Single in Chicago
假如孤单单一个人来到芝加哥

IT’S hard to decide, while sipping a citrine cocktail called Sex on the Roof, what to gawk at first: the go-go dancers in crimson panties or the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, Willis Tower, soaring like a giant glass beanstalk just beyond the windows. Either way, at Roof, the glossy club atop theWit hotel in Chicago, if you’re single you can’t lose: should a stranger fail to take your breath away, the skyline will.

在“屋顶”(The Roof)酒吧喝着 “屋顶激情”这款黄水晶颜色的鸡尾酒时，我实在很难决定到底要把目光放到哪里：是盯着穿猩红短裤大跳热舞的舞者，还是仰望西半球最高的建筑威利斯塔尤如一株巨大的玻璃豆茎一样在窗外耸入云霄。无论是怎样的选择，在“屋顶”——芝加哥维特酒店顶层的酒吧里，若你是单身便不能错过这好时光：如果陌生的邂逅无法让你得到满足，那壮观的天际线也足以让你惊讶。

As an architect’s daughter (one who built a foam core replica of a Frank Lloyd Wright house when she was 12), I’d long wanted to visit Chicago, where Wright buildings are practically as common as pizza joints. As a veteran solo traveler not content to turn in early, a spate of posh new boîtes was a bonus.

作为一个建筑师的女儿（我12岁的时候就做过一件弗兰克⋅劳埃德⋅赖特[Frank Lloyd Wright]的作品泡沫模型），我一直特别想造访芝加哥这座城市，因为在这里赖特设计的建筑就跟披萨店一样随处可见。作为一个热衷独自旅行不愿意早早回屋睡觉的人，这里众多时尚光鲜的夜店算得上锦上添花。
 

在“屋顶”——这个被恰如其分地命名的芝加哥维特酒店顶层的酒吧，上演着此情此景。

Of course, parachuting into a major city on one’s own has its perils. It’s not like lolling on a beach or rafting through the Grand Canyon. In a city, there are dodgy neighborhoods, dodgier men and jammed bars and restaurants where you’ll be parked at a table for one. Chicago, though, is hardly as high-voltage as Tokyo or New York, even though it still has the big-city qualities solo travelers crave: culture, night life and a mass transit system to explore it all. It even has white sandy beaches beneath all those skyscrapers. Indeed, friends had described Chicago as a more leisurely and hospitable New York, a city where getting into some hot spots is a breeze compared with lining up outside clubs in Manhattan’s meatpacking district.

当然，独自一人探索一座大城市总会碰到危险。这可不像懒洋洋地躺在沙滩上或在大峡谷飘流那样简单。城里有危险的街区和危险的人，被挤在爆满的酒吧或者餐馆里独自占一张桌子也会让人备感尴尬。虽然芝加哥不像东京或者纽约那样令人血脉贲张，但它仍然具备一个热爱独自旅行的人对于一个大都市的所有渴望：文化生活饱满，夜生活丰富，一个庞大便捷的公共交通系统为旅行提供便利。在那些高耸的写字楼下，甚至还能享受到白色沙滩。没错，正如朋友们告诉我的，芝加哥就像是一个更悠闲、更友好的纽约，比起在曼哈顿肉库区夜店外排长龙，在这里进入那些热门场所易如反掌。

Not that I don’t love my hometown. But a little more hospitality wouldn’t hurt. Having spent the winter slogging through a dizzying calendar, it was time for a change of pace. I packed a bag and grabbed my iPod, already loaded with Frank Sinatra. Chicago was calling.

并不是我不爱我自己的城市，多一点新鲜友好的感觉还是让人很受用。熬过一个死气沉沉的漫长冬天以后，是时候改变一下生活节奏了。我打点行李，抓起我的iPod，里面早已载入了弗兰克·辛纳屈(Frank Sinatra，二十世纪与猫王起名的美国歌手，代表作包括《芝加哥》——编著)的歌。芝加哥在召唤我。

I ARRIVED on a chilly spring evening, wondering why I hadn’t chosen Miami. There was rain. There was wind. Yet outside my hotel, there were dashing porters with umbrellas and bright smiles.

