Insight Guide Chicago

This is absolutely by far the best Chicago guide I have ever read, and I've read most of them. This is a must-have for anyone visiting Chicago, moving there, living there, or even thinking about moving or visiting there. Full-color, glossy photos, chock-full of interesting historical information, completely comprehensive coverage of just about anything you can think of in Chicago, great detail on all the important landmarks. Half the book is a general overview of Chicago culture, including politics, sports, crime, history, music, etc.--all the things that Chicago is famous for. The other half is a more traditional travel guide organized geographically with lots of information about each site and neighborhood. Full-color maps, event calendar, hotel and restaurant guide, day trip guide, and more. If you are going to buy 1 Chicago travel guide, make it this one. Better than the Michelin Green Guide, Eyewitness Chicago, Access, Lonely Planet, etc. Cannot say enough good things about this book.

i found this chicago travel quide to be an exceptional difference in the usual "go here, do this" mentality of most tour books. the writing was insightful and thought-provoking, the information was straight forward and the photographs were exceptional. evidently a well thought out and researched book. even though this edition is somewhat dated (1999) i highly recommend this purchase.

Insight Guide Chicago is a mine of useful information in an accessible format. This, however, is not what distinguishes the Insight Guide from books with a similar mission, such as Frommers or Fodors. What marks Insight Guide apart is its wonderful photographs, which provide the would-be tourist with a rich taste of what it must be like to spend time in this vibrant, world class, but still comfortably Midwestern city.The other thing that sets this Insight Guide apart - even from others in the series - is the darkness of its text. If you read this book like a book, rather than a reference work (its stylish writing invites such use) you are regaled at every turn with tales of poverty, crime, corruption and racial division. That Chicago suffers from these problems is no doubt true but reading about them in a guidebook doesn't make me want to go there.