Today was a sightseeing day in this "City with the Big Shoulders" & our tour incorporated both the "North Side" & "South Side" in a 4 hour journey. Starting in the "North Side", this tour allowed us to experience the vitality & excitement of what Chicago has to offer:
A cruise through the Chicago Business Centre, one of the financial centres of the world, was first up, which then led to the famous "Loop", which is the city centre that is lassoed by an elevated train track . "State Street", the once grand boulevard where Chicago's fame began many, many years ago, and the striking "Richard J. Daley Plaza", with its own "Pablo Picasso" Unnamed sculpture soon followed. We continued down "Wacker Dr.", the double-decked thoroughfare that wends its way under the city & over the Chicago River, which is an engineering marvel (read on to find out why!!)
...In 1900, engineers accomplished what was considered one of the most remarkable feats of the early 20th century. They reversed the direction of the Chicago River. The river originally flowed into Lake Michigan. That was bad news for those who desired clean drinking water, as the direction of the flow allowed sewage and other debris to be carried into the city’s water source.
Diseases, caused by unsanitary water, were rampant in the city. To improve the situation, those in charge constructed a series of canal locks that allowed the river to flow into the newly built Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, providing cleaner drinking water and causing residents to abandon the nickname “stinking river.” (source -http://www.aviewoncities.com/chicago/chicagoriver.htm)
Next site was the The Wrigley building which sits at one of the most prominent locations of all of Chicago,is one of the most famous Chicago buildings, serves as the headquarters of the Wrigley (chewing gum) company and was built in 1920 by the company's founder, William Wrigley Jr.
It was the first of a series of landmarks at the southern end of the Magnificent Mile: its famous neighbors are the Tribune Tower (1925), the 333 North Michigan Avenue (1928) and the London Guarantee Building (1923). The Wrigley building stands out with its sparkling white glazed terra-cotta cladding (which stops them getting dirty with the pollution) and well-proportioned architecture.
The Wrigley building was modeled on the Giralda tower of the cathedral in Sevilla. It consists of 2 sections: the tallest, 30 story southern building has a 121 meter high tower and was completed in 1921. The largest, 21 story northern section was completed in 1924. The 2 structures are connected by an open walkway on street level and 2 elevated walkways on the 3rd and 14th story.
Between the two structures is the small Wrigley plaza. It was originally designed by the Wrigley building's architects, Graham, Anderson and Probst, but wasn't built until 1957 by Louis Solomon and John Cordwell.
(source: http://www.aviewoncities.com/chicago/wrigley)
The "Magnificent Mile" is the much-touted upscale shopping strip, where Bloomingdale's, Neimann Marcus, SAK's 5th Avenue & a plethora of boutiques attempt to lighten your wallet. We then passed the neighbourhood giant, the 1127-ft tall "John Hancock Center"; Known locally as 'Big John', the John Hancock Center is probably the Chicagoans favorite skyscraper. The 100 - story building, completed in 1969, has a remarkable design, with the huge X-braces serving both a structural and a visual purpose. Visually, it gives the impression of stability and it moves the eye away from the human-sized windows. We returned later into the day to attempt to observe the view from it's 96th floor "Signature Lounge", but alas low cloud obscured it.
The tour then continued through "Lincoln Park",a 1000-acre patch of greenery with lagoons, flowers & the Chicago Zoo (10 minute pause for photos). The famous "Wrigley Park" - Home to the "Chicago Cubs" was next to be ticked off the itinerary, followed by the "Botanical Gardens" & even an Indian Totem Pole, who would have thought??
The "South Side" tour then commenced with us travelling through "Grant Park" - the front lawn of the city & site of "Soldier Field", "Adler Planetarium", where we stopped for photos of the city skyline back over Lake Michigan quickly folowed. We also travelled through the beautiful "Jackson Park", where the Columbus Exposition of 1893 was held to celebrate the founding of USA 400-yrs earlier. Passed through the vast expanse of the "University of Chicago", with its elegant English style architecture & arrived back @ the start in time for an afternoon drink @ a local bar.
Dinner was consumed @ "The Italian Village", an eating institution since 1927 - one of the busiest restaurants I have ever been to.
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