在一个寒气逼人的春夜，我抵达了芝加哥，这天气让我开始后悔没有选择迈阿密。那天下着雨刮着风，我却在酒店门口看到门童精神抖擞，打着伞脸上挂着欢快的微笑。

Swoosh! They opened a door and I was inside theWit, instantly warmer but taken aback by the man perched on a tiny balcony high above my head, strumming a guitar like a folk-rock angel. This nearly 300-room Doubletree by Hilton, with a lightning bolt zigzagging across its exterior and jam sessions in the lobby, sure doesn’t feel like a Doubletree.

嗖的一声，他们为我打开一扇门，我就进入了维特酒店(the Wit)，立刻我就感到温暖多了，不过随后我就吓了一跳，只见一个男子站在我头顶上方的小阳台上，像个唱着摇滚民谣的天使，拨弄吉他。这家有近300个房间的希尔顿逸林系酒店(Doubletree by Hilton)一点也不像它的同类，无论是酒店外墙上成Z形移动的闪电球装饰，还是大堂里即席的爵士乐表演，都让它变得与众不同。

Opened in 2009, theWit bills itself as a splashy party stop amid the downtown bustle — advertisements for Roof show women in bikinis and stilettos, and bare-chested men brandishing Super Soaker water guns — precisely the kind of place I typically avoid. But my curiosity about this much-ballyhooed club won out. And you can’t beat the location. Sure, I could have stayed in the tony Gold Coast amid lavish town houses, or in artsy Wicker Park with its laid-back bars, or in another of the city’s dozens of neighborhoods. But since this was my first visit I chose the Loop, a constellation of theater, night life and shopping in the heart of Chicago, near Millennium Park, the Art Institute and public transportation.

维特酒店是2009年开张的，它标榜自己是繁忙的芝加哥中心区里的派对好去处——“屋顶”酒吧的广告里满是穿着细高跟鞋和比基尼女郎以及敞着胸的男人挥舞Super Soaker喷水枪——一般这样的地方我是不会去的。但我终究没能战胜对这间广告惊人的夜店的好奇心。再说，它所在的地段也太好了。没错，我其实也可以住到四处都是高级联排别墅的时尚的金色沙滩区(Golden Beach)，或者住到艺术气息浓郁的维克公园去享受那些闲适的酒吧，或者是其他的街区。但因为这是我第一次到芝加哥，所以我选择了Loop区，这里集中了无数的剧院，是芝加哥城的夜生活和购物中心，又靠近千禧公园和艺术学院，交通也便捷。

It’s here, at the State and Lake Street rail station, that you’ll find the Wit. At the front desk the staff was so friendly I suspected they were overcompensating for some unpleasant news they were about to spring. But all I got was a warm cookie and a key. Even later, when I gravely pointed out that I had been charged for the minibar “intimacy kit,” which I did not use (really), the fee was removed with a smile. The geniality was almost unnerving.

在State和Lake街交汇的城铁站出口，你可以找到维特酒店。酒店前台对我太客气了, 以至于怀疑他们是为了一会儿要告诉我什么坏消息。但他们递给我的，是一块表达欢迎之意的饼干和房间钥匙。后来退房的时候，我严肃地指出，他们收了我迷你酒吧“亲密套装”的钱，而我根本没用过（真的没有），他们于是微笑着把错收的费用取消。他们的友好简直让人不安。

My king room, reasonably priced for downtown Chicago at $229 a night, was airy and modern, with a bird’s-eye view of the nearly six-story vertical C-H-I-C-A-G-O Theater marquee. Speaking of birds, I feared that one was trapped in the hallway, but it turns out that chirping is piped in through speakers. I swear I also heard frogs. Or crickets. It was oddly soothing, like the iPad app I use for insomnia. While such touches are fun, I was there for convenience, including easy access to Roof — my first stop.

我的大床房每晚房价229美元，对于芝加哥城中心来说价格相当合理，那是一间通风良好又设计现代的房间，可以鸟瞰六层楼高的芝加哥剧院的招牌。说到鸟，我一直担心有一只鸟被困在了走廊里，但事实上它们的啁啾声是通过扩音器传进来的。我发誓还听到了青蛙或者蟋蟀的叫声。所有这些声音听起来都出奇地让人放松，就像我失眠的时候帮我放松的那款iPad 应用软件一样。这些设计都挺有趣，不过我住在这儿就是图个方便，包括去到“屋顶”酒吧，那是我的第一站。

There on the 27th floor was a smattering of casually dressed couples and klatches of friends. No half-naked women. Yet.

