What to do in Chicago in noviembre

The deadest tourist month after the holidays: the Loop swept by lake-effect wind, highs barely scraping 32°F and hotel rates at rock bottom in a city that runs on conventions.

The Chicago Auto Show takes over McCormick Place February 7-16 — North America's largest auto show, with over 1,000 vehicles and the black-tie First Look for Charity gala the night before.

The Chicago River turns fluorescent green at 10 a.m. on March 14 — the world's most photographed St. Patrick's tradition, followed by the parade up Columbus Drive.

Baseball season opens: the Cubs at century-old Wrigley Field and the White Sox at Rate Field, with first-pitch rituals and the bleacher buzz back in full swing.

Mole de Mayo fills the streets of Pilsen over Memorial Day weekend — a mole cook-off, lucha libre and Mexican muralism in the city's Chicano heart.

The Chicago Blues Festival, the world's largest free blues festival, fills Millennium Park June 4-7 in the city that electrified the genre at Chess Records.

Taste of Chicago spreads across Grant Park — the country's largest outdoor food festival, with dozens of food trucks and free concerts.

Lollapalooza turns Grant Park into eight stages July 30-August 2 — 170 artists and some 400,000 fans at one of the world's biggest festivals.

The Chicago Jazz Festival closes out summer in Millennium Park over Labor Day weekend — free since 1979, in one of the cradles of 1920s urban jazz.

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon runs on October 11 — one of the six World Marathon Majors, with 50,000 runners crossing 29 neighborhoods and two million spectators.

The Christkindlmarket buzzes in Daley Plaza through Christmas Eve and Lincoln Park Zoo glows with two million free lights at ZooLights — the city's signature holiday scene.