Chicago

Chicago, Illinois is one of America's legendary cities. The third largest city in the United States began in 1833 as a settlement of 340 people along the shores of Lake Michigan. Today over three million people reside in Chicago, with immigrants from such diverse countries as Poland, Korea, India, and Iran being added daily. Let's look at one of the most important parts of Chicago, "The Loop". In its heyday, the 1880s, the Loop became the business center of Chicago. Corporations built their national headquarters here. Entertainment and hospitality became important also because of the Loops many fine hotels and theaters. Situated between The Loop and Chicago Harbor; Grant Park was built in the 1920s. Its French-Classical style includes rose gardens, promenades, and shady elm trees. Chicagos annual music festivals - jazz, blues, and gospel singing - are all held in Grant Park. Within Grant Park is the Clarence Buckingham Fountain. This pink marble Rococo fountain was designed and built in 1927 as a memorial to Clarence Buckingham. The four bronze sea horses in the fountain represent the four states that border Lake Michigan: Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. On the opposite side of the park is the Art Institute of Chicago. Within its galleries are paintings by some of the worlds most famous artists, including Monet, Matisse and Van Gogh. Built in 1892, the structure was designed in a traditional Classical-Renaissance style. Across the street from the Art ...



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