Writer Nelson Algren was right on the money when he wrote that loving Chicago was 'like loving a woman with a broken nose: you may well find lovelier lovelies, but never a lovely so real'. There's just something about this cloud-scraping city that bewitches.
The Windy City may get slapped by brutal, six-month winters but, come May, everyone dashes for the outdoor festivals, ballparks, lakefront beaches and beer gardens - ahh, nowhere tops Chicago. Literally: the Willis Tower is here, the USA's tallest building.