Chicago (Illinois)
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Chicago's Architectural History Gallery
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Recent Events
2010 New Years Happenings
- March 6, 2010- NFL: The Chicago Bears went big and got Free Agents Julius Peppers ($91.5 Million for 6 Years), Chester Taylor ($12.5 Million for 4 Years), and Brandon Manumaleuna ($17 Million for 5 Years). This has been a major historical moment for the Bears since Walter Payton.
- March 3, 2010- NBA: After Joakim Noah has missed recent games, he will now miss 3 weeks due to his foot injury. Meanwhile the Bulls let go of Lindsey Hunter, but Hunter says he will be in a Coaching Position or Front Office. Hunter was let go to allow the Bulls sign Chris Richard for the rest of the season.
- February 24, 2010- NBA: Luol Deng knocks in a Season High 31 points against the Indiana Pacers.
- February 18, 2010- NBA: The Bulls trade Tyrus Thomas to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for a 2010 First Round Pick, Ronald "Flip" Murray, and Acie Law.
- February 18, 2010- NBA: The Bucks have agreed to trade Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander to the Chicago Bulls for John Salmons.
- February 13, 2010- MLB: After the announcement that Frank Thomas is retiring from the MLB, the White Sox will have a ceremony retiring his #35 jersey in August at a home game.
- February 12, 2010- MLB: White Sox Legend Frank Thomas officially retires from major League Baseball after 20 seasons. Thomas made the list for 521 Home Runs.
- February 10, 2010- NFL: Devin Hester will play most of his games for 2010 at Kick Returner and once in a while he will be at Wide Receiver.
- February 7, 2010- NBA: Tyrus Thomas is likely to get traded neat the Trade Deadline for his bad-mouthing to the Bulls Coach.
- January 28, 2010- NBA: Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson are selected to play in the Rookie Challenge. Rose will be on the Sophomore team, while Gibson is on the Rookie team. Rose was also selected to play the Skills Challenge to defend his crown and the 2010 NBA All Star Game with Wade, Bosh, Garnett, Rondo, and Pierce.
- January 26, 2010- MLB: Cubs sign Xavier Nady to a 1 year, $5 Million deal. Jim Thome is now on the Twins after signing a contract today. Reed Johnson will be unlikely be able to sign with the Cubs.
- January 25, 2010- NBA: The Bulls trade Aaron Gray for Devin Brown from the Hornets.
- January 24, 2010- NBA: The Bulls are still interested in McGrady, but would "not trade Joakim Noah", but instead trade Brad Miller, John Salmons, and Jerome James.
- January 12, 2010- NBA: The Bulls are currently in trade talks with the Rockets Tracy McGrady. If this happens, Joakim Noah will end up on the Rockets.
- January 11, 2010- NBA: Joakim Noah has his 36th Double Double of his career with 16 Points and 11 Rebounds, along with Luol Deng getting a season high 27 Points and 6 Rebounds. The Bulls beat the Pistons 112-87.
- January 8, 2010- NBA: John Salmons reached 5,000 points for the first time in his career.
- January 1, 2010- MLB: Cubs GM Jim Hendry signs Marlon Byrd to a 3 Year, $15 Million Dollar Deal.
- NFL: Lance Briggs was voted to his 5th Straight Pro Bowl. Briggs is showing the Bears that he is a potential All-Star for the team.
Chicago 2009
- December 27, 2009- Block 37 still waits for the approved retailers for it's large mall. This mall is so big, that it will be likely to compete with Water Tower Place.
- December 18, 2009- MLB: The Cubs trade Milton Bradley to the Mariners for Carlos Silva and cash.
- November 17, 2009- MLB: Joakim Noah records his 25th Double Double in his Career. The Bulls won 101-87.
- BREAKING NEWS-November 17, 2009: The height of Trump Tower Chicago is now 1,389 Feet, said by the Council On Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Blair Kamin breaks down on the Article on his Skyline Blog. Here is the story-New Height Record.
- November 3, 2009- For the first time in his career, Luol Deng had tied 20 in 2 different categories. Deng had 24 Points, 20 Rebounds, and 2 Blocks to help the Bulls beat the Bucks 83-81.
- October 31, 2009- Block 37 will be disputed sometime next week in a public court hearing to see if the city will let Bank Of America know that they are not doing what they originally said they were going to do- "we will not foreclose on this project and will get nationally know companies to see an interest in this complex with the Pedways included". Bank Of America might have a form to back them up on. We will have to see what happens next.
