Tune Out!: Chicago Blues Festival

Every June, Chicago's Grant Park lakefront is packed with blues bands and fans for the annual Chicago Blues Festival, celebrated since 1984. Clubs all over the city host festivities, but the main performances take place on five stages; past artists have included the Bobby Blue Bland, Walter Wolfman and the Roadmasters, and Betty Lavette.

Photo credit: Chicago, Illinois (Photodisc/Getty)

Top 5 Cheap City Getaways

Take advantage of freebies and think like a local to experience these five big cities on a small budget.

New York
If you stay in a family-friendly hostel or funky bed and breakfast, use public transportation, and scout for deals on food, a trip to NYC can be surprisingly cheap.

Chicago
Don't overlook city passes, use the El when you can, and keep in mind that some of Chicago's most beloved attractions, like the Lincoln Park Zoo and Millennium Park are free.

Chicago's Architectural Wonders

Not only is Chicago the birthplace of the skyscraper, it is the avowed fountainhead of modern architecture. Razed to the ground by an 1871 fire, a succession of visionary Chicago-based architects, including Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright, pioneered bold new styles that rejected more classical forms of building design. Choose from over 70 Chicago Architecture Foundation walking tours to catch the details you might otherwise miss.

Photo credit: Chicago at night (Corbis)

The Best of Chicago

Chicago has it all: first-rate museums, a world-famous aquarium, miles of lakefront walkways and bicycle paths, plus great art and architecture. From the observation deck of the 110-story-high Willis Tower (renamed from the Sears Tower in 2009), the tallest building in North America, you'll get a thrilling eyeful of Chicago's forest of skyscrapers; these days, the thrill's even more acute with the opening of the glass-bottomed SkyDeck, offering a sheer 103-story drop to the sidewalks below. Down on the Loop's streets, find sculptures by Picasso, Miro, Chagall, and other masters, as well as cafes serving some of the country's best deep-dish pizza.

Photo credit: Chicago, Illinois (Edward Rothberger)

Spotlight on Chicago: Cloud Gate, aka "The Bean"

At Chicago's Millennium Park awaits the visual spectacle known as the Cloud Gate, though most affectionately refer to it as "the bean." This massive, seamless, polished steel sculpture (which-you guessed it-resembles a giant kidney bean) offers a fun, surreal reflection of the city skyline-and the many ogling tourists standing in, under, and all around it.

Photo credit: Looking up from under the Cloud Gate, Chicago (Nathan Borchelt)