Pilsen, Little Italy & UIC: Chicago

For some of the best authentic Mexican cooking you'll find in the city, head south to Pilsen for a stop at Mi Tierra or Casa del Pueblo Taqueria. You can do more than eat in this neighborhood, too. Home to a large section of Chicago's Mexican-American community, the National Museum of Mexican Art celebrates some of the finest paintings and sculptures at a price you can celebrate, too. Admission is free every day.

Pilsen's lofts, low housing prices and emerging art scene are inspiring creatives to move south where they hope to display their own work in the neighborhood's many galleries. To the west, the international culinary and cultural tour continues in Little Italy with a selection of Sicilian dining spots lining Taylor Street. Outside the real of pasta, the original Al's No. 1 Italian Beef calls this section of town home and serves up mouthwatering slabs of Italian beef on french bread.

While many students at the University of Illinois-Chicago live nearby the campus, nightlife is relatively scarce here. Keep an eye on the calendar of the UIC Pavilion, though. This basketball stadium hosts some of the bigger indoor concerts in the city throughout the year.

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