Hold up your left hand, palm out. That’s Chicago. The Loop is there by the first knuckle of your first finger. Your cousin out in Palatine is near the second knuckle of your ring finger. The lake scoops in at the right. Your thumbnail is in Indiana. Hey, Michiganders have that mitten thing they do; this works for me.

Whether you drive, fly, or take the train into Chicago, you will be amazed how much of it there is. From the Loop north to Evanston, west to Oak Park, or south to Blue Island, Chicago marches relentlessly on, much of it in suburban enclaves that were once discrete small towns, but have now been swallowed up by sprawl. To navigate Chicago itself, you really only need a couple of bucks, public transportation, and an adventurous spirit. Parking is almost always an issue on the North side of the city, and gets worse as you approach the lakefront, so allow time to find a legal parking space or available lot when calculating travel time by automobile.

Arterial expressways run toward the urban center from the North, South, and West, but, like arteries, clog regularly, making travel time frustratingly unpredictable. New industrial parks and corporate campuses in the suburbs have fostered reverse-commute traffic jams that rival traditional in-bound delays. Listen to news radio for traffic updates: what New Yorkers refer to as “rubbernecking” is known here, more poetically, as “gaper’s block.” “The Cashbox” is a tollbooth, and “The Post Office” is no longer used as such, but the facility on Congress just west of the river still serves as a point of demarcation for commuters.

The Chicago Transit Authority administrates our bus and subway/elevated rail system. There are especially dramatic views on the Orange and Brown lines, but all the trains run over ground outside the city center. For $1.50 on the CTA, you can explore Evanston, home to Northwestern University and its collegiate attractions. Heading South, visit the Museum of Science and Industry, the Oriental Institute, the Smart Museum, and the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, with exhibitions of cutting-edge contemporary art work. West of the city lies Oak Park, a charming small town served by the Green line. A trip there for the afternoon will bring you into Frank Lloyd Wright territory, and to a wealth of small restaurants, independent book stores, and unique shops on Oak Park Boulevard.

You can get a CTA map that gives you the lay of the land at downtown stations. The American Automobile Association is located in the State of Illinois building (Thompson Center) at Clark and Randolph streets downtown, and even if you’re not a member, they’ll sell you a map.

Tip: Great resources for visitors are to be found at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S. Michigan Avenue, and at The Savvy Traveler, at 310 S. Michigan. You will find a large inventory of books about the Chicago and the region in either store.