!!!Chicago, Illinois

by Mike Reyfman,
member of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

27 January 2015

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

One of the most famous cities in the world — Chicago — got its name from
the word «shikaakwa» which is Indian for «Wild Lily». Indeed, the city
resembles a beautiful flower, though its present look has been forming
for more than the last century.

Chicago has its own soul and individuality. In this city one can admire
three different periods of the world's architecture simultaneously.
Actually, that is very unusual for such a young country like the USA. We
can ‘thank' for that the famous 1871 fire, which almost wiped Chicago
off the face of the Earth.

[{Image src='01_Chicago, Illinois, USA.jpg' caption='Chicago, Illinois, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='591'}]

Now it is impossible to determine the cause of the fire. There were
various versions of what had happened: from a cow that overthrew an
oil-lamp to a comet. Whether or no, the fire was raging as many as three
October days. Having devastated the southwest, the fire ‘overstepped'
the southern branch of the Chicago River and continued destroying the
entire 38-year history of the city.

But after that Chicago was built practically from scratch, making it
possible to turn into reality the boldest architectural experiments of
that time. By the way, the first skyscrapers in the USA appeared in that
very city: the land price was very high, so the city had no other choice
but to grow up.

[{Image src='02_Chicago, Illinois, USA.jpg' caption='Chicago, Illinois, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='581'}]

Nowadays, 3 of the 60 tallest buildings in the World are in Chicago; the
442-meter Willis (Sears) Tower is among them, it is the second highest
building in the USA. Chicago also takes the second place by the number
of skyscrapers in the USA: 114 buildings with height of more than 180
meters. New York City takes the first place with 216 skyscrapers.

Along with this, you shouldn't think that Chicago is just a city of
strict skyscrapers with the tiny people-bugs. The main part of it
consists of 2-3 storey buildings including those of a completely classic
style with their propylaea, porticos and arcades. There are beaches and
parks in Chicago including famous Grant Park and Millennium Park. The
city sculptures are also represented in all the genres of art: from
classics to high-tech.

[{Image src='03_Chicago, Illinois, USA.jpg' caption='Chicago, Illinois, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='353'}]

And besides achievements in urban planning, Chicago has another thing to
be proud of. Walt Disney, Michel Obama, Hillary Clinton, Ekaterina
Yushenko, Ernest Hemmingway, Anastasia and many others are in the number
of its famous natives. The classic American author Theodor Dreiser
called Chicago ‘Florence of the Western States' and ‘Literary capital of
America'; now Chicago is considered to be a theatre capital of the
country.

[{Image src='04_Chicago, Illinois, USA.jpg' caption='Chicago, Illinois, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='749'}]

While walking along the quay (or having a bird's eye view of the city),
it can seem that Chicago is situated on the seashore. Water spreads out
in every direction as far as the eye can reach. However, it is not a
sea, but Michigan — one of the Great American Lakes; its name is Indian
for ‘Big Lake'. It is 500 km long and 190 km wide, its total area is 57
750 km² making Michigan one of the 5 biggest lakes in the World.

[{Image src='05_Chicago, Illinois, USA.jpg' caption='Chicago, Illinois, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='453'}]

And there is one more interesting thing about Chicago. There is the only
river in the world that flows in the reverse direction. It is the
Chicago River. In 1990 its flow was completely reversed because of a
very common domestic question. In the end of the 18th century, at the
time of the urban growth, the city suffered a great problem because
sewage was dumped into Lake Michigan, so it resulted in the lack of pure
water. The problem was solved through complete reverse of river flow
along with the construction of sewage treatment plants towards the
Illinois River.

[{Image src='06_Chicago, Illinois, USA.jpg' caption='Chicago, Illinois, USA' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='612'}]

It would be endless to talk about Chicago but there are no words to
describe the charm and splendour of it. The city that subdued nature and
didn't contradict it; the city that said a new word (and not only one!)
in architecture; the city of records and famous people — it is worth
seeing, not simply talking about it.

\\ \\
[11 Panoramas of Chicago Illinois|Geography/America/United_States/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Chicago]










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