The Corridors: from Chicago to Los Angeles by train - Texas Eagle

Chicago rises along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, the third-largest city in the United States and the acknowledged birthplace of the modern skyscraper: here, after the Great Fire of 1871, American architecture reinvented itself, giving rise to one of the most famous skylines in the world. Its beating heart is the Loop, the business district encircled by the elevated 'L' train, where masterpieces by Louis Sullivan, Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright stand side by side. A short walk leads to Millennium Park, with the gleaming 'Cloud Gate' sculpture (nicknamed 'The Bean' by locals) and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion designed by Frank Gehry. Nearby, the Art Institute of Chicago, one of America's great museums, guards Impressionist masterpieces and Grant Wood's celebrated 'American Gothic'. Along the water, the Chicago Riverwalk offers another vantage on the city, while the boats of the Architecture River Cruise glide between the façades, recounting a century and a half of building ingenuity. Toward the lake, Navy Pier with its Ferris wheel and the Magnificent Mile, the elegant stretch of Michigan Avenue lined with shops and hotels, set the rhythm of city life. Yet Chicago is also music and flavour: the home of electric blues and jazz resounds in the clubs of the South Side, while its tables serve the hearty deep-dish pizza, Chicago-style hot dogs and the food markets of lively neighbourhoods such as Pilsen and West Loop. Rising to the 412-metre Skydeck of the Willis Tower, the gaze sweeps across the lake and the boundless Illinois plain. A city of lakes and skyscrapers, of jazz and bold architecture, Chicago reveals itself on foot, amid the gusts that earned it the nickname 'Windy City' and the unmistakable energy of the American Midwest.

What remains of Route 66 and its modern version, I-55, diagonally connect the two metropolises of Chicago and St. Louis in a predominantly rural landscape, through cornfields that stretch to the horizon and flat prairies as far as the eye can see. The hinterland of the two cities is heavily industrial and rather poor, and doesn't really offer much to the traveler looking for traces of the "Mother Road". The only real city along the entire route is the capital of Illinois, Springfield, which has well-preserved sections of Route 66 as well as memories related to President Lincoln. However, there are also dozens of scattered small towns that strive to maintain a connection with Route 66, and almost all of them boast at least one landmark. St. Louis announces itself from afar with the unmistakable silhouette of the Gateway Arch, the 192-metre steel arch celebrating the westward expansion of the United States. Overlooking the banks of the Mississippi, this historic Missouri city blends grand nineteenth-century boulevards, a fervent musical past and a lively dining scene. The Forest Park district, larger than New York's Central Park, is home to museums, the zoo and the Saint Louis Art Museum, all free to enter. A cradle of blues and ragtime, it preserves historic venues where live music has never fallen silent, while the famous Anheuser-Busch brewery recounts the city's beer-making heritage. Don't miss the scenic ride to the top of the arch. St. Louis is where frontier America meets the great river metropolises. Little Rock holds in Arkansas the role of state capital, a city on the Arkansas River rich in Southern history and culture. Here stand Little Rock Central High School, a symbol of the civil rights struggle, and the Clinton Presidential Library dedicated to the forty-second president. The River Market District animates the centre with restaurants and museums. Little Rock is a crossroads of memory and renewal in the heart of the American South. Dallas rises in the heart of Texas with glass skyscrapers and a modern energy that blends with deep Southern tradition. Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum preserve the memory of John F. Kennedy's assassination, while the Dallas Arts District — the largest urban cultural district in the United States — gathers museums and theatres designed by world-renowned architects. The historic Deep Ellum quarter reveals murals, jazz and blues venues, while the Bishop Arts District tempts visitors with artisan shops and restaurants. Texan cuisine is a ritual here: smoked barbecue, ribs and generous Tex-Mex. Nearby, Fort Worth keeps the authentic spirit of the Old West alive in its Stockyards. Dallas is the contemporary face of Texas, blending business, culture and warm hospitality.

Fort Worth holds the authentic soul of Texas, where the legacy of the Old West coexists with a culture scene of surprising sophistication. In the historic Stockyards district, the spirit of the cattle drives lives on: each day a herd of longhorns parades through the streets, while saloons, rodeos and equestrian shows keep the cowboy myth alive. The Cultural District is another world entirely, home to world-class museums such as the Kimbell Art Museum and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, set amid architecture by celebrated masters. The orderly, lively downtown blends skyscrapers, steakhouses and live country-music venues. Often overshadowed by neighbouring Dallas, Fort Worth wins over those seeking a more genuine, welcoming Texas, uniting frontier spirit, art and cuisine in a single memorable experience. Austin, the capital of Texas, is a young and creative city that proudly calls itself the "Live Music Capital of the World". Along famous Sixth Street and in the venues of South Congress, blues, country and rock ring out every evening, while each spring the city erupts with the SXSW and Austin City Limits festivals. Dominated by the imposing dome of the Texas State Capitol, Austin surprises with its natural side: Lady Bird Lake invites kayaking and walks along its shores, while at sunset thousands of bats stream out from the Congress Avenue Bridge in a unique spectacle. Between Texas barbecue and Tex-Mex food trucks, craft breweries and the nonconformist spirit captured in the motto "Keep Austin Weird", the city wins over those seeking energy, music and culture.

It is worth stopping in San Antonio for its lively and diverse music scene. The city, known primarily for tejano and heavy metal genres, also has deep jazz roots, which are expressed in venues such as the Shadowland Ballroom and the Plaza Hotel. The main arenas that host stops on famous tours are the AT&T Center and the Paper Tiger; however, smaller clubs in the urban oasis offer live music nights for all tastes. San Antonio guards the historic soul of Texas, where Mexican and American cultures have intertwined for centuries. At the city's heart stands the Alamo Mission, the old Spanish mission that became the symbol of Texan independence and is today a pilgrimage site for history lovers. Just steps away runs the famous River Walk (Paseo del Río), a network of canals lined with restaurants, cafés and palm trees, where boats glide past mariachi music and evening lights. Don't miss the complex of Spanish colonial missions, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the lively El Mercado, kingdom of Tex-Mex cuisine with its enchiladas, fajitas and margaritas. San Antonio reveals itself on a stroll along the water, amid echoes of the frontier and Latin warmth.

Tucson rises in the Sonoran Desert, ringed by five mountain ranges and bathed in the golden light of southern Arizona. A heart of Southwestern culture, it preserves a Mexican and Native soul felt in the historic Barrio Viejo, with its brightly coloured adobe homes, and in the restored Presidio San Agustín del Tucson, site of the original Spanish settlement. Nearby, Mission San Xavier del Bac — the “White Dove of the Desert” — enchants with its baroque façade. Saguaro National Park embraces the city with forests of its famous columnar cacti, while the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum reveals the desert's wildlife. Tucson, the first U.S. city named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, is an ideal destination for those seeking nature, culture and authentic border-country flavours.

Los Angeles, home to Hollywood, Disneyland, and Universal Studios, is the epitome of carefree living for visitors: year-round sunshine, palm trees swaying in the wind, movie stars with luxurious residences in the hills of Beverly Hills, stunning museums, avant-garde architecture, and surf beaches.