- Mid October 2009- NFL: Jay Cutler signs a $30 Million 2 year extension. Cutler has not even played a full season with the Bears yet, and his contract expires in 2011.
- Block 37 may get foreclosed on due to the recession, and the developer has run out of cash.
- Taj Gibson has played really well and gets 22.4 points per game with 2 Blocks and 5 Rebounds in the NBA Pre-Season with the Bulls.
- September 23, 2009- NBA: Luol Deng has been cleared to start playing again, after 6 months of having a stress fracture.
- September 11, 2009- Michael Jordan is inducted into the Hall Of Fame.
- September 10, 2009- Michael Jordan, to me the best NBA player to ever play basketball, will be inducted into the Hall Of Fame on Friday. On Comcast Sportsnet in the Illinois region, there will be a 23 Hour Special on Jordan's best Playoff and NBA Final Games. Jordan will be remembered for his high flying dunks, fade-away jumpers, his #23 Bulls Jersey, and his sense of humor. I remember watching him on TV as a kid, and now am a young adult. Written By: Brent Kampert (In Remembering Michael Jordan)
- August 23, 2009- The Ricketts Family buys the bid of the Chicago Cubs Baseball team and a stake in Comcast Sportsnet.
- -MLB: The White Sox got Jake Peavy in exchange for 4 of their players, and the names are not that well known.
- -NBA: Luol Deng will miss the Euro-Championship due to his failure at the time of his Stress Fracture, but says he is running now so he can play in the Bulls 2009-2010 season.
- July 23, 2009- MLB: Mark Buehrle makes history in Chicago Baseball, after having his 2nd "No Hitter" in his career. He had 116 Pitches and 76 Strikes against the Tampa Bay Rays. The final score was 5-0: White Sox.
- -Sears Tower's name is officially changed to Willis, after the Insurance Company bought the naming rights to the tower. The name is now known as Willis Tower.
- June 19, 2009- Luol Deng was honored with the "Midwest Light of Human Rights Award" for his charitable work in helping refugees in Sudan.
- May 17, 2009- Bobby Scales, a "new" Chicago Cub, has an average of .381, which in the MLB means great player. Scales also will be nearly just as good as Alfonso Soriano.
- May 12, 2009- Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago) tops-out at it's final height of the spire at 1,362 Feet high.
- May 1, 2009- Derrick Rose earns All Rookie 1st Team Selections, along with Memphis' O.J. Mayo, Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, and Miami's Michael Beasley.
- April 22, 2009- Derrick Rose gets Rookie Of The Year Award Honors, this is the first time since 2001, that this has happened since Elton Brand won it. Derrick Rose Photo Gallery
- April 2, 2009- The Bears took 7 Time Pro Bowl Free Agent Orlando Pace for a 3 Year Deal.
- April 2, 2009- The Bears traded Kyle Orton, 2009 and 2010 First Round, and 2009 Third Round Picks for 2009 Pro Bowl Jay Cutler.
- March 11, 2009- The Sears Tower will be renamed in a deal by Willis Group for naming rights and office space to the Willis Tower.
- February 15, 2009- Derrick Rose wins the "Playstation Skills Challenge", and becomes one of the First Rookies to win it.
2008 Happenings
- 2008- Chicago White Sox MLB AL Central Division Champions
- 2003,2007,2008- Chicago Cubs MLB NL Central Division Champions
- February 2008- NBA: As fate happened, Ben Wallace was traded with Joe Smith for Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes of the Cavs.
Ben Wallace Joins Chicago Bulls
- May 2007- Ben Wallace received his 6th All-NBA Defensive Team Award, after receiving it since 2002-2006. At those times, he was First Team: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006. Then with the Chicago Bulls, he was Second Team: 2007.
- August 2006- Ben Wallace signs a 4 year $61 Million deal with the Chicago Bulls.
2005 White Sox
- Paul Konerko becomes the MVP of the 2005 World Series.
- 2005- Chicago White Sox MLB World Series Champions
Opening Of Millennium Park
- 2004- Chicago's largest park project opens with 24.5 Acres of fun and activity. Named Millennium Park (Chicago) for the 2000s Era.
Chicago Bulls Dynasty
- 1991,1992,1993,1996,1997,1998- Chicago Bulls: NBA World Champions 6 Times.