在位于27层的屋顶上聚集着几对穿得休闲的情侣以及一群聚会的朋友。根本没有穿着热辣的女人出现。目前没有。

I took a seat. Panoramic views from the deck and floor-to-ceiling windows made it easy to be simultaneously present and miles away. Gazing out at Marina City’s towers, rising like two corncobs (as the locals call them) from the banks of the Chicago River, I daydreamed about what it might be like to live there. Had I peered through the telescope, I might have lingered even longer, zooming in on one real estate fantasy after another.

我找了一个位子坐下来。开阔的全景式视野再加上落地窗，使得人可以随意抽离和亲近周遭的环境。看着能看到玛丽娜广场(Marina City)的双塔，像两根玉米棒一样矗立在芝加哥河岸边（本地人真的叫它们“玉米棒”）, 我就忍不住幻想住在里面是什么感觉。如果有望远镜的话， 我大概会瞄准一栋栋大楼，陷入没完没了的胡思乱想中。

On a different evening at Roof, this time well past midnight, two go-go dancers twirled like woozy tops, flanking a D.J. who was blasting Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up.” It was more lively than the night I arrived, which suits the space: it’s too sprawling for tête-à-têtes. Still, I later wondered aloud to a man I met why a lounge with fire pits, a 12-foot-wide HDTV monitor, and million-dollar views felt it also needed to throw in a couple of dancers in panties.

另一个在“屋顶”的晚上，已过午夜，两个舞者从两边紧紧贴住DJ热舞，他正在放宝拉⋅阿卜杜(Paula Abdul)的《站直了》(Straight Up)。这个晚上比我到的那天晚上热闹多了，这反倒更适合那里的环境：就亲密私聊来说，这个场子太空旷了。尽管如此，过了半晌，我还是大声地问一个陌生男人，为什么这间配备了火坑、12英尺宽高清电视，并拥有无敌景观的酒廊，还需要穿热裤的舞娘。

“Are you visiting from New York?” he asked.

“你是从纽约来的么？”他问。

I nodded.

我点头。

“It’s the Midwest,” he said. “Welcome.”

“中西部就是这样的，”他说：“欢迎你。”

一个人混在人群中

JUST because you travel to a city on your own doesn’t mean you have to explore it on your own. One often overlooked way to connect with other solo travelers is to join a MeetUp group. For the uninitiated, MeetUp is a Web site through which people with shared interests can participate in free local activity groups all over the world. During a recent week in Chicago, there were more than 1,400 MeetUps, including ones offering happy hours, beach volleyball and live jazz. If I could have squeezed it into my itinerary, I would have attended a Windy City Explorers MeetUp, which organizes visits to different neighborhoods and historical sites. Or I might have tried 312 After Hours Nightlife Social Scene, whose coming events include an after-work party at a W hotel, an art walk and a wine tasting. Another popular MeetUp, MingleAround, is specifically for singles.

一个人去一座城市旅游，并不意味着你就一定是单枪匹马地行动。有一个不大被人重视的法子可以让单身游客彼此联系起来，那就是参加“见面”(MeetUp)小组。“见面”是一个网站(Meetup.com)，拥有相同爱好的人可以通过它，免费参加本地各种活动，该网站用户覆盖世界各地。最近一周在芝加哥，这里就有1400个“见面”活动，包括各种饮料买一赠一的聚会活动、沙滩排球，以及现场爵士乐表演。如果能抽得出时间，那我会参加风城探索者见面组，这个组主要组织大家去不同的社区和历史名胜参观。或者我也可能试试“312个下班后的夜生活场景” 小组，它们即将组织的活动包括在W 酒店举行的派对，一个艺术欣赏之旅和一个品酒活动。另一个热门的见面活动叫 “混入人群中”，专为单身人士设计。

Offline, Chicago goes the extra mile to help tourists get their bearings (something Los Angeles and other sweeping cities would greatly benefit from doing). The Chicago Greeter service, for instance, provides free personalized tours of a neighborhood or special interest (food, African-American heritage, gay-friendly areas), but, sadly for me, requires reservations at least 10 days in advance. So I thought I’d try the next best thing: An InstaGreeter, the Ramen Noodles of tour guides. Local volunteers, they lead free hourlong walks, no reservations required.

