Chicago has never been confined by the mere rules of nature. The skyscraper was born here in 1885, in a city so unfazed by physics that 15 years later it actually took a river and reversed its natural flow. Despite its readiness to defy gravity, Chicago remains resolutely down-to-earth. You'll find a great deal more good humor here than overly serious self-importance, and while Chicago rewards ambition handsomely, it disdains pretension to the same degree. Writer Carl Sanburg called this Midwestern hub the "City of the Big Shoulders," an apt description in 1916. These days, those who stack wheat are outnumbered by those who trade shares in it; butcher shops and railroad tracks are harder to find than gourmet food stores and world-class museums. But something essential remains unchanged atop Chicago's now-slimmer shoulders: natural sophistication and charm along the banks of Lake Michigan. That sophistication and charm is well represented by Chicago luxury homes.