Briefly
The largest city in the American Midwest, and much to the consternation of New Yorkers, the city where the first skyscraper was erected in the late 19th Century. As of 2007, the city's population was at 2,836,658, but in 1863 the city had only a little over 300,000 residents. At that time it would be like a huge population, but today that's as many people for a "medium sized city". With today's population being 2,836,658, that means the city is a "large sized city". Today the Metro Area is a little over 9,000,000 residents. Chicago has the 3rd largest city population and metro area population, after New York City and Los Angeles (California).
Founded by explorers and fur traders where the Chicago River flows out of Lake Michigan, it grew quickly as a hub for railroads, manufacturing, shipping, and meat processing. Today its global influence has been eclipsed by newer stars, but it continues to thrive as an international center for insurance, agribusiness, architecture and design. On October 8, 1871, the "Great Fire of Chicago" occurred and destroyed the whole city(now the Downtown Business District), and within hours the buildings were destroyed, except for the Old Chicago Water Tower, which survived the whole fire. This meant Chicago banned any buildings or balconies made of wood. Architects were eager to come and develop new types of buildings, the first of this kind was the Home Insurance Building, also considered the "World's First Skyscraper". Chicago is one of the cities currently bidding for the 2016 Olympic Games. They are trying to create a new neighborhood called "Olympic Village", so that the athletes will be close to their competition, after that, they are keeping Olympic Village for new city residences. As Olympic Fate happened on October 2, 2009; Chicago was the first city to be eliminated for the 2016 Olympics, but the Olympic Village is still being constructed as apartments and condos. On October 4, 2009, the City of Chicago has voted to cancel the Olympic Village and is selling the right to Michael Reese Hospital done by Walter Gropius who did the U.S. Air Force Cathedral in Colorado Springs and some work with Mies Van Der Rohe. The city is selling this complex to developers and urban planners.
(Above Left)Chicago's cancelled Olympic Village Complex, was to be used as apartments and condos, if the city did not get the Olympics. After October 2, 2009, they were supposed to use them as residential towers for new Chicagoans. Chicago failed the attempt to get 2016 Olympics on October 2, 2009.
Well Known Suburbs
- Woodstock
- Oak Park
- Lake Forest
- Rosemont
- Aurora
- Naperville
- Evanston
- Schaumburg
- Elgin
- Algonquin
- Joliet (Illinois)
- Crystal Lake (Illinois)
New Upcoming Suburbs As Of April 2008
- Rockford
- Belvidere
- DeKalb
- Kankakee
- Elburn
- Hampshire
- Plano (Illinois)
- Yorkville
- Genoa (Illinois)
- Minooka
- Manhatten
- Mokena
- Frankfort
- Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Architecture
Architects
7 Wonders of Chicago
- Sears Tower
- 311 South Wacker
- Smurfit-Stone Building
- Palmolive Building
- Old Chicago Water Tower
- Millennium Park (Chicago)
- Wrigley Field
-
Millennium Park is the 6th Wonder of Chicago. Photo By: Wayne Lorentz
The Chicago Skyline
Chicago's Architecturally Significant Skyline The city goes way back when it had started having a skyline. Back in 1885, Chicago was home to the world's first skyscraper, the Chicago School Home Insurance Building. Although even Art Deco Buildings started to come, like the Bank of America Building (Chicago) in 1934. Even though in 1955, the first Modern building was built on Randolph Street. That building's called the Prudential Building(now One Prudential Plaza), and is 41 Floors high. Then in 1973, came the world's tallest building at the time it was built, the Sears Tower (Chicago), it is in the International Style. In the 1980s came an unusual uniquely shaped building called the Smurfit-Stone Building, was one of the first Postmodern buildings built. Now we have more tall buildings built with LEED, which is 300 North LaSalle (Chicago). Yet another tall building was under construction, until July 2008, when Santiago Calatrava filed a lien against the developer. This building is called The Chicago Spire, it will hopefully rise sometime in 2010. These are the different architectural styles in Chicago's Skyline, even today. Chicago even has the world's largest Architectural Bookshop on Wabash Avenue, across the street and half a block away from CNA Plaza. It's so huge that there are actually 3 Floors of Architecture Books. The 1st Floor is more Local and General Architecture Books, the 2nd Floor is more of Cities throughout the world with Great Architecture, and the 3rd Floor is more of rare and used books from back in the 1920s-1940s. They are so well known, that they even have their own website, which is the link you see below. I have been in there more than 9 times, whenever I have a chance to go to Chicago. Sadly as of July 26, 2009, the bookshop may be closing down due to people buying books online. They have been there for 49 years. They opened as a small book store in 1960. As more people got rid of books, the book store took on the current 3 Floors at 418 South Wabash in downtown Chicago.
