TOM UHLENBROCK / MCT Two of Chicago's classic skyscrapers, the Wrigley Building (left), built in 1920, and the Tribune Tower, built in 1925, are neighbors on North Michigan Avenue.

What's Inside Mom worries about son traveling alone in Europe Good enough to eat Labor Day also a day of big regional events More Travel

CHICAGO – There's a park full of surprises; Broadway hit shows and the most famous improv comedy theater in the country; a joint that inspired John Belushi's “cheeseborger, cheeseborger, cheeseborger” skit on “Saturday Night Live”; a cherished baseball field; a dinosaur named Sue; a world-class art museum; an amusement park; jazz and blues clubs; and restaurants that win big prizes. To start.

• Chicago's architecture tells the city's stories

DETROIT – I saw it first by night. A metropolis unveiled in viewfinder snapshots through the smudged windows of an elevated train. Gothic towers crowded close, proud detail etched on gray stone. A beaming stadium full of red-capped baseball fans. A neon neighborhood of revelers, trying their luck with the cards and with each other.