For a lush date with nature – Garfield Park Conservatory. In the summer, enjoy 10 beautiful acres of outdoors and 2 acres of lavish indoor display houses (Palm, Fern, Desert and others). In the winter, the indoor houses are the perfect place to warm up while you wander. Admission is free all year round, but make an online reservation for guaranteed entry.

For an elevated tour – the L Train. Be the ultimate urban explorer and see Chicago from its famous elevated train lines. The Red Line takes you to Chinatown, Magnificent Mile and Andersonville; the Blue Line to Logan Square and Bucktown; the Pink Line to Pilsen... and that's just a few stops! Hop on and hop off as you wish – all for the tiny price of a one-day pass.

For 'Bean there, done that' – the Bean. This giant mirror sculpture (by Anish Kapoor) in Millennium Park is what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, Statue of Liberty to New York, and Space Needle to Seattle – you can't leave the city without at least one photo of it. It looks fab day and night, but try to visit it early in the morning for crowd-free photos. Fun fact: the Bean's official name is Cloud Gate.

For legendary entertainment 5 minutes from our door – The Chicago Theatre. Yep, this fabled venue is literally around the corner, so check out their events listings and grab a ticket while you can. The building itself dates from 1921 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Top tip: cashless payments are preferred at the venue, and do not bring large bags.