Chicago's Super-Tall Building History
In 1964, there was a plan in Chicago to build what is now the John Hancock Center. The plan called for a building to be built similar to a pyramid. The developers wanted to have multi-use in the building, and build a hotel on the right corner of the lot. The plan was approved and started construction in 1965, but the hotel plan fell through, and was replaced by a spiraling ramp to the parking portion of the building. In 1970, the building was topped-off at 1,127 Feet tall. Even though it was completed, there was opposition to build it in a civilized neighborhood. Then in 1969, the city saw how the Hancock Center was getting built, so the city approved construction for Sears Tower and the Amoco Building(now Aon Center), and both towers were completed in 1973. The Aon Center was topped-off at 1,136 Feet, while Sears Tower topped-off at 1,451 Feet. After that, the Frenzy continued for more taller buildings, even as of today with the new Trump Tower Chicago. All these heights soon changed when the Council On Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat decided to increase height for the lowest open air entrance for a building, so now as you will see on the timeline, height records have changed for some buildings, but there are buildings that don't really have that, because they are as low as they can get for an entrance.
- 1970: The John Hancock Center is topped-off at 1,154 Feet, making it Chicago's very first Super-Tall Skyscraper at 100 Floors.
- March 1973: The Aon Center is topped-off at 1,163 Feet, making it Chicago's tallest building for 2 months.
- May 1973: The Sears Tower is topped-off at 1,451 Feet, making it not only the city's tallest building, but the world's tallest at 110 Floors.
- 1989: AT&T Corporate Center is topped-off at 879 Feet and 60 Floors, but in 1990, is topped-off with spires at 1,007 Feet.
- 1990: Two Prudential Plaza (Chicago) is topped-off at 998 Feet and 64 Floors with the pyramidal spire on top, making it Chicago's 5th tallest building until 2009, when Trump Tower Chicago surpassed several buildings, making this one the 6th tallest in the city.
- 2008: Waterview Tower (Chicago) is expected to be the 2nd tallest building inside "The Loop", but the 6th tallest in the city, if the Financial Crisis is ever over. Already built up to 27 Floors, this would be 1,050 Feet tall with 60 Floors in the building.
- 2009: Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago) is topped-off at 96 Floors and 1,389 Feet, including the spire on top, making it Chicago's new 2nd tallest skyscraper.
- BREAKING NEWS-November 17, 2009: The height of Trump Tower Chicago is now 1,389 Feet, Aon Center is now 1,163 Feet, and John Hancock Center is now 1,154 Feet, said by the Council On Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Blair Kamin breaks down on the Article on his Skyline Blog. Here is the story-New Height Record.
- 2012: The Chicago Spire is now cancelled and would have become Chicago's new tallest skyscraper. The Financial Crisis made it harder for things to come for the Chicago Spire. It would have been a symbolic icon on the skyline at 2,000 Feet and 150 Floors.
| Year Built | Building Name | Building Height | Amount Of Floors | Amount Of Time Of Being Tallest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869 | Old Chicago Water Tower | 154 Feet | 8 | 16 Years |
| 1885 | Home Insurance Building | 180 Feet | 10 | 3 Years |
| 1888 | The Rookery | 182 Feet | 11 | 1 Year |
| 1889 | Auditorium Building | 208 Feet | 16 | 2 Years |
| 1891 | Manhattan Building | 256 Feet | 16 | 1 Year |
| 1892 | Masonic Temple (Chicago) | 302 Feet | 22 | 29 Years |
| 1921 | Wrigley Building | 452 Feet | 27 | 3 Years |
| 1924 | Metropolitan Tower (Chicago) | 459 Feet | 30 | 5 Days |
| 1925 | Tribune Tower | 463 Feet | 34 | 3 Years |
| 1928 | 75 East Wacker | 521 Feet | 24 | 1 Week |
| 1929 | Chicago Board of Trade | 609 Feet | 45 | 40 Years |
| 1969 | Chase Tower (Chicago) | 877 Feet | 60 | 6 Months |
| 1970 | John Hancock Center (Chicago | 1,154 Feet | 100 | 2 Years/3 Months |
| 1973 | Aon Center (Chicago) | 1,163 Feet | 82 | 2 Months |
| 1973 | Willis Tower (Chicago) | 1,451 Feet | 110 | Current |
- *This Section was done by the knowledge of Brent Kampert, just like he has said in the Chicago's Architecturally Significant Skyline Page.
