ILLINOIS: PRAIRIE STATE
BY CLAY
LARROY
We lead
such busy lives working, going to school, taking children to different
activities that often we do not stop and talk to our children. We usually do
not have time to sit around the dinner table and ask our children what they did
today. Family vacations are so important, as it gives us a way to connect
with each other in a stress free relaxed environment. Families that take
vacations together build memories that will last a lifetime. Family vacations
and travel can be a most rewarding experience. When you are ready to
plan a vacation contact me!
CHICAGO “The Windy City”
Chicago
History
Chicago's history began
with the arrival of French explorers, missionaries and fur traders in the late
17th century.
The territory was claimed by the United States in the late 18th century, at which time the area was inhabited by the Potawatomi Indians. By the 1830s, the population was only a few hundred but entrepreneurs saw the potential to create a transport hub.
The first commercial schooner sailed into the harbor via the Great Lakes, a sign of the trade that was to mushroom between the city and New York State. This was augmented by the development of rich farmlands, which attracted Yankee settlers and encouraged the construction of roads and docks to load ships with farm produce to send eastwards.
By 1840, the population had boomed to 4,000. Eight years later, a canal and railway line opened and Chicago fast became the transportation hub of the United States with its road, rail, water and later air connections.
In a period of two decades, the population reached 90,000, thanks to the arrival of Irish Catholics fleeing the Great Famine and rising numbers of European immigrants. By 1900, Chicago grew to nearly 1.7 million people, at the time the fastest-growing city ever.
With the era of Prohibition, the 1920s brought international notoriety to Chicago. Bootleggers and smugglers brought in liquor from Canada and formed powerful gangs. The most notorious was Al Capone.
After WWI, tens of thousands of African Americans arrived in the city, and social tensions rose. Competition for jobs and housing sparked race riots in 1919 in which many blacks died.
Nevertheless, the arrival of migrants and immigrants continued throughout the 20th century - Hispanics, Mexican Puerto Ricans and Cubans from the 1940s and Indians and Chinese from the 1970s.
The then Sears Tower was built in 1974 to become the world's tallest building, a symbol of the city's confidence.
Since, the 1990s, attempts have been made to revitalize inner city neighborhoods, whilst more recently, attempts have been made to create a greener city, with the development of gardens on top of flat skyscrapers and the creation of Millenium Park.
Did you know?
- The name "Chicago" is believed to derive from the French version of the word shikaakwa ("Stinky Onion"), named for the plants grown along the Chicago River.
- In 1871, a fire destroyed 18,000 buildings, leaving 100,000 homeless and killing hundreds.
- In 1885 Chicago gave the world its first skyscraper, the 10-story Home Insurance Building.
The territory was claimed by the United States in the late 18th century, at which time the area was inhabited by the Potawatomi Indians. By the 1830s, the population was only a few hundred but entrepreneurs saw the potential to create a transport hub.
The first commercial schooner sailed into the harbor via the Great Lakes, a sign of the trade that was to mushroom between the city and New York State. This was augmented by the development of rich farmlands, which attracted Yankee settlers and encouraged the construction of roads and docks to load ships with farm produce to send eastwards.
By 1840, the population had boomed to 4,000. Eight years later, a canal and railway line opened and Chicago fast became the transportation hub of the United States with its road, rail, water and later air connections.
In a period of two decades, the population reached 90,000, thanks to the arrival of Irish Catholics fleeing the Great Famine and rising numbers of European immigrants. By 1900, Chicago grew to nearly 1.7 million people, at the time the fastest-growing city ever.
With the era of Prohibition, the 1920s brought international notoriety to Chicago. Bootleggers and smugglers brought in liquor from Canada and formed powerful gangs. The most notorious was Al Capone.
After WWI, tens of thousands of African Americans arrived in the city, and social tensions rose. Competition for jobs and housing sparked race riots in 1919 in which many blacks died.
Nevertheless, the arrival of migrants and immigrants continued throughout the 20th century - Hispanics, Mexican Puerto Ricans and Cubans from the 1940s and Indians and Chinese from the 1970s.
The then Sears Tower was built in 1974 to become the world's tallest building, a symbol of the city's confidence.
