#AsuquoTravelsTheUSA: What you normally don’t see in the media about “The Windy City” – Chicago

Whenever you watch TV or read news articles online about Chicago, all you hear/see is crime, violence and killings. So just recently I decided to add the city of Chicago to my list of cities to visit on my continued tour of the United States. This is the second time I will be visiting Chicago (since December 2014) and so I felt I visited the city to show that it’s not every thing you read or watch that is true about this city.

Chicago sits on Lake Michigan in Illinois. The third-largest city in the United States and a major transportation hub. The city is served by two major airports, and is the main freight rail hub of North America.

Famed for its bold architecture, it has a skyline punctuated by skyscrapers such as the iconic John Hancock Centre, Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) and the neo-Gothic Tribune Tower.

Chicago’s Skyline Labelled

Tall-building construction was said to be invented in Chicago and the city is known as the “Home of the Skyscraper.” It currently has four of the America’s ten tallest buildings.

Chicago isn’t the den of crime that the media has made it out to be, something you know when you visit the city. Well, it’s about time I got you up to speed about The Windy City below:

Chicago River
The Chicago River is dyed green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and yes, it’s very touristy, but by and large, Chicagoans enjoy the festivities.

Chicago The Windy City
Interestingly, although Chicago may have gotten its nickname in part because of its fierce winds, it’s not the breeziest town in the United States. In fact, meteorological surveys have often rated the likes of Boston, New York and San Francisco as having higher average wind speeds.

Willis Tower
The 108-story, 1,451-foot skyscraper was once the tallest building in the world and was officially renamed Willis Tower nearly eight years ago. The second-tallest building in the United States, and remains one of the city’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting over 1.5 million visitors to its observation deck annually.

Millennium Park
In Millennium Park, you’ll find a new kind of town square – a lively, spectacular gathering spot located in the heart of the city and a destination for Chicagoans.

Millennium Park is located in the Loop community area of Chicago, and originally intended to celebrate the second millennium.

Visit a museum without a ticket
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to spend a fortune to visit some of Chicago’s best museums and cultural institutions. If you plan ahead, you can take in masterpieces at the Art Institute or gaze at tropical fish while strolling through Shedd Aquarium without spending a dime. You’ll need to be an Illinois resident to take advantage of many of these offers, but that’s just one of the perks of living in Chicago.

Chicago skyline with skyscrapers viewed from Lincoln Park over lake

Exploring Chicago’s public parks
Visit Chicago’s many world-class parks and get back in touch with nature. If you’re on the the North Side, spend an afternoon amid the lagoons of Humboldt Park or flying a kite on Cricket Hill in Lincoln Park. The South Side offers ponds for fishing in Washington Park as well as the relaxing atmosphere of Jackson Park’s Japanese-styled Osaka Garden.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Tale of Two Chicago – North and South
In Chicago, residents identify themselves by their neighborhoods, the North-South divide is as cultural as it is geographic.

To others, the rivalry is tied directly to the city’s two baseball teams – The Cubs (North Side) and Sox (South Side).

On my recent visit to the city, I noticed the North and South Sides are kind of divided by racial and class lines. The North Side has been traditionally white collar and majority white, while the South traditionally blue collar and where most of the city’s African-Americans are concentrated, with Latinos represented on all sides.

Chinatown
While enjoying the wonderful streets of Chicago, don’t forget to stop by Chinatown! It’s filled with colorful shops and delightful places to sample a wide range goods and products.

The Chinatown neighborhood of Chicago is on the South Side and is an example of an American Chinatown, or ethnic-Chinese neighborhood.

Madison & United Centre
Home of the Chicago’s basketball team, the Bulls, and hockey team, the Blackhawks. Also a popular concert venue for popular artists’ national tours.

Empty Bottle
A classic Chicago music venue open 7 nights a week with live music every night. Mostly free Mondays always pack out with cheap drinks specials. Early evenings on Friday feature their in house country band.

Chicago’s O’Hare airport

Blessed with two big airports
The city of Chicago is blessed with two major airports – Chicago O’Hare and Midway International Airports.

Together Chicago’s airports generate more than $45 billion in annual economic activity and create 540,000 jobs for the region.

Train and bus is the easiest way to get to Chicago airports; there’s no need to pay for parking or taxis when you ride with the Chicago’s Transit Authority. CTA’s ‘L’ (train) services directly to both O’Hare and Midway airports.

Mobile City
Chicago as got America’s second largest public transportation system from rail, bus, and other for travel around city.

The Chicago rapid-transit system is officially nicknamed the “L”. This name for the CTA rail system applies to the whole system: its elevated, subway, at-grade, and open-cut segments.

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) operates 24 hours a day and, on an average weekday, 1.6 million rides are taken. CTA has approximately over 2,000 buses that operate over 152 routes and 2,273 route miles (3,658 km). Presently, CTA service is provided by two modes: bus and rail. In addition to CTA, regional transit services are also provided by Metra and Pace–both of which connect with CTA bus and rail in numerous locations.

So when next you plan to visit Chicago, try going with an open mind and see the beauty the city as got to offer.

Next on my tour of the United States is the City of Portland in the state of Oregon.