- A 1973 View of both the Sears Tower and Aon Center topping out.
- Sears Tower Being Topped Out with Antennas in 1973.
- Trump Tower Chicago Topping Out in 2008.
- Trump Tower Chicago Being Topped Out with Spire in 2009.
Institutions
Tallest Buildings in Chicago
- Sears Tower *1,451 Feet, 110 Floors
- Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago) *1,389 Feet, 96 Floors
- Aon Center *1,163 Feet, 82 Floors
- John Hancock Center *1,154 Feet, 100 Floors
- AT&T Corporate Center *1,007 Feet, 60 Floors
- Two Prudential Plaza (Chicago) *998 Feet, 64 Floors
- 311 South Wacker *971 Feet, 65 Floors
- Chase Tower *877 Feet, 60 Floors
- Aqua *873 Feet, 82 Floors
- 900 North Michigan (Chicago) *871 Feet, 66 Floors
- Water Tower Place *859 Feet, 74 Floors
- Park Tower *844 Feet, 67 Floors
- Legacy At Millennium Park *819 Feet, 73 Floors
- 300 North LaSalle (Chicago) *812 Feet, 60 Floors
- Three First National Plaza *757 Feet, 57 Floors
- Chicago Title Tower *755 Feet, 50 Floors
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower (Chicago) *736 Feet, 57 Floors
- One Museum Park (Chicago) *734 Feet, 64 Floors
- Olympia Centre *725 Feet, 63 Floors
- 340 On The Park (Chicago) *722 Feet, 62 Floors
- Elysian Condominiums (Chicago) *700 Feet, 60 Floors
- 353 North Clark *698 Feet, 53 Floors
- 330 North Wabash *695 Feet, 52 Floors
- One Magnificent Mile *673 Feet, 57 Floors
- 77 West Wacker *668 Feet, 50 Floors
Rankings do not include antennae, but do include spires. Source: Chicago Architecture Info
- *=Actual Height and Floors
- BREAKING NEWS-November 17, 2009: The height of Trump Tower Chicago is now 1,389 Feet, Aon Center is now 1,163 Feet, , John Hancock Center is now 1,154 Feet, Chase Tower is now 877 Feet, Aqua is now 873 Feet, and 300 North LaSalle is now 812 Feet, said by the Council On Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Blair Kamin breaks down on the Article on his Skyline Blog. Here is the story-New Height Record. This means that instead of just street level standard, it also means that plazas, riverwalks, or lowest open air entrance is included by height.
Tallest Buildings Under Construction in Chicago
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower (Chicago)
- 1 Museum Park West
- X/O Condo Towers
- "New" Roosevelt University Tower
- 630 North McClurg
- The Claire at Water Tower
- 600 North Lake Shore Drive (Chicago)
Rankings do not include antennae. Source: Chicago Architecture Info
Cancelled Buildings In Chicago
Well Known Landmark Buildings Photo Gallery
Chicago's Best "New" Skyscrapers
- Depending if this website is still around or not, in the next decade the current buildings will be removed from this section for the newer buildings for Chicago. This is because each decade has a difference for new or old skyscrapers. Today, Willis Tower (Chicago) maybe considered old, but has plans to be repainted silver for the "Greening Sears Tower".
Other Notable Buildings
- Streeter Place
- 155 North Wacker
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower (Chicago)
- 235 West Van Buren
- Block 37
- 1 Museum Park West
- 353 North Clark
- Aqua
- 600 North Fairbanks
- The Columbian (Chicago)
- The ParkView Tower (Chicago)
- One Museum Park (Chicago)
- The Streeter (Chicago)
- Kingsbury Plaza
- Sky55 (Chicago)
- The Regatta (Chicago)
- Left Bank At Kinzie Station
- 111 South Wacker
- Heritage @ Millennium Park
- Millennium Centre
- Grand Plaza (Chicago)
- 41 East Eighth
- Contemporaine
- Dearborn Center
- United Center
- Smurfit-Stone Building
- 333 Wacker Drive
- Mid Continental Plaza
- CNA Building
- 1130 South Michigan
- U.S. Gypsum Building (Chicago)
- One Prudential Plaza
- Bank of America Building (Chicago)
- Shedd Aquarium
- Adler Planetarium
- Chicago Board of Trade
- Carbide and Carbon Building
- Palmolive Building
- Tribune Tower
- Metropolitan Tower
- Wrigley Building
- Chicago Theater
- Navy Pier
- Reid Murdoch Center
- Wrigley Field
- Robie House
- Auditorium Building
- Monadnock Building (Chicago)
- CTA Adams/Wabash Station NOTE: This is a famous CTA Station, because you can view the The Art Institute of Chicago through the window. The Architects purposely did that too, for the reason explained.
