In Chicago, my sister-in-law told me, there are two seasons : Winter and Construction. In winter Chicago gets bitterly cold ( because of its proximity to Lake Michigan ) and when the famous windy city gets going, you start to wonder why anyone at all would choose to live there. I visited during Labor Day 2001 and the weather was warm ( in fact Sep 1,2000 was the hottest day of that year). Chicago is the largest city in Illinois and is home to almost 3 million people. Chicago seems to be particularly tourist-friendly and there is always something going on - many events are free and, when we were there during Labor Day, there were free shuttles to various points around town which seems to be an excellent idea for other overcrowded cities - like San Francisco - to catch on to.
In terms of a visit, Chicago has one of the world's top downtowns to offer. One of the arteries of downtown Chicago is Michigan avenue and one stretch of it is called the Magnificent Mile because, disappointingly enough, of the large number of shopping complexes that dot the mile.
Shopping aside, Chicago boasts some truly world class attractions - some the world's largest buildings - Sears, Hancock, one of the world's largest fountains, many many museums, the largest aquarium in the world and the first planetarium in all of North America. Still, it occured to me that what Chicago needed to really round it off was an island about a mile or two into Lake Michigan and a grand bridge connecting the city to it. How much of Chicago can be seen in one visit - in 1 or 2 day trip? Here are some specific places that are worth visiting. Chicago is also a town where walking is a definite advantage to seeing the many points of interest on Michigan Ave itself. A good place to start is at the intersection of Michigan Ave and Congress Parkway. Right across Michigan ave, towards the lake is Grant park and the Buckingham fountain. This entrance was the only means of entry into the city of Chicago at one time and is manned by the statues of two Indian warriors. The fountain makes for a good foreground for a photo of the skyline and getting wet in the spray that falls for almost a hundred yards around is very very pleasant on a hot day. Nearby is Grant Park with some beautiful flowers and humungous leaves and also a statue of Abraham Lincoln. Both Presidents Grant and Lincoln were natives of Illinois.
Walking north along Michigan Ave is a great experience and takes you right along the heart of the city. The Art Institute is guarded by two alert upright lions ( as opposed to NYC's Public Library whose lions are evidently older and recline instead ). The Art Institute has the largest collection of impressionistic paintings outside of the Louvre in Paris but I hadn't time to do this. The museum also works on the principle of a 'recommended donation' of $10 instead of a ticket so that it is truly open to the public.
Michigan avenue then goes over the Chicago river which at one time used to flow into the Lake. Not any more. About a 100 years ago, engineers reversed the flow and now the river sucks water out of the Lake and, eventually sends it into the Gulf of Mexico. That intersection of Mich Ave and the river is home to several interesting spots. Wrigley Building is named for the family that made the chewing gum. The Chicago tribune - one of the top newspapers of the nation is another good building. At the base of the building, there is a section of the wall embedded with rocks from the other great structues of the world - like the Taj Mahal in India and the Great Wall of China. The owner of the paper pretty much forced his poor reporters around the world to send him these rocks.
Further north is Navy Pier - which is similar to San Francisco's Pier 39 : a general commerialized stretch with rides, carousels, a shakespearean theatre and a stained glass museum.
At Michigan and Chicago Ave is the Water Tower. This is a pumping station is and is a pleasant incongruous sight in the midst of all the highrise towers. Right across is the Hancock building - 100 floors - and an observation deck at the top which has been voted the best view of Chicago. All along Michigan mile are 'sculptures' of sofas. Last year they had cows and this year it is sofas. I won't call it art but it is convenient to sit on.
On the south side of Chicago, are the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium. It appeared that most of the million odd visitors to the Aquarium were there the day I went. This southern side of the city also offers a panoramic view of the skyline and is a favourite for newly-weds as a photo-op background. Soldier Field - the home of the football team Chicago Bears is right opposite. Chicago also has two major baseball teams - The White Sox at Comiskey park and the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Though I tried to avoid it, I had to go to Devon Street - the little India of Chicago. One thing I have not been able to figure out is why Indian stores/areas in the US must be exactly like they would be in a not-so-rich area of India. These days most cities in India have stores that look like they could just be plunked down in Paris or Manhattan but the 'little' Indias in the US continue to be awful. The municipal corporation of Chicago has cleverly named different sections of the same street - Devon - after various foreign leaders - like M G Marg, Jinnah Road, Golda Meir Road etc etc. I went with my bother-in-law, Mahesh, to a Pakistani-owned photo studio. Mahesh needed one of those instant pictures taken and the studio made a hash of one of them. When he began to enquire if that might not be a problem he was rudely told that he could sit again for another photo shoot - or what does he want ? - his money back? His brother, meanwhile, was also spinning a yarn to another customer - a Russian immigrant - that his pictures were lousy because his camera was defective.
Russian : "How come only some pictures are bad if my camera is spoilt? All of them should be bad"
Studio guy : "I bought a camera for $1500 and a lens for $600 and still get some bad pictures. I cannot even return it. The company had now closed"
Therefore the Russian must count his blessings and stop bothering him but...
Russian : "What company was this?"
Studio Guy : "Minolta".
Before I forget, Devon also has the Midwest's largest modern showroom. Bar None!
