Night on Michigan Avenue

With its array of elegant hotels, museums and department stores, Michigan Avenue is Chicago's equivalent to New York City's Fifth Avenue, Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles and the Champs-Elysées in Paris. The buildings seen in this evening view include two Chicago landmarks: the old Water Tower (lower right) which was built in 1869 and survived the Great Chicago Fire, and the Allerton Hotel that featured the swanky Tip Top Tap cocktail lounge. This splendid stretch of north Michigan Avenue was dubbed the Magnificent Mile in 1947 and is still referred to as such today.