- Home Insurance Building
- Old Chicago Water Tower
- Old Chicago Pumping Station
Cancelled
Cancelled Pictures
General Chicago Pictures
Chicago For Residents
Taxis
To hail a cab step to the curb and hold a hand up. That usually does the trick. For any tourists out there, there is no need to wave ones hands furiously in the air.
For those out for an evening and not familiar with the city, be sure to have a number to a cab company. Some CTA lines (elevated train lines) stop running after midnight or 1 am. If a trip is not planned well, one could easily find oneself stranded.
Other good rules of thumb are keep some cash on oneself to pay fare. Taxi drivers are required by law to take credit cards, but frequently the driver will sadly state that his or her machine for processing credit card payments is 'broken'.
Public Transportation
Chicago For Tourists
Neighborhoods
- The Loop is where most of the offices are for downtown workers, and is Chicago's Skyscraper Canyon.
- Streeterville is where multi-use purposes are in Chicago, along with Navy Pier.
- River West is explained just by clicking on it.
Weather
YEARLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES
- Month: High/Low
- January: 33F/13F
- February: 38F/21F
- March: 46F/28F
- April: 63F/52F
- May: 68F/55F
- June: 75F/63F
- July: 85F/72F
- August: 80F/59F
- September: 73F/59F
- October: 57F/43F
- November: 43F/28F
- December: 27F/13F
Location
Chicago is the hub of Transportation. All the Railroads connect to the city that lies in the center of the Midwest. As you have seen in Dictionaries, Chicago sits at the Northeast corner of Illinois with a Metro Area going nearly what looks like on a map, 2 Miles north, south, and west, but in real life actually is 60 Miles north, south, and west. Chicago is the largest city in the Midwest.
Getting There
Daytrips From Chicago
Going 3 and a half hours or 4 hours northwest, depending on traffic, Galena has a touristy Illinois (state) town on a hill with their main street with a specialty shops paradise. The town has historic architecture and is placed on the "National Register Of Historic Places". In 2007, it was one of the Top 10 "Must-See Destinations", and in 2008 Top 10 "Hidden Treasures Of The U.S.". To get here, you have to take I-90 northwest to I-39 west, but where the "junction" is, stay on "U.S. Highway 20" west and take into the heart of downtown Galena.
- Peoria- This city of over 120,000 residents is 3 and half hours away from Chicago. I-55 is the best way to go. I-55 also doesn't have as bad traffic as I-90/I-94. Take I-55 southwest to Bloomington-Normal and go west on I-74 to the city. The best thing this city has to offer is a riverfront walk with a mall near the Murray Baker Bridge. The city has a downtown with modern and historic buildings, and is the state's 2nd best skyline. The downtown is the size of the River West neighborhood in Chicago. The downtown has shops near the tall buildings are clustered and the riverfront mall.
Homeless/Vagrants
This issue requires ones own moral discretion. Keep money such as one dollar bills within easy reach in pockets if planning to give money.
Good rules of thumb are not to make eye contact if one does wish to have contact with the homeless. Do not pull ones wallet out in easy reaching distance of someone asking for money. Do not allow oneself to be isolated with nobody else in view especially during evening or night hours.
Although most homeless people are harmless, caution is both prudent and advised.
