• Chicago Guide

  • Introduction to Chicago
  • Things not to miss
  • Arrival
  • Getting around

• Explore Chicago

  • The Loop
  • South Loop and Near South
  • The Near North Side
  • Old Town and Lincoln Park
  • Lakeview neighbourhoods
  • Bucktown, Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village
  • The West Side
  • The South Side
  • Rogers Park and the North Shore
  • Oak Park
  • Outdoor activities

• Accommodation

  • Find accommodation

• Things to do

  • Drinking
  • Eating
  • Shopping
  • Nightlife

Chicago Guide

The Loop

As the city's central business district, the Loop is Chicago at its most iconic: a forest of steel, glass and masonry skyscrapers packed tightly together and encircled by an elevated train – "the El" – that rattles perilously along rusted trestles on Lake Street, South Wabash Avenue, Van Buren Street and Wells Street. Many people think the El forms the boundaries of the Loop but for practical purposes the district extends from the south branch of the Chicago River all the way east to Lake Michigan and from the central branch of the river all the way south to Congress Parkway. Walking around here at night, after the office workers have cleared out, you can see why director Christopher Nolan chose it to double as Gotham City in the Batman movie, The Dark Knight – it's rife with homely, neon-fronted diners that evoke the comic-book era, while at the same time its high-rises are built on a scale that suggest unimaginable, vaguely sinister power.