Chicago & the Midwest

Chicago has made its way into several of my blogs because it's my kind of town. Back home, my dad makes an annual pilgrimage to Chicago with his students from small town Illinois. Even though these kids have lived within a couple hours of the Windy City their whole lives, they often have not ventured there. It's too big and too scary.

But out here on the East Coast I often run into an East Coaster or West Coaster whose travel experiences within our great country are confined to the coasts. For them, it's not that Chicago is too big or too scary, it's just... not a place they stop. My friend from Iowa has a shirt which jokingly says "Iowa - Wave next time you fly over." I've heard all sorts of reasons why not to stop in the Midwest. But, I counter, where else can you get Chicago style pizza, experience the beautiful city that's on Lake Michigan, and venture a few hours out of the city to experience Big 10 football? I guess each of us has a preference for the region we grew up in and considers it worth a visit. But I really do think that you have to take a visit to the Midwest and Chicago to fully appreciate America.

That’s one thing I’m fortunate for; growing up in the Midwest meant driving vacations to either coast took us through many parts of the country. Nowadays, on the road with work, I get to appreciate the many regions of our country. If I were recommending to a friend visiting our country for the first time where to go, I would have to direct them to at least five cities. Our country can’t easily be summed up by New York City and Washington, D.C. No, for me the American experience should at least also include Chicago, New Orleans, and San Francisco with jaunts into the country side outside each of those cities. And I can make a good argument to stop in the American West, in one of our national parks. There’s just so much our country holds.

What about you? If you were planning a trip for a friend visiting from out of the country, what five places in America would be on your must-do list?