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Fairs And Festivals Of India
Indian fairs and festivals are unique tourism prop. The culture,
rituals and social norms are a visual treat to foreign visitors
and ample proof of it can be found in huge influx of foreign
tourists. The autumn and winter season in India is the...
Hello from the Ottawa River - Learning How to Whitewater Kayak (and how the river kicked my ass...)
Way back when in February I went to the Outdoor Adventure Show and I twisted my friend Leslie's arm to go on a learn-how-to-kayak weekend with me. We booked 2 days including meals, kayaking lessons and camping accommodation with a company called...
Hemmingway's Nile Perch
Hemmingway's Nile Perch Egypt,fishing
About 20 years ago I was window shopping in the lovely little
village of Long Melford in Suffolk, England. The mile long main
street of mainly Georgian shops is an antique collector's
heaven. Towards the...
Romantic Getaway Vacation
When planning your romantic getaway vacation, recognize that part of the romance can be the creativity and excitement of exploring a new place with that special someone. Here are three examples of places that offer a more romantically intimate and...
Sea Kayaking Baja Mexico
Sea Kayaking Baja, Mexico Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Read this entire feature with photos at: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/sports02/kayak/baja/baja.html Eight days, two notebooks, three camcorder...
Surf and Sand (resort) and Splashes (spa) in Laguna Beach
Surf and Sand (resort) and Splashes (spa) in Laguna Beach Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link:...
The World's Biggest Capital Village
Oslo. Norway's capital city. Population about half a million. Compared with places like New York, London, Paris and Tokyo, it's little more than a village although it does cover an astonishing 454 square kilometres. Smack bang in the middle of the...
Vacation Packages from the Belize Jungle Dome
Following up from our new schedule of Adventure Day Trips in Belize the Belize Jungle Dome is pleased to announce its Schedule of Belize Vacation Packages for 2005 Designed for Families, Groups and Individuals our Vacation Packages offer you the...
While Visiting Paris -Top Tourist Attractions for Weekend Getaways in Paris
As the second largest city of Western Europe, Paris is known as
the City of Lights for its well-lit displays in the late hours,
which calls to visiting tourists from around the world. It is
the home of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and many...
Why You Should Travel To Hong Kong For The New Year's Parade
The New Year's parade in Hong Kong is an event not to be missed!
The city is dressed up with bright decorations and colorful
lights for its biggest celebration of the year, and thousands
pour into Hong Kong to take part in the festivities.
...
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"My First Time... in Chicago"
People whirl through revolving doors. Sirens whirl and blare in 5-minute intervals. Potted wildflowers divide the North and South lanes on Michigan Avenue. Children run splashing across a large outdoor work of art: Two 30 ft tall screens project ethnic faces, sporadically spitting out water onto the children that wait anxiously below them. This is Chicago.
Ernest Hemingway, the father of modern literature, was born here. So was the most notorious gangster of all time: Al Capone. Comedian Bill Murray is from Chicago. The city’s most identifiable citizen, one of the wealthiest and most influential women alive today, is Oprah Winfrey.
There is so much to do during the day that even the most decisive person feels dumbfounded. We spent our days walking around aimlessly, straining our necks to admire the world-renown architecture. I shared an elevator with some German tourists, and later found out that many people fly in from Germany to go on the $10 “Mies and Modernism” architectural tour, which traces the buildings of German-born architect Mies van der Rohe.
Chicago lacks a downtown "core" because every corner of the city thrives in its own way – each one different, yet just as fascinating as the next. The endless supply of 50-plus storey condominiums and eighty-story buildings is astonishing. But you don’t feel dwarfed by these towering edifices because of the expansive, meticulously kept sidewalks and pleasantly “green” streets. The windy city allows you to breathe, in the midst of an urban jungle.
Chicago’s appeal is broad because of its variety of attractions. The Shedd Aquarium is located 25 ft underground and boasts one of the most diverse collections of sharks in North America. The Art Institute is internationally known for its French impressionist collection, but also displays art from Renaissance Italy and Ancient China.
But art isn’t simply contained within the museum walls: Modern art pieces are scattered across the city’s several parks. Tourists flock to the entrance of the United Centre to see the world-famous sculpture of basketball legend Michael Jordan. The Uptown Jazz Club is a living museum of 1930’s Chicago. Oh, and jazz bars are everywhere.
Although jazz music and prominent players came to Chicago from the south in the 1920’s (the "Jazz Age") to enliven the city's nightclubs with
their performances, the excitement still resonates. One of the most scenic bars is located on the 95th (yeah - 95th) floor of the John Hancock building, with floor-to-ceiling windows and an unbelievable view of the city.
From the top of the city, you can admire all of Chicago’s greenery, there are several major parks spread out across the city. Grant Park is known as Chicago’s front yard, because it’s situated right on the waterfront. Lincoln Park contains the world’s largest free zoo.
After walking the city on our first day, my boyfriend decisively declared: "Chicago does everything big!" He was right. Chicago has the largest aquarium, the largest public library, the largest candy factory, the largest food festival, the largest collection of impressionist paintings outside of Paris, the longest street, and of course, the tallest building in North America. The Sears Tower is 110 storeys, and 1353 feet tall.
But we didn’t see any of these things.
Because there’s so much to see and touch and hear and taste that unless you’re on a rigid schedule, it’s impossible to see everything. We shopped along Chicago’s "Magnificent Mile," a stretch of higher-end shops along Michigan Avenue. We started at one end of the street, where we got a bird’s eye view from the 94th floor observatory of the John Hancock building. After dinner, we rushed to the other end of the Mile, where we hopped onto a speedboat for nighttime, picture-perfect view of Chicago’s skyline from 500 metres offshore. And don’t listen to what the tourist guides say; the view is definitely better at night.
We watched fireworks flash and flicker from our 25th floor hotel room. We ate deep-dish pizza. We walked along the lakefront towards the world’s largest illuminated fountain, the Buckingham ("Married with Children" fountain). We rode on Navy Pier’s Ferris wheel, and gazed at the city lights that twinkled 150 feet beneath us.
"It is hopeless for the occasional visitor to try to keep up with Chicago – she outgrows his prophecies faster than he can make them. She is always a novelty; for she is never the Chicago you saw when you passed through the last time." Mark Twain was right. I look forward to my next trip to Chicago.
About the Author
Student writer, professional daydreamer. Go to www.pumpkin-face.com for a complete list of articles.
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