Palmer House, Chicago

Claimed to be the longest-running hotel in Chicago, Palmer House is known for its historical innovations. It was the first hotel in the city to use the light bulb, telephone, and elevator. Over the years, Palmer House has hosted a number of prominent individuals such as US presidents and literary giants like Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde.

Still, the hotel's most lasting contribution to the country's heritage is one of America's most-loved desserts. Brownie was invented here.

In 1893, Bertha Palmer, the hotel's owner, asked her pastry chef to prepare a dessert to be included in the boxed lunches for ladies attending the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition. Requesting a cake-like confection, she thus gave rise to the Palmer House Brownie – a dense, chocolatey treat with a walnut and apricot glaze.

This dessert gained popularity and was first referred to as "brownie" in the Sears Roebuck Catalog in 1898. Now over a century old, its original recipe is still used for the brownie served at the Palmer House. The hotel's guests and visitors can purchase the authentic Palmer House Brownie at the on-site restaurant Lockwood Express.