Tourist Zones
Navy Pier and Millennium Park are the top Tourist Zones in Chicago, especially in the summer. Millennium Park has the Cloud Gate sculpture, but is nicknamed "The Bean", because it looks like a bean. Millennium Park also has the Crown Fountain of over 1,000 Chicagoans Faces are projected on the Images of the fountain. There is also the Jay Pritzker Pavillion and B.P. Bridge by Frank Gerhy to take in the scenery. Navy Pier is a shopping mall and Entertainment Center on the Lake. It is also like an Amusement Park with the "Waveswinger" and "Ferris Wheel" on the top of the Pier. If you are interested in keeping a skyline photo, the Adler Planetarium is the place to be with Chicago's Architecturally Significant Skyline. There is also the Chicago Architecture Foundation if you really like Architecture in Chicago. If you like a lot of Shopping, there is also the "Magnificent Mile" on North Michigan Avenue, north of the Chicago River. Be Sure not to miss the 2007, 2008 National League Central Division Champions, the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in the summer, if you are going for the Northsiders. Although, if your going for the Southsiders, be sure not to miss the 2005 World Series Champions and 2008 American League Central Division Clinching Champions, the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Don't forget the most important flying basketball legend, 1984 1st Round Draft Pick, and 3rd Overall, Michael Jordan, who gave the Chicago Bulls, 6 NBA World Championships in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998. To remember this player, you can view his Statue on the east side of the building of the United Center. There is also the Buckingham Fountain in case of trying to cool off in the Spring and Summer months. Don't miss what happens to Buckingham Fountain at night when it lights up in several different colors, but all day and night it will spray up to 150 Feet in the air, making a spectacular show.
Dogs Versus Shoes
Languages
English is the primary and most useful language to know in Chicago. Spanish is useful if you plan to visit neighborhoods such as Pilsen and Back of the Yards. In Chinatown, Chinese is almost uniformly spoken, and you may have difficulty being understood in English. In some neighborhoods you can easily get by in Greek, Albanian, Czech, Korean, Russian, and Polish. In fact, Polish is almost as widely spoken in Chicago as Spanish. There is also a Japanese enclave in the Chicago suburbs.
Friendliness
For those new to the city, a good rule of thumb is to dress well. The better dressed you are, the friendlier people will be to you and the more apt they will be to answer you questions. However, if you dress 'bummy', expect a cold shoulder. This seems to be a natural defense mechanism people employ.
Of course being courteous oneself goes a long way too.
Hotels
Broadly speaking, hotels in Chicago are somewhat expensive for a city its size. This is due to the fact that along with Las Vegas, Orlando, and New York Chicago is a major convention hub. Occupancy rates are high by regional standards, and the prices climb accordingly. There is no "off" season for conventions, even in Winter. But the tourist traffic does thin out somewhat in the colder months.
The Good
- The Air: Breathe it while you can. Chicago's air quality is very good compared to other cities its size. Hazy days in Chicago are rarely caused by industrial pollution.
- The Museums: Chicago has a very respectable collection of museums. It takes two to three days to visit all of the major ones. Plan accordingly.
The Bad
Communication
Things To Bring Home
Things To Watch For
Things To Watch Out For
Getting Around
Things To Eat
Driving
In Chicago Traffic, a person will be stuck from O'Hare to downtown on a typical day, it will be a 45 Minute Trip. Chicago is one of the worse traffic places you can be in. From Elgin or Aurora, it can take about 2 Hours just to get to downtown. Even the suburbs have traffic issues. Randall Road, the :Magnificent Mile" of the west is a bad road to be on. If on Randall Road at 4pm or 7am, you will be stuck on the commute for a while. Though, don't let that stop you, on Hwy. 58 in Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg, going to Chicago around 4pm or 7am, the commute will be a good hour in a half. On Hwy. 62 from Algonquin to Des Plaines, the commute will take about an hour in a half in the morning, but going home at night, it can take 2hours from Des Plaines to Algonquin, because of the commute. Drivers are also crazy around Chicago and the suburbs, they will cut you off if the traffic is slow, or if there is a big truck in front of them. So be careful when driving in Chicago Traffic.
Tourist Traps
The Tourist Traps usually mean the top attractions in the city. Here are some of those top attractions.
- Navy Pier
- Millennium Park (Chicago)
- The Museum Campus: Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Field Museum
- Sears Tower (Chicago) Skydeck, which is on the 103rd Floor of the 110 Storey Tower.
- John Hancock Center (Chicago Observatory, which locals say is better viewing than Sears Tower. The observation deck is on the 94th Floor of the 100 Storey Tower.
- Chicago Theater
- Museum of Science and Industry
- The Magnificent Mile
- State Street
- Lakeshore East
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- Buckingham Fountain
Safety
Crowds
Paper Or Plastic
Trivia
- Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper. The Home Insurance Building, built in 1885, was the world's first skyscraper. It was razed in 1931 to make way for 135 South LaSalle, also known as the LaSalle Bank Building.
The Home Insurance Building in Chicago, shortly after it was built.