在线下，芝加哥也为到访的旅行者提供了更多的服务来帮助他们了解这座城市（如果洛杉矶和其他城市也能加以效仿，必定会取得不错的效果）。比如芝加哥问候服务(Chicago Greeter service)就是一例。它提供免费的个性化导游服务，比如社区观光和特色游（包括美食，黑人传统街区，或者同性恋聚集区观光等），但对我来说很不幸的是，这个服务需要提前十天预定。于是我只好选择另一个类似的服务：即时芝加哥问候服务(InstaGreeter)，它简直就像方便面那么快捷。这个活动由本地的志愿者免费带着你，进行时长一个小时的游览，无须预定。

Unfortunately, I arrived at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Visitor Information Center, home of the InstaGreeter, to discover that he or she was out on another tour. Luckily, exploring Chicago on your own is not like wandering around Turks & Caicos, my previous solo adventure: no one looks at you sideways when you dine alone, and there’s more to do than stick a straw in a coconut and work on your tan.

但我运气不好，当我到达芝加哥文化中心问讯处(Chicago Cultural Center’s Visitor Information Center)，也就是即时芝加哥问候的总部时，发现导游已经带人出去了。不过还好，独自一人游芝加哥并不像一个人探索特克斯-凯科斯群岛那么孤独（就像我上次去那里时的情形）：即使你一个人吃饭也不会有人盯着你看，而且这里有比一边晒太阳一边捧着椰子用吸管喝椰汁更多也更有趣的事情干。

And so I decided to improvise my own walking tour of nearby Millennium Park, once a mess of railroad tracks and, since 2004, more than two dozen acres of postmodern architecture.

于是我决定自个儿玩，先到千禧公园散散步。这里曾经是一片乱七八糟的铁轨，自从2004年之后就变成了拥有20多件后现代建筑艺术品的公园。

I marveled at the ribbons of stainless steel that twist into Frank Gehry’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion and paused before Cloud Gate, the shining 110-ton, kidney-shaped sculpture by Anish Kapoor that reflects the skyline and amazes passers-by as it multiplies and distorts their reflections. From the Great Lawn, I crossed Renzo Piano’s spare, steel Nichols Bridgeway over the Lurie Garden and Monroe Street, and disappeared into the Art Institute of Chicago. If you’re not careful the hours will disappear too as you meander from one major work to the next, be it “American Gothic” by Grant Wood or “Mao” by Andy Warhol.

弗兰克⋅盖瑞的杰⋅普利茨克馆上卷曲的不锈钢绸带让我惊叹，而安尼诗⋅卡普尔的云门也让我驻足，这个重大110吨，肾型的巨大雕塑反射着芝加哥的天际线，同时也让游客们驻足惊叹自己被照出来的奇特模样。接下来，我从大草坪穿过伦佐⋅皮亚诺设计的尼克斯桥——这座轻盈的钢桥横跨璐莉花园和门罗街，来到了芝加哥艺术学院。稍不注意，当你流连于一件又一件作品时候——或者是格兰特⋅伍德的“美国哥特式”，或者是安迪·沃霍尔的“毛泽东”——时光就飞快地溜走。

Yet another way to put the city in context is to see it by boat, bus or bike. I opted for the Chicago Line Cruises architectural tour of more than 50 skyscrapers dotting the Chicago River, which everyone told me is a must.

除此之外，游客们还可以选择乘船、骑自行车和搭公车的方式来了解这座城市。我选择的是芝加哥邮轮公司(Chicago Line Cruise)的建筑之旅，这个项目途经五十多座芝加哥河沿岸的建筑，所有人都告诉我这是必须体验的。

I boarded the boat almost dead last and decidedly annoyed: there weren’t enough good seats or cookies (get there early if you want either). For an hour and a half I sat shivering as we glided through history, from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 to the city’s postwar revival and beyond.

我几乎是在最后一秒才上船，然后就发现已经没有足够的好座位和饼干了（如果你想享受到其中任何一个，那要尽早到），真是让人恼火。接下来的一个半小时，我冻得瑟瑟发抖，坐在那儿随船穿越芝加哥的历史，从1871年的芝加哥大火到这座城市战后的重生等等。

As the sun set, our guide spoke of how the 82-story Aqua Tower is the tallest building in the world designed by a woman; how employees of the Montgomery Ward Building (more than a million square feet) used to wear roller skates to fill orders; how the former Main Chicago Post Office (once the largest in the world) masqueraded as Gotham City Bank in the 2008 Batman film, “The Dark Knight.” I craned my neck upward. “Density,” said our guide, pointing up at the skyline shimmering in the dying sun, “creates vitality.”

