Chicago is a city that was built on the contributions of people who came from elsewhere to settle here. Since the beginning there have been large immigrant populations and people moving from other states to find their fortune in the Windy City. With so many influences, Chicago culture cannot help but be colorful and varied.
Music is just one aspect. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is world renowned but the city's real claim to fame is the way that its musicians have perfected popular music. House music was invented here and jazz, soul, hip hop and indie rock artists hailing from this part of Illinois have influenced the musical landscape of the entire world. For example, rock legends like The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton would have had a completely different sound if they hadn't listened to and loved Chicago blues.
The local style of blues has not only given its name to a homegrown sports team but became the theme of the hit movie that really put the city on the map. 'The Blues Brothers'is often called a kind of love letter to the Windy City. Various popular TV shows were set here too and Oprah Winfrey's studio audiences had to come to Illinois for recordings rather than go to California.
The more traditional theatrical pursuits are also thriving in the largest city in Illinois. There are renowned opera, ballet and theater companies that are based here. Slam poetry may have originated in the Uptown neighborhood and the local university was the birthplace of improvisational comedy through the Compass Players, whose past members include stars like Mike Nichols, Alan Alda and Jerry Stiller.
If museums are your kind of attraction, you'll be spoiled for choice. There are art museums like Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Contemporary Photography and the National Museum of Mexican Art as well as architectural delights like the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. Natural history, science and history museums abound too and the city's diverse ethnic heritage is celebrated in museums like the Polish Museum of America, the Ukrainian National Museum, the National Hellenic Museum and the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian.
The visual arts have always found a welcoming home in the city too. For galleries showing contemporary art, head to the neighborhood known as River North. However, you don't need to visit a gallery or museum to see excellent works of art. Public art in Chicago include works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Claes Oldenburg and Anish Kapoor.
Of course culture is not only about the visual and performing arts and museums. You can live and literally taste it every day with the local cuisine. There are excellent restaurants throughout, from gourmet establishments to ethnic eateries. The city's chefs tend to put their own spin on well-known dishes like tamales or burgers and the local styles of ht dog and pizza, especially the well-loved deep-dish pizza, are legends in their own right.
When you visit the Windy City, a cultural tour is a good way to find out more about life here. If you can visit during a festival, you'll also get a good idea of what the city is all about. However, the best way to experience Chicago culture is to walk around, visit the clubs and museums and other cultural institutions and let yourself be enchanted.
Music is just one aspect. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is world renowned but the city's real claim to fame is the way that its musicians have perfected popular music. House music was invented here and jazz, soul, hip hop and indie rock artists hailing from this part of Illinois have influenced the musical landscape of the entire world. For example, rock legends like The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton would have had a completely different sound if they hadn't listened to and loved Chicago blues.
The local style of blues has not only given its name to a homegrown sports team but became the theme of the hit movie that really put the city on the map. 'The Blues Brothers'is often called a kind of love letter to the Windy City. Various popular TV shows were set here too and Oprah Winfrey's studio audiences had to come to Illinois for recordings rather than go to California.
The more traditional theatrical pursuits are also thriving in the largest city in Illinois. There are renowned opera, ballet and theater companies that are based here. Slam poetry may have originated in the Uptown neighborhood and the local university was the birthplace of improvisational comedy through the Compass Players, whose past members include stars like Mike Nichols, Alan Alda and Jerry Stiller.
If museums are your kind of attraction, you'll be spoiled for choice. There are art museums like Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Contemporary Photography and the National Museum of Mexican Art as well as architectural delights like the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. Natural history, science and history museums abound too and the city's diverse ethnic heritage is celebrated in museums like the Polish Museum of America, the Ukrainian National Museum, the National Hellenic Museum and the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian.
The visual arts have always found a welcoming home in the city too. For galleries showing contemporary art, head to the neighborhood known as River North. However, you don't need to visit a gallery or museum to see excellent works of art. Public art in Chicago include works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Claes Oldenburg and Anish Kapoor.
Of course culture is not only about the visual and performing arts and museums. You can live and literally taste it every day with the local cuisine. There are excellent restaurants throughout, from gourmet establishments to ethnic eateries. The city's chefs tend to put their own spin on well-known dishes like tamales or burgers and the local styles of ht dog and pizza, especially the well-loved deep-dish pizza, are legends in their own right.
When you visit the Windy City, a cultural tour is a good way to find out more about life here. If you can visit during a festival, you'll also get a good idea of what the city is all about. However, the best way to experience Chicago culture is to walk around, visit the clubs and museums and other cultural institutions and let yourself be enchanted.
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