Since, the 1990s, attempts have been made to revitalize inner city neighborhoods, whilst more recently, attempts have been made to create a greener city, with the development of gardens on top of flat skyscrapers and the creation of Millenium Park.
Did you know?
- The name "Chicago" is believed to derive from the French version of the word shikaakwa ("Stinky Onion"), named for the plants grown along the Chicago River.
- In 1871, a fire destroyed 18,000 buildings, leaving 100,000 homeless and killing hundreds.
- In 1885 Chicago gave the world its first skyscraper, the 10-story Home Insurance Building.
City
Attractions in Chicago
Adler
Planetarium and Astronomy Museum
Opened in 1930, the Adler
Planetarium was the Western Hemisphere's first public museum devoted to the
stars. It still maintains the traditional in-the-round Zeiss planetarium (Sky
Theater) as well as the state-of-the-art interactive Sky Rider where, with the
help of armrest controls, visitors can choose how they would like to journey
into space. Other interactive exhibits include 3-D computer animations of the
birth of the solar system and of the Milky Way.
Telephone (312) 922 7827.
Website http://www.adlerplanetarium.org
Art Institute of Chicago
The bronze lions guarding
the main entrance of the Art Institute of Chicago have become true symbols of
the city. The Institute is packed with examples of over 5,000 years of human
artistry from all over the world. Of particular interest are the collections of
African, Ancient American and 'modern' American art from the 17th century to
the present, including two icons of 20th century American art: American
Nighthawks (1942). The Institute can also claim to be the French Impressionist
capital of the American Midwest. Its collection includes one of the four
surviving Water Lilies paintings by Monet, as well as work by Mary Cassatt, the
only American to be included in the French Impressionist Movement. The Renzo
Piano-designed Modern Wing , which opened in May 2009, has increased gallery
space by 33% and displays 20- and 21st- century art. A bridge links the museum
to Millennium Park.
Telephone (312) 443 3600.
Website http://www.artic.edu
Field Museum
Home to 65-million year-old
'Sue', the nearest to a complete Tyrannosaurus Rex that has ever been
discovered, the Field Museum explores the world's diverse environments and
cultures. The entrance leads into the Dinosaur Hall, which is filled with real
and replica skeletons. The Africa exhibit experience takes visitors from the
city streets into the harsh but magnificently beautiful Sahara and into the
galley of a slave ship. Inside Ancient Egypt is just that, with 23 real mummies
in a recreated burial chamber. Shrink to the size of a bug and burrow into the
surface of the soil at the Underground Adventure. Weekends are most crowded.
The Ancient Americas, the museum's newest permanent exhibit, scans 13,000 years
of pre-European, western hemisphere culture.
Telephone (312) 922 9410.
Website http://fieldmuseum.org/
Grant Park
In the 1890s, Grant Park
was a marshy wasteland earmarked for development, until it was saved by the
wealthy Montgomery Ward and transformed by the landscaping plans of the
Olmstead Brothers. Its popular landmark, the Buckingham Fountain (on Congress
Parkway and Columbus Drive), is modelled after a fountain at Versailles and is
a fine example of Beaux Arts landscape design. Between 1 May and 1 October, a
brightly-colored, illuminated water performance takes place from dusk until
2300. The fountain itself flows from 1000 onwards.
Telephone (312) 742 7529.
John Hancock Observatory
Not quite as tall as the
Willis Tower, the John Hancock Observatory is still very high at 344m
(1,127ft). It is usually less crowded and gives a more scenic view of the
city's shoreline. There is an excellent observation gallery on the 94th floor,
which also has the outside Skywalk. One floor up is the Signature Room, a good
spot to sip a cocktail while enjoying the sunset views to the west and the
panorama of Lake Michigan to the east. Architecturally, the building is
striking because of its massive X-shaped cross-braces. It is also possible for
visitors to 'tour' Chicago without leaving the building, by following the
'Windows on Chicago' virtual reality tour of 80 city sights and viewing the
Chicago history wall.
Telephone 1 888 875 VIEW.
