeff Koons. In the evening, relax between North Michigan Avenue and North Lasalle Dr., you will find an incommensurable amount of bars and international cuisine restaurants. In short, it is a cosmopolitan and central area where to stay in Chicago.

Old Town

As its name suggests, it is the historic district of Chicago. Located between Gold Coast and Goose Island, it is a very tourist area formerly populated by German immigrants. Victorian architecture is very pregnant, and narrow streets lined with greenery offer a picturesque charm to the visitor. The neighbourhood lives both day and night thanks to the many bars and restaurants and the shops scattered in the neighborhood: social life is rhymed with commerce during the day and in the evening, you relax by enjoying a good beer at the corner of historical streets.

On its east side, Lincoln Park is a green giant – the second largest urban park in the country after Central Park – 8.26 km2, including the Chicago Natural History Museum, the botanical garden and the Lincoln Park Zoo. In the 1960s Lincoln Park was the seat of the Young Lords, a collective involved in the fight for civic rights. To combine cultural holidays and relaxation, it is an excellent place to stay in Chicago.

Main photo credit: Flickr – Pedro Szekely