日落的时候，导游告诉我们82层的“水”楼是世界上由女性设计的最高建筑，以及蒙哥马利⋅沃德大厦（占地100万平方英尺）的工作人员上班的时候都穿旱冰鞋。他还告诉我们，曾经的芝加哥邮局总部（曾经是世界上最大的邮局）如何被装扮城2008年蝙蝠侠电影系列《黑暗骑士》里的哥谭市银行，于是我伸长了脖子仰望这座大楼。“建筑的密度”，导游一边说一边指着在夕阳里闪闪发光的天际线：“创造了这座城市的活力。”

I shivered. This time, it wasn’t because I was chilly. It was because the Windy City blew me away.

我又哆嗦了一下。这一次不是因为冷，而是这座风城让我激动了。

Once you check off some tourist sites, you can zero in on more under-the-radar attractions. Take, for instance, Wicker Park. Out of the shadow of skyscrapers, this is one of the neighborhoods that make Chicago a more breathable city than New York. Town houses abut thrift shops and unusual boutiques. If chakra crystals are your thing, stop by Ruby Room, a spa, salon and inn, to measure your electromagnetic field or attend a meditation class ($17), which a saleswoman said would be led by a former N.F.L. player. As I walked North Milwaukee Avenue, a chalkboard outside the Filter Cafe hyped the Vegan Slut: a lumpy coffee, banana, coconut, chocolate syrup concoction that I never want to swallow again. But that’s not the point. Inside, single people can be alone together, in the best of ways.

如果你提前查看了一些旅游网站的话，也能找到更多不大为人所知的好去处。比如维克公园就是一例。摩天大楼的阴影中，正是因为有了维克公园这样的街区，使得芝加哥比纽约更显通透。这里，联排别墅中点缀着许多的二手店和特色小店。如果你对水晶感兴趣，那就去红宝石屋，那是一个集spa、美容和住店一体的店，在那里你可以体验与晶石互动的磁场，或者参加一堂冥想课（17美元），推销的女士说这课是由一个全美橄榄球联盟前球员主持的。走在北米尔沃基路上的时候，“过滤”(Filter)咖啡店外的黑板上，宣传一款叫作“素食荡妇”的咖啡：这款咖啡加入了香蕉、椰汁和巧克力糖浆，我永远不要再喝到它。但这并不重要，在这家咖啡店里，单身的人可以舒舒服服地呆在一起。

A vast, unhurried joint, Filter is part coffee house, part used-furniture showroom, thanks to a jumble of coffee tables and sofas. People in their 20s and 30s adorned with clunky 1980s-style headphones and glasses were reading and eating alone on couches, or clacking on their Macs.

这家咖啡店闲适、宽敞，里面一半是咖啡店，一半是二手家具的展厅，这里摆满了各式咖啡桌和沙发。二三十岁的顾客们，戴着八十年代复古款的耳机和眼镜，各自坐在沙发上，不是在看书就是在苹果笔记本上敲敲打打。

You could spend a whole weekend in places like Wicker Park and Bucktown with their neighborhood bars and denim-and-flannel dress code. The city’s newer, more plush spots require a party dress and guts, as I would soon find out.

你完全可以在像维克公园或者巴克敦这样的街区过整整一个周末，享受那里轻松的酒吧，而且休闲打扮完全没问题。而芝加哥那些新开张的豪华场所，则需要你换上适合派对的裙子，并且鼓足了勇气才可以进入，而这也是我之后才发现的。

After thumbing through the The Chicago Reader, I headed for the door, which a man on his way in stopped to hold. I thanked him and a curious thing happened: he didn’t grunt or mumble “Welcome.” Instead, he looked at me and said, “It’s a pleasure.”

在翻完一本叫《芝加哥读者》(The Chicago Reader)的杂志之后，我走出门去，这时候一个刚好要进来的男人便帮我扶着门等我出去。等我谢过他，有意思的事儿发生了，他并没有小声嘟囔一句“不用谢”，而是看着我说：“这是我的荣幸。”

Back outside, as I struggled to walk against a strong wind, a stranger driving through an intersection slowed down and shouted out the window that I’d find a cab line around the corner. I waved appreciatively.

来到咖啡馆外面，当我正努力逆风向前走的时候，一个开车路过十字路口的陌生人把车速降下来，冲窗外的我喊道，拐过街角就可以看到排队打车的地方。于是我冲他感激地挥挥手。

That’s my kind of town.