Website http://www.hancock-observatory.com
Lincoln Park Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo, which
sits alongside Lake Michigan, has been a favourite to both locals and visitors
since 1868. Though it is noted for its Great Ape, Elephant and Lion Houses,
other buildings in the nation's first urban zoo tend to simulate natural
habitats. The Regenstein Small Mammal and Reptile House has a glass dome roof
that serves to replicate a jungle, river and forest environment. You will find
cuddly koalas here too. While away your time amid orchids and lush greenery at
the nearby Lincoln Park Conservatory (2200 North Stockton Drive).
Telephone (312) 742 2000.
Website http://www.lpzoo.org
Millennium Park
Millennium Park, one of
the city's most popular attractions, is a collage of exceptional art and
architecture. The 10-hectare (25-acre) recreational area features Frank Gehry's
BP Bridge and the towering stainless steel ribbons of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion
- an outdoor concert venue. A video of faces are displayed on the Crown
Fountain , two 15m-tall (50ft) towering glass fountains by Jaume Plensa. The
stainless steel, elliptical Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor (referred to as 'the
Bean') reflects fish-eye panoramas of the skyline. Grassy and lush, the Lurie
Garden pays tribute to the city's transformation from marshy flat to a
beautiful metropolis.
Telephone (312) 742 1168.
Website http://www.millenniumpark.org
Museum of
Science and Industry
Designed by Daniel Burnham
for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1892, this museum continues to charm
both kids and science buffs. Ride through the coal mine, explore the WW2 German
submarine, the U-505, walk through the 6m (20ft) human heart or try to catch
some fairy dust at Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle. Families especially enjoy the
hands-on Imagination Station and the acoustically perfect Whispering Gallery.
The huge screen of the Omnimax Theater features science and space-related
films.
Telephone (773) 684 1414.
Website http://www.msichicago.org
National Vietnam Veterans'
Art Museum
Enter to the sound of
tinkling bells, then look toward the ceiling and see Above and Beyond: 58,000
imprinted dog tags of the men and women who lost their lives in the Vietnam
War. This museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving and displaying artwork
done by Vietnam veterans, which includes the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese
as well as the allies. Artefacts and artwork give one a more intimate look and
a better understanding of a most unpopular war.
Telephone (312) 326 0270.
Website http://www.nvvam.org
Navy Pier
The 800m-long (2,400ft)
pier, built in 1916, was once the city's municipal wharf and a military pier -
the only pier actually completed out of several proposed under the Burnham Plan
of 1906. After an extensive refurbishment, it is now one of the city's most
popular tourist attractions, with parkland, gardens, piers, shops and
restaurants. Its outdoor facilities include an amphitheater, a 50m-high (150ft)
ferris wheel (the first one ever - not this one - was built in Chicago in 1893,
for the World's Columbia Exposition), and a carousel. Inside the complex is an
IMAX film theatre, the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows, Chicago
Shakespeare Theatre, miniature golf and The Chicago Children's Museum, where
interactive exhibits instruct and entertaining.
Telephone (312) 595 7437/PIER.
Website http://www.navypier.com
The Oprah Winfrey Show
Everyone wants to see
Oprah and her popular TV talk show. It is possible to do just that because
programs are recorded in Chicago with a live audience. Morning and afternoon
dates vary and go from January to June and September to November. Tickets,
available exclusively by phone, are at a premium and must be obtained at least
one month in advance. A valid photo ID is required to enter the studio.
Telephone (312) 591 9222.
Website http://www.oprah.com
Willis Tower (formerly known
as Sears Tower)
Third only in height to
Taipei 101 and the Kuala Lumpur Petronas Towers, this famous 110-floor city
landmark stands 443m (1,454ft) high. When the day is cloudless, the views reach
to Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana up to 80k (50 miles) away. Although the
tower is a working office building, there are various visitor attractions and
entertainment facilities. The Skydeck is a multimedia experience
showcasing Chicago's history, music, literature and sport. 'The Ledge', is
a five-sided glass box, which juts out from the tower and allows visitors to
experience being suspended more than 400m (1,300ft) above the ground. The
queues for the 103rd floor can be quite long. Every year, 1.5 million visitors
come to take the 70-second lift ride to the top.
Telephone 877 SKYDECK.
Website http://www.theskydeck.com
REFERENCE SITES:
I began acting on stage when I was 7 years old. My first role was as Dorothy in 'The Wizard of Oz' at Chicago's Center on Deafness in Northbrook, Illinois.
Marlee Matlin
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