Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Chicago

Part of my family lives in Chicago*.

The city has almost 3 million inhabitants. It is, therefore, the third most populous city in the United States of America, after New York City and Los Angeles. It is the most populous city, as well, in the state of Illinois and the Midwest.

Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837. Today, it is an international hub for finance, commerce, industry, technology, telecommunications, and transportation; O'Hare International Airport is, indeed, one of the busiest airports in the world.

The city is known for the invention or perfection of several performing arts: improvisational comedy, house music, blues, jazz, and soul. My favorite ever music band, in fact, happens to be from Chicago: The Smashing Pumpkins. Other bands I like that are from the city are Veruca Salt and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult.

Chicago has many nicknames, but the best-known are the "Windy City" and the "Second City."


The origin of the city's name is derived from a French rendering of the Native American word shikaakwa, which can be translated as "wild leek," or "wild onion," or "wild garlic." The first known reference to the site of the current city of Chicago as "Checagou" was by Robert de LaSalle around 1679 in a memoir.
The 1780s saw the arrival of the first known non-indigenous permanent settler in Chicago, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, who was of African and French descent. He is commonly known as the "Founder of Chicago."
If you want to find about more about the history of the city, you need to visit the Chicago History Museum.

Chicago is located in northeastern Illinois on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan. Chicago lies on a continental divide, connecting the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes watersheds. The average land elevation is 579 ft. (176 m) above sea level.


The Loop is the central business district and has the greatest concentration of the city's skyscrapers. The tallest are the Willis Tower (1,450 ft. / 442 m), the Trump International Hotel and Tower (1,389 ft. / 423 m), the Aon Center (1,136 ft. / 346 m), the John Hancock Center (1,127 ft. / 344 m), and the Franklin Center North Tower (1,007 ft. / 307 m).

Besides the Loop, the city is usually divided into the North, the South, and West Sides. These three areas are represented on the Flag of Chicago by three horizontal white stripes. The top blue stripe represents Lake Michigan and the North Branch of the Chicago River. The bottom blue stripe represents the South Branch of the Chicago River and the "Great Canal," over the Chicago Portage. There are four red stars, and each one has a meaning:



The North Side is the most densely populated residential section of the city. Lake Shore Drive runs adjacent to a large portion of it. Twenty-four public beaches are also found across 26 miles (42 km) of the waterfront.
The South Side is the largest section of the city, encompassing roughly 60% of the city's land area. It encompasses the University of Chicago and most of the facilities of the Port of Chicago.
The West Side includes the Illinois Medical District and three of the largest parks of the city: Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, and Douglas Park.
The city's streets were mostly laid out in a street grid.

One of the best activities to do in the city is to take the Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise. There, a guide will comment on more than 50 buildings along the Chicago River, revealing how the city grew from a small back-country outpost into one of the world’s most important crossroads in less than 100 years. In 90 minutes, you get the real story on Chicago architecture and its history.

One of the most beautiful cemeteries I have ever seen is the Graceland Cemetery. It is a large Victorian era cemetery located in the North Side community area of Uptown. It contains two Egyptian Revival style mausoleums: the Martin Ryerson Mausoleum (designed by Louis Sullivan) and the Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum (created by Richard E. Schmidt). It also harbors the Eternal Silence sculpture, alternatively known as the Dexter Graves Monument or the Statue of Death. It was created by Lorado Taft.

And last, but not least, if I had to choose my favorite Chicago spot, this would be the Cloud Gate in Millennium Park. The sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect Chicago’s famous skyline and the clouds above. An arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected back from a variety of perspectives. It is also called "the Bean," because of its shape. Its author is British artist Anish Kapoor.



* As of July 18th, 2016, I am proud to announce that I have become a US resident and I now call Chicago my home.

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