那一刻，我觉得这个城市，我喜欢。

调情？还是仅仅因为友好？

IT was Saturday night and I was readying myself for barhopping, which is not as simple as it sounds. In New York, the subway goes practically everywhere. In Miami Beach, you can walk. Chicago, though, requires some planning. The bar scene is not concentrated, and there are endless places to go: dives, blues joints with live music, chic nightclubs, hotel bars. Mind you, if you heed the advice of locals you will skip Rush and Division Streets, an area they describe as a meat market and tourist trap. The surrounding blocks are renowned for men of a certain age and the gold-diggers who love them. As one man I met put it: “They call that place the Viagra Triangle.”

然后到了周六，我准备去逛酒吧好好玩一圈，但在芝加哥这并非它听来那么容易。在纽约，地铁可以把你送到任何你想去的地方。在迈阿密滩，你可以走着去。而在芝加哥，你需要事前计划好了。在芝加哥酒吧并不集中，可以去的地方有很多：比如廉价酒吧，有现场音乐伴奏的爵士乐酒吧，时髦的夜总会，或者酒店里的酒吧，等多种选择。注意，如果问问本地人，你就不会去罗西街和迪维逊街，他们会告诉你那几条街污七八糟，而且是且坑游客的地方。上了一定年纪的男人爱去那里，还有那些找干爹的姑娘们。我碰到的一个男人告诉我：“他们叫那个地方作伟哥三角地。”

So where to go?

那要去哪儿呢？

I asked bartenders, waiters, residents, hotel staff members. Many names were uttered. But one place came up more often than any other: the Pump Room at the Public. The hotel, which opened last year in the Gold Coast neighborhood after a redesign by Ian Schrager, was formerly the Ambassador East of Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” fame.

我问了酒吧伺应、服务员、本地人以及酒店的工作人员，他们的答案各式各样。但有一个地方被提及的频率比较高：Public 酒店的庞普屋酒吧。这家酒店去年才在黄金海岸开张，由伊安⋅施拉格重新设计，其前身就是希区柯克电影《西北偏北》里的伊斯特大使酒店。

There was the matter of getting there, however. Equipped with a Google map of every bar I hoped to visit, I planned to walk everywhere. Yet I was foiled again and again like a video game avatar, either because there was no train stop or because I couldn’t decipher my map. I ended up hailing a cab to the Pump Room, but if I hadn’t, I could have texted for one. You read that correctly. The previous night I had texted my location to 777222 (you can also download an app at GoFastCab.com) and instantly received a reply confirming that a car was on its way. That’s a game changer for solo travelers because it means never having to roam the streets in the wee hours searching for a ride. When a yellow cab rolled up, it felt as magical as a prince galloping in on a white horse.

但去那儿并不容易。我在谷歌地图上把每个想去的酒吧都标注好之后，决定步行前往。但我就像电玩游戏里的主人公一样，一次又一次失败，不是因为附近没有轻轨站就是因为看不懂地图。最后我还是招手打车去了“庞普屋”，如果不是在街上拦车，也可以发短信叫车。你看的没错！前一天晚上，我曾把我的地址发到777222这个号码（当然你也可以在Gofastcab.com网站下载一个iPhone 应用程序），然后不一会就收到回复确认，说有辆车马上就过来了。独自旅行的人有福了，再也无须陷入高峰期的车流里打不着车。当一辆黄色的计程车停在你面前的时候，那种感觉就像是有个王子骑着白马翩翩而至。

But back to the Public hotel, where, outside, women were teetering in stilettos — tipsy, smoking, gabbing on cellphones, or all of the above. Had I been teleported to the meatpacking district? I entered the lobby. On one side is the Pump Room, an ivory supper club with softly glowing orbs above a sea of tables, including Booth One and a phone from bygone days of Hollywood V.I.P.’s — Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Clark Gable — who are now but ghosts. Places like this, elegant as they are, can be awkward if you’re on your own.

