An unassuming store hides relics of its former life as the jazz club that hosted some of the best black performers of the 1920s and '30s.

The palatial McDonald's that inspired Wesley Willis.

A spectacular remnant of an Adler and Sullivan masterpiece that was destroyed in 1972.

Huge abstract sculptures of the Puerto Rican Flag.

Chicago's Navy Pier on Lake Michigan was a training hub for aircraft carrier pilots during WWII.

Partially submerged Buddha heads freckle Chicago’s neighborhoods.

A 400-foot-tall tall map of Chicago makes this once-ignored building stand out.

Once at the center of U.S. finance, the historic Trading Room was meticulously recreated piece by piece and rebuilt in the Art Institute.

A Japanese temple, old German townhouses, and public chess tables offer a peaceful escape from the bustle of the North Side.

Illegal drag racing two stories beneath Chicago’s streets.

Once called the "Polish Gold Coast" it is an icon of the neighborhood that bears its same name.

A curious collection of miniatures in a quiet corner of the Chicago Children's Museum.

This urban drawbridge gained eternal pop culture fame when the Blues Brothers jumped it while it was raised.

You can take a class, browse the library, or visit the lavish lair of an international men's humor society.

An outdoor urban gallery of large-scale artworks by the world's most influential street artists.

This surprising gem is a world-class archeological museum hidden at the University of Chicago.

Home to a protest movement, a bombing, and a dramatic change in labor history.

Where Cusack's record store from the film "High Fidelity" was located.

The unluckiest U-boat in the entire German fleet is now on display in a Chicago museum.

Fragments of architectural wonders from around the globe are embedded in the newspaper building's walls.

A beloved Chicago music venue offering cold beer and lots of “Friendly."

Beloved bar home to musicians of all eras and reputations.

A shining sculpture made of 3,115 lights, the number of visible stars in the Northern Hemisphere.

The twin towers in this Chicago fountain use 50 foot tall video screens to spit on people.