Chicago Wikitravel. Chicago. Chicago is a huge city with several district articles containing sightseeing, restaurant, nightlife and accommodation listings have a look at each of them. Chicago is located in the Midwest. It is the third largest city in the United States with a population approaching 3 million. Chicago is a huge vibrant city and a metropolitan area that sprawls over 1. Its well known for house music, blues, jazz, comedy, shopping, dining, architecture, and fine cultural attractions. As the hub of the Midwest, Chicago is easy to find its picturesque skyline calls across the waters of huge freshwater Lake Michigan, an impressive sight that soon reveals world class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks, public art, and perhaps the finest downtown collection of architecture in the world. Comments 39 Responses to The Best Gifts for Travelers Awesome AND Affordable. Chicago is Americas third most prolific movie industry after Los Angeles and New York, and there have been scores upon scores of films and television series filmed here. QbLjwOL' alt='King Of The Travellers Full Movie In English' title='King Of The Travellers Full Movie In English' />With a wealth of iconic sights and neighborhoods to explore, theres enough to fill a visit of weeks or even months without ever seeing the end. Prepare to cover a lot of ground the meaning of Chicago is only found in movement, through its subways and archaic elevated tracks, and eyes raised to the sky. DistrictseditThe most visited part of Chicago is its large central area, which contains neighborhoods such as Downtown, River North, Streeterville, Old Town, the Gold Coast, Central Station, the South Loop, Printers Row, and Greek Town among others. Collectively, these neighborhoods contain many skyscrapers, attractions, and highly ranked institutions. But there are also many attractions to be found in the citys other districts. Chicago consists of Downtown, the North Side, the South Side, and the West Side each Side named according to its direction from Downtown. The Loop is the financial and cultural area located within Downtown. The North, South, and West Sides are not neighborhoods themselves they each contains numerous and varied neighborhoods. Chicagoans tend to identify strongly with their neighborhood, reflecting a real place of home and culture. Downtown The Loop, Near North, Near SouthThe center of Chicago and the entire Midwest for work and play with major corporate headquarters, skyscrapers, shopping, big theaters, parks, beaches, museums, and the citys most famous travel sights. North Side Lakeview, Boystown, Lincoln Park, Old TownUpscale neighborhoods with entertainment aplenty in storefront theaters and the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, along with a ton of bars and clubs, and one of the largest LGBT communities in the nation. Far North Side Uptown, Lincoln Square, Rogers ParkUltra hip and laid back, with miles of beaches and some of the most vibrant immigrant communities in the country. Southwest Side Back of the Yards, Marquette Park, MidwayFormer home to the massive meatpacking district of the Union Stockyards, huge Polish and Mexican neighborhoods, and Midway Airport. Far Southwest Side Beverly, Mount Greenwoodrarely does a neighborhood have such beauty as this in an urban setting. Watch The Long Weekend Download Full more. Chicagos skyline viewed from Millennium Park. UnderstandeditChicago was known as a fine place to find a wild onion if you were a member of the Potawatomi tribe, who lived in this area of Illinois before European settlers arrived. It was mostly swamps, prairie and mud long past the establishment of Fort Dearborn in 1. King Of The Travellers Full Movie In English' title='King Of The Travellers Full Movie In English' />The city later undertook civil engineering projects of unprecedented scale to establish working sewers, even reversing the flow of the Chicago river to keep unclean water out of the citys drinking supply, and stop buildings from sinking back into the swamps and that was just the first few decades. By 1. 87. 1, the reckless growth of the city was a sight to behold, full of noise, Gothic lunacy, and bustling commerce. But on October 8th, Mrs. OLearys cow reportedly knocked over a lantern in the crowded immigrant quarters in the West Side, and the Great Chicago Fire began. It quickly spread through the dry prairie, killing 3. The stone Water Tower in the Near North area is the most famous surviving structure. But the city seized this destruction as an opportunity to rebuild bigger than before, even inventing the skyscraper in Chicago which of course, would be picked up and utilized in cities worldwide in the modern day. In addition, several architects and urban planners of Chicago would go on to become legends of modern architecture. During the late 1. Chicago was the fastest growing city in the world. At the pinnacle of its rebirth, Chicago was known as The White City. Cultures from around the world were summoned to the 1. Worlds Columbian Exposition, which Chicago beat New York to host, to bear witness to the work of Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, and the future itself. Cream of Wheat, soft drinks, street lights and safe electricity, the fax machine, and the new invention called the Ferris Wheel bespoke the colossus now resident on the shores of Lake Michigan. As every road had once led to Rome, every train led to Chicago. Carl Sandburg called Chicago the Hog Butcher for the World for its cattle stockyards and place on the nations dinner plate. Sandburg also called it the City of the Big Shoulders, noting the tall buildings in the birthplace of the skyscraper and the citys lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning. But Chicago is a city in no short supply of nicknames. Fred Fishers 1. 92. Frank Sinatras rendition calls it That Toddlin Town, where on State Street, that great street, they do things they dont do on Broadway. Its also referenced by countless blues standards like Sweet Home Chicago. Chicago is also known as The Second City, which refers to its rebuilding after the fire the current city is literally the second Chicago, after the one that nearly burned down in 1. The moniker has stuck as Chicago had long held the position of the nations second largest city. And many know the nickname from Chicagos great comedy theater Second City located in Old Town which has supplied countless talent to televisions Saturday Night Live and many sitcoms. During the Prohibition era, Chicagos criminal world, emblemized by names like Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson, and later Sam Giancana, practically ran the city. The local political world had scarcely more legitimacy in a town where voter turnout was highest among the dead and their pets, and precinct captains spread the word to vote early, vote often. Even Sandburg acknowledged the relentless current of vice that ran under the surface of the optimistic city. Rent Full Movie Online Free. Chicago is also known as The Windy City. Walking around town, you might suspect that this nickname came from the winds off Lake Michigan which can, on occasion, make for some windy days. Truth be told, Chicago is far from being excessively windy. Watch Day Of The Mummy Megavideo'>Watch Day Of The Mummy Megavideo. In fact, according to the United States National Climatic Data Center, Chicago does not rank high on the list of windy cities. The origin of the saying Windy City comes from politics some saying it may have been coined by rivals like New York City as a derogatory reference at the time the two cities were battling for the 1. Worlds Fair, which Chicago ultimatley won. Others say that the term originated from the citys strong political climate. Finally, the city is also known as the The City That Works as promoted by long time Mayor Richard M. Daley, which refers to Chicagos labor tradition and its willingness to tackle grand civic projects. Daley and his father, former Mayor Richard J. Daley, were continous voted into office for many terms and governed the city for decades. As other manufacturing cities like Cleveland, Detroit, and Buffalo went into decline, Chicago thrived, transforming from a city of culture and manufacturing to a city of culture and finance. Chicago now houses the worlds largest future exchanges the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.