扯远了。在Public酒店外面，女人们踩着高跟鞋无所事事，有的微醺，有的在抽烟，有的煲电话粥，或者同时做着所有的事儿。难道我一下就乾坤大挪移回了纽约的肉库区么？一边想我一边进到酒店大堂。 “庞普屋”酒吧位于其中一侧，这是一间以象牙色为装饰基调的晚餐吧，柔和的圆形吊灯下是许多的餐桌，其中包括一号包间和一部好莱坞的贵宾们用过的老式电话，玛丽莲⋅梦露、朱迪⋅嘉兰和克拉克⋅盖博——使用过这台电话的那些人都已故去。在这样优雅的地方，如果你只身前往便显得有些尴尬。

Then again, so can places like RockIt Bar & Grill on Hubbard Street, a popular place to bar crawl. After being carded (Cheers, Mr. Bouncer), I headed upstairs where, beneath deer antler chandeliers, throngs of young people were fist-pumping to disco remakes of “The Wall” by Pink Floyd and “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks. I stood near the bar, trying not to look uncomfortable. Smiling at a circle of “X-Files” Lone Gunman-types, I inched past them and down some stairs. Unable to get my footing, I inadvertently grabbed not the railing but the thigh of a man sitting on it. He smiled and said something I couldn’t hear. In this town, some people are so affable you don’t know if they’re flirting or simply being polite. What I do know is that once you start squeezing strangers, intentionally or not, it’s time to go.

同样的情况也发生在哈勃街上的RockIt酒吧，这也是个热门的去处。在检查了身份证件之后（干杯, 保镖先生!），我上到了这家酒吧的二楼，站在鹿角型吊灯下，这里聚集着大群正随着重新混音的迪斯科版平客·弗洛伊德的“the wall”和史迪菲⋅尼克斯的“Edge of Seventeen”挥拳舞动的年轻人。我站在吧台，尽量掩饰自己的不适。对着一群穿得像《X档案》里孤枪侠客那样的人礼貌地笑笑之后，我慢慢地从他们中间穿过，走下楼梯。没站稳，我赶紧抓扶手，却碰到了一个坐在扶手上的男子的腿。他报以微笑，然后说了些什么，但听不清。在这个城市，很多人都十分的友好，以至于你拿不准他们到底是在和你调情还是仅仅出于礼貌。不过我很清楚，当你开始挤到陌生人的时候，不管是有意还是无意，你就该撤了。

After sampling bar after bar with Goldilocks-like resoluteness, I eventually found one that felt just right: Pops for Champagne, a sleek, upscale lounge with a roundish bar and some 200 bubbly selections. Footage of spring fashion shows — Derek Lam, Luca Luca, BCBG — silently streamed across screens above fetching bartenders. European lounge music was wafting from the speakers as smartly dressed men and women laughed beneath dim (read: flattering) lights.

心不在焉地逛完一家家酒吧之后，我终于找到了适合自己的一家：“香槟泡沫”(Pops for Champagne)，那里时尚、高雅，它拥有一个圆形的吧台和两百多种香槟。酒吧侍应的背后，略高的电视屏幕上无声地播放着Derek Lam、Luca Luca和BCBG的春季时装秀。音响中传来欧式的酒吧音乐，穿着得体的男男女女们在昏暗的（应该是暧昧的）灯光下谈笑风生。

As I slid onto a stool, from which I would order a glass of Gosset Grand Blanc de Blanc, a dark-haired stranger turned to me.

当我坐到吧凳上，点一杯古塞白中白(Gosset Grand Blanc de Blanc)香槟的时候，一个深色头发的男人对我搭讪。

“I love your dress,” he said.

“我喜欢你的裙子，”他说。

Was it a come-on? Or just another friendly comment?

这是调情的意思么？或者仅仅是出于友好？

In Chicago, you never know.

在芝加哥，你永远没法知道答案。

SECOND CITY, SOLO

第二城独自漫游

The Good

芝加哥的优点：

Hospitality The Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture offers audio tours of Millennium Park featuring Frank Gehry, Anish Kapoor and others (download it at downloadchicagotours.com) as well as custom walking tours (chicagogreeter.com), all free.

好客：芝加哥的旅游和文化办公室提供免费的千禧公园有声导游服务，介绍弗兰克·盖里和安尼施·卡普尔等著名建筑师的作品（可在downloadchicagotous.com下载），以及免费的徒步旅行定制服务(chicagogreeter.com)。

Culture You’ll find world-class art, architecture, music, theater, even comedy (Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert and Tina Fey are alums of Second City).

文化：可以欣赏到世界一流的艺术、建筑、音乐、戏剧甚至喜剧表演（比如史蒂夫·卡瑞尔、史蒂芬·克尔勃特以及蒂娜·菲共同出演的《第二城》）

Night Life The number of upscale clubs and restaurants keeps growing. Deep-dish pizza now competes with ambitious vegetarian and food presented as art.

