From top of city, you can admire all of Chicago’s greenery, there are several major parks spread out across city. Grant Park is known as Chicago’s front yard, because it’s situated right on waterfront. Lincoln Park contains world’s largest free zoo.

After walking city on our first day, my boyfriend decisively declared: "Chicago does everything big!" He was right. Chicago has largest aquarium, largest public library, largest candy factory, largest food festival, largest collection of impressionist paintings outside of Paris, longest street, and of course, tallest building in North America. The Sears Tower is 110 storeys, and 1353 feet tall.

But we didn’t see any of these things.

Because there’s so much to see and touch and hear and taste that unless you’re on a rigid schedule, it’s impossible to see everything. We shopped along Chicago’s "Magnificent Mile," a stretch of higher-end shops along Michigan Avenue. We started at one end of street, where we got a bird’s eye view from 94th floor observatory of John Hancock building. After dinner, we rushed to other end of Mile, where we hopped onto a speedboat for nighttime, picture-perfect view of Chicago’s skyline from 500 metres offshore. And don’t listen to what tourist guides say; view is definitely better at night.

We watched fireworks flash and flicker from our 25th floor hotel room. We ate deep-dish pizza. We walked along lakefront towards world’s largest illuminated fountain, Buckingham ("Married with Children" fountain). We rode on Navy Pier’s Ferris wheel, and gazed at city lights that twinkled 150 feet beneath us.

"It is hopeless for occasional visitor to try to keep up with Chicago – she outgrows his prophecies faster than he can make them. She is always a novelty; for she is never Chicago you saw when you passed through last time." Mark Twain was right. I look forward to my next trip to Chicago.

Despite his begging, and impossibility of getting money back, we had officer take him to police station on his motorcycle while we followed in a taxi (Paying with a twenty from under sole of my shoe). We filed a complaint, and he would spend night in jail, then be released for a lack of evidence in morning. At least his finger prints were on file now.

Travel Security Lessons

A money belt probably would have prevented robbery. Pockets that close help too, although I had a wallet stolen from a zipered pocket once, and I didn't notice until forty minutes later. At least it was a decoy-wallet, put there for just such an occasion. My real wallet was safely hidden elsewhere (another little travel security trick).

Carry your money in at least three different places. These can include; under sole of your shoe, in a pocket that you pin inside your clothes, in your shaving kit. Also carry two credit or debit cards in two separate and secure places. Have "lost or stolen" phone numbers in another place.

Dress properly. If area you're visiting has much crime, leave expensive watches and jewelry behind.

There are many things you can do to travel more safely. Of course, biggest lesson of our experience was obvious. You have to learn to trust your intuition.