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Welcome to Chicago, Illinois.
Chicago is known as the "Second City," the "Windy City," the "City of Big Shoulders", and "Chi-town". When combined with its suburbs and nine surrounding counties in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana, the greater metropolitan area known as Chicagoland encompasses a population of 9.4 million, making it the third largest in the United States.
Since its 1833 founding as a frontier town of the Old Northwest, Chicago has grown into one of the ten most influential world cities. Chicago today is the financial, economic, and cultural capital of the Midwest, and is recognized as a major transportation, business, and architectural center. The city's skyscrapers, local cuisine, political traditions, and sports teams are some of its most recognized symbols.
This photograph was taken from the 3rd tallest building in Chicago. The John Hancock Center looking SouthWest.
Chicago has a major theater scene, and is the birthplace of modern improvisational comedy. The city is home to two renowned comedy troupes: The Second City and I.O. (formerly known as ImprovOlympic). Renowned Chicago theater companies include the Steppenwolf Theatre Company (on the city's north side), the Goodman Theatre, and the Victory Gardens Theater. Other theatres, from nearly 100 storefront performance spaces such as the Strawdog Theatre Company in the Lakeview area to landmark downtown houses such as the Chicago Theatre, present a variety of plays and musicals. The city is home to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Joffrey Ballet, and several modern and jazz dance troupes.
Chicago is known for its Chicago blues, Chicago soul, Jazz, and Gospel. This strong tradition of music and musical innovation have continued into contemporary styles. The city is the birthplace of the House style of music, and is the site of an influential Hip-Hop scene. In the 1980s the city was a center for industrial, punk and new wave (spawning the famous Wax Trax! label); this influence continued into the alternative scene of the 1990s. Chicago was an epicenter of the development of rave culture in the 1980's even through today. There is a flourishing independent rock scene, including the recent explosion of Chicago emo acts, with multiple festivals featuring various acts each year (Lollapalooza, the Intonation Music Festival and Pitchfork Music Festival being the most prominent).
Chicago has several signature foods which reflect the city's ethnic and working-class roots. These include the deep-dish pizza and the Chicago hot dog, which is almost always made of Vienna Beef and loaded with mustard, chopped onion, sliced tomato, pickle relish, celery salt, sport peppers, and a dill pickle spear. However, putting ketchup on a Chicago hot dog is often taken as an insult. Chicago is also known for Italian Beef sandwiches and the Maxwell Street Polish (always served topped with grilled onions and mustard). The city has many upscale dining establishments as well as many ethnic restaurant districts. These include "Greektown" on South Halsted, "Little Italy" on Taylor Street, just west of Halsted, "Chinatown" on the near South Side, and South Asian on Devon Avenue. Each summer at the end of June there is a food festival called the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park. The park is home to the famous Buckingham fountain and is located right in the midst of downtown off the lake. Every type of food in the city is represented, with free concerts and events daily.
Chicago is one of only a few American cities that has its major sports teams play within the city limits. Chicago has 16 sports teams. It is one of three U.S. cities that has two Major League Baseball teams. The Chicago Cubs of the National League play at Wrigley Field, which is located in the North Side neighborhood of Lakeview, commonly referred to as "Wrigleyville." The Chicago White Sox of the American League play at U.S. Cellular Field, in the city's South Side Bridgeport neighborhood.
The Chicago Improv Festival is a non-profit comedy festival held annually in Chicago in late April and early May. It spotlights improvisational, sketch, and stand-up comedy. In addition to bringing in acts from around the world, the festival honors performers who got their start in Chicago.
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Local daily news in Chicago:
Sources: Threatening Letter To Daley Was 'Vicious'
"I think it was an accident. I bet someone tossed a cigarette out a car window." The letter to Mayor Daley was blunt, "very personal and vicious" -- and singled out the mayor's wife, Maggie, and their children. The writer was furious about the slaying of a wild, roaming cougar in Roscoe Village on April 14, and threatened to torch the mayor's home. On April 24, two days after the unsigned letter arrived, its writer -- or an associate -- is suspected of setting a fire on the grassy dunes near Daley's summer home in scenic Grand Beach, Mich., sources said. "It's about the cougar," a source told the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday, calling the writer an apparent animal rights activist. "The connection was to the killing of the cougar and [Daley's] comments making light of the killing of the cougar." Read more
Debate to begin on placement of Chicago Children's Museum
Chicago alderman Brendan Reilly says letting the Chicago Children's Museum relocate to a downtown lakefront park is a land grab. via KWQC-TV Davenport
Chicago lifts two-year ban on foie gras
"There's some cruelty out there, folks." CHICAGO - Gourmets in Chicago can order foie gras again after the city council on Wednesday repealed a two-year restaurant ban on a delicacy that critics say is produced at cruel expense to geese and ducks.The ... via Reuters
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Places of interest:
Cicero, IL (5.5 miles), Stickney, IL (7.6 miles), Berwyn, IL (7.6 miles), Forest View, IL (7.7 miles), Oak Park, IL (8.2 miles), Hometown, IL (8.4 miles), Evergreen Park, IL (8.5 miles), Bedford Park, IL (8.9 miles).
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Weather in Chicago:
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Hotels in Chicago
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The Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago
909 NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE - Chicago, IL, US 60611
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Allegro
171 WEST RANDOLPH - Chicago, IL, US 60601
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Radisson Hotel & Suites
160 EAST HURON - Chicago, IL, US 60611
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Park Hyatt Chicago
800 N MICHIGAN AVE - Chicago, IL, US 60611
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Hyatt Regency Downtown
151 E WACKER DR - Chicago, IL, US 60601
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Marriott Ohare
8535 WEST HIGGINS RD - Chicago, IL, United States
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Chicago Marriott Downtown
540 N MICHIGAN - Chicago, IL, United States
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Whitehall Hotel
105 EAST DELAWARE PLACE - Chicago, IL, US 60611
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Four Points Chicago Midway
7353 S Cicero Ave Chicago Il 60629
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Omni Ambassador East
1301 N. STATE PARKWAY - Chicago, IL, US 60610
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Essex Inn
800 S. MICHIGAN AVENUE - Chicago, IL, US 60605
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Best Western River North Hotel
125 W. Ohio Street, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60610
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W Chicago Lakeshore
644 N LAKE SHORE DR - Chicago, IL, US 60611
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Hilton Chicago
720 S. MICHIGAN AVE. - Chicago, IL, US 60605
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Four Seasons Chicago
120 East Delaware Place, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. 60611-1428
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Swissotel Chicago
323 E. WACKER DR. - Chicago, IL, US 60601
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Drake Hotel
140 E WALTON PLACE - Chicago, IL, US 60611
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Four Seasons Ritz Carlton
160 E PEARSON ST - Chicago, IL, US 60611
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Congress Plaza Hotel
520 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVE. - Chicago, IL, US 60605-1626
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Fairmont Chicago
200 NORTH COLUMBUS DR. - Chicago, IL, US 60601
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