夜生活：芝加哥城的高档酒吧和餐厅一直成增加趋势。深盘披萨现在面临来自野心勃勃的素食以及精美如艺术品一般的食物的竞争。

Open Air Many cities have parks. Chicago has miles of beaches, too.

户外观光：很多城市都有公园。但是芝加哥还有长达数英里的沙滩。

The Not So Good

芝加哥不太好的地方：

Weather Most of the year, Chicago lives up to its Windy City moniker, making it difficult to enjoy its al fresco and architectural charms. In late summer, it can be blistering hot — upward of 100 degrees.

气候：一年中大部分时候，芝加哥都是完全不辜负它风城的雅号的，这让人难以尽情享受其户外生活的美好和建筑的魅力。夏天快要结束的时候，这个城市还可以热到华氏100度以上。

Empty Streets Few avenues are bustling late at night. Take care: Homicides and shootings have increased over the last year.

空荡的街道：只有少数街道在半夜依旧热闹。需要注意的是，谋杀和枪击案数量在去年有所增加。

Cost New high-end hotels and bars mean higher prices.

消费水准：新的高档酒店和酒吧代表着价格新高。

Transportation The rail system is great, but it’s not as far-reaching as those in some other cities. You’ll have to supplement it with buses and cabs.

交通：轨道交通系统还是很不错的，但是和许多城市相比，还不是那么便捷。公交车和出租车是必不可少的补充。

BELLY UP

买醉去处：

In Chicago, there’s a bar for every palate. Here’s how to find one that’s right for you.

芝加哥有适合各种口味的酒吧，下面总有一款适合你。

For the Cubs Founded in the 1930s as Ernie’s Bleachers, a hot dog stand hawking beer by the pail, Murphy’s Bleachers is now a perpetually packed sports bar across the street from — what else? — the bleachers at Wrigley Field. Never mind that the Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908. You can enjoy beers with the throngs who love them anyway. 3655 North Sheffield Street; (773) 281-5356; murphysBleachers.com.

对芝加哥小熊队的球迷来说，1930年代开张的Ernie’s Bleachers, 最初是靠售卖热狗和桶装啤酒起家的，现在它更名为Murphy’s bleachers，变成了芝加哥城里一间永远人挤人的体育主题酒吧。还有呢？这家酒吧坐落在瑞格利球场, 也就是小熊队的主场对面。别在乎小熊队从1908年开始就没有赢过世界巡回赛的冠军了。你只需要和小熊队的球迷们一起畅饮啤酒就好。3655 North Sheffield Street; (773) 281-5356; murphysBleachers.com.

For the Boys In Boystown, where you can easily find a place to sing show tunes, dance (Sidetrack is a classic) or screen “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the newcomer Elixir is a more mellow spot to kick back and sip a specialty cocktail. 3452 North Halstead Street; elixirchicago.com.

对于爱去Boystown的男孩们来说，在这个街区你很容易找到唱歌、跳舞（这方面Sidetrack酒吧是个必去的地方），或者放映《Rupaul变装皇后选秀》节目的地方。当然在同类酒吧里，Elixier应该是一间更更温和一些的去处，这里适合人们更放松、亲密地喝特制鸡尾酒。elixirchicago.com.

For the Elitists If you thinkyou can just saunter up to the bar at the Aviary,think again. A limited number of reservations are accepted each day for seatings at 6, 8 and 10 p.m. Would-be patrons must e-mail their requests to reservations@theaviary.com. If selected, you will be contacted by 4 p.m. the day of the reservation. So much for advance planning. 955 West Fulton Market; theaviary.com.

对于精英们来说, 如果你觉得自己可以轻松溜进Aviary酒店的酒吧的话，那我要提醒你别那么自信哦。这间酒吧每天只接受每晚六点、八点以及十点入场的预定，而且数量有限。想去这里玩儿的顾客必须提前网上邮件预定。如果你被选中，预定当天下午四点你会接到电话通知。所以有很多功课需要提前做。955 West Fulton Market; theaviary.com.

For Those Who Want to Sing the Blues Whether you want a gospel brunch or a late-night jam fest, it’s worth checking the schedule at House of Blues Chicago, which has featured artists like the Who and Al Green. 329 North Dearborn Street; (312) 923-2000; houseofblues.com.