*on this fathers day enjoy a trip to Chicago
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Chicago, Illinois, USA •
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One of the most famous world's cities - Chicago - got its name from the
Indian word «shikaakwa» which later was changed by French settlers and means
Wild Lily. The city is like a beautiful flower indeed, though its actual
view has being formed during little more than last century.
Chicago is a city with its soul and personality. Here anyone can admire
simultaneously three epochs of world architecture. This is a very unusual
fact for such a young country like the USA. We can be "grateful" for this to
the fire of 1871, which almost completely wiped Chicago off the face of the
earth.
It's already impossible to find out the reasons of the fire now. The
versions were quite different: beginning with a cow that overturned a
kerosene lamp and ending with a comet. Anyway, the fire was raging for three
October days. Having burnt the South-West, it overstepped the Southern
branch of the River Chicago and step by step continued wiping the whole
38-year city history off the face of the earth.
But after that Chicago was built practically from the zero and this
allowed implement all the boldest architectural experiments of that time. By
the way, the first skyscrapers in the USA appeared exactly in this city: the
ground there was very expensive and the city had no other choice than to
grow up.
Nowadays, 10 from 50 highest buildings of the world are in Chicago. And
from 10 highest buildings of the USA 5 is located in Chicago. Among them
there is the 442-meter Willis (Sears) Tower, the highest building of
Northern America. Truly speaking, this record can be broken soon, but
speaking about Chicago again, the next skyscraper is being built here - the
609-meter Chicago Spire. The construction works were delayed due to the
financial crisis, but if they are finally finished, there will be the second
highest building of the world in Chicago.
Along with this, you shouldn't suppose that Chicago is just a city of
austere skyscrapers with the tiny people-bugs. The main part of it consists
of 2-3-floor houses 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 this art: from classics to high-tech.
And except of achievements in the sphere of town building 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 of American literature Theodor
Dreiser called Chicago "Florence of Western States" and "Literary capital of
America". And now it is a recognized theatre capital of the country.
If anyone walks the seafront or takes a bird's eye view, it seems that
Chicago is on the sea or ocean shore: till the very end of the horizon,
anywhere to look at, there is a water surface. However, it isn't a sea, but
Michigan - one of the Great American Lakes. Michigan is a "Big Lake" in the
language of the Indians. Yes, indeed, it isn't small: its length is 500 km,
width is about 190 km and total area is 57 750 sq. km. It makes Michigan one
of 5 biggest lakes of the world.
And there is one more interesting fact about Chicago. The only one river
in the world flows to the reverse side. It is the same named River Chicago.
Its course was changed by 180 grades in 1900. The reason is an ordinary
problem of everyday life: in the end of XVIII century, when the city grew,
the troubles with sewerage appeared. The city poured out sewage into
Michigan Lake that, in its turn, resulted in the lack of pure water. The
problem was solved only with cardinal river course changing along with the
construction of sewage treatment channel flowing to the Illinois River.
Chicago can be much spoken about but there are no words that will tell
about the charm and simultaneously greatness of this city. The city that
conquered nature and didn't quarrel with it; city that said a new word (and
not only one!) in architecture; the city of records and famous people - all
these are worth a thousand words.
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*360° Aerial Panoram
http://www.airpano.ru/files/Chicago-Illinois-USA/start_e.html
*Chicago Attraction Panoramas
http://www.chicagotraveler.com/virtual-chicago/pan-photos.htm
Top Attractions in Chicago
http://www.choosechicago.com/microsite/chicago_info/Pages/TopAttractions.aspx
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cnu.pne*
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