From a muddy, central freshwater port, Chicago grew to be an industrial city sprawling with lively, ethnically diverse neighbourhoods. Indeed, history turned the Chicago of the roaring '20s and Depression-era '30s into a larger-than-life myth, with images of Al Capone, gun battles in the streets and a speakeasy on every block. In many ways, this myth is still Chicago’s main attraction. Even though a recent revitalisation of the downtown core – the famous Loop – has turned the city into a hub for internationally acclaimed theatre, opera and dance.