CULTURAL MAGAZINE

La città che ha visto nascere l'architettura moderna: Chicago

The History of Chicago

Founded August 12, 1833 with a population of around 200 and located on the southwestern
shoresrive of Lake Michigan, Chicago is now the largest city in the state of Illinois, and the third largest in the United States. It is a major telecommunications and transportation hubcentro: O’Hare International Airport is the second busiest airport in the world.

Several significant events in the past have shaped how Chicago sees itself today and how it is seen by others. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed the entire central business district and other residential areas of the city, but the consequence of that traumatic event was that Chicago experienced the largest rebuilding program in the history of the US. It was here in 1885 that the world’s first steel-framedcon telaio in acciaio skyscrapergrattacielo was built. True to its motto “Urbs in Horto” (“City in a Garden”) the city also invested in many large, well-landscaped municipal parks during this period of reconstruction which still today provide a wonderful place to relax in the city.

The Prohibition era of the 1920s set the sceneha fatto da scenario for a period of notoriety for Chicago, as gangsters, including the notorious Al Capone, battled each other and police on the city streets. At one point Chicago had over 1,000 gangs. Much has been made in films and TV about this period in the city’s history, and it still provides a point of interest for many visitors. (Films - The Untouchables)

The third significant event in Chicago’s history was the Great Migration of the early twentieth century. The availabilitydisponibilità of jobs attracted African Americans from the South, who had an immense cultural impact on the city. It was during this wave that Chicago became a center for jazz.

 

Things to do in Chicago

Chicago is partitioned into four main sections: Downtown (which contains the Loop - an eight block by five block square of city streets that are encircled by elevated rail tracks, called “The El”), the North Side, the South Side, and the West Side. Downtown is the center of Chicago's cultural, commercial and financial institutions, and home to Grant Park and many of the city's skyscrapers.

Many of the city’s attractions can be found Downtown at the waterfrontriva, litorale, along Lake Shore Drive, on the shores of the lake. Navy Pier is one of the most popular attractions; it offers everything from an IMAX theater, and restaurants and shops, to performances by a Shakespeare troupe. You can view dancing in a grand ballroom, and ride the famous fifteen-story ferris wheelruota panoramica which is a replica of the one at Chicago's 1893 World Fair.

Stroll around Downtown and you'll come acrossvi imbatterete in the public works of modern art that Chicago is famous for. Outdoor works exhibited include pieces by Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró and Magdalena Abakanowicz.

Go for a meal in one of the city’s numerous restaurants and eating establishments. Choose an upscaleraffinato restaurant in Downtown, or ventureavventuratevi further afieldpiù lontano to sample some of the city’s celebrated ethnic cuisine. Try the Mexican villages such as Pilsen on 18th street and "La Villita" on 26th street, the Puerto Rican enclave “Paseo Boricua”, "Greektown" on South Halsted, "Little Italy" on Taylor Street, just west of Halsted, "Chinatown" on the near South Side, Polish fare at Belmont-Central, "Little Seoul" on and around Lawrence Avenue, a cluster of Vietnamese restaurants on Argyle Street and South Asian (Indian/Pakistani) on Devon Avenue.

Go shopping along State Street and Michigan Avenue, but don’t forget to look away from the shop windows once in a whiledi tanto in tanto to appreciate the architecture of the place. Don’t miss the famous Chicago Water Tower, a landmark structure built in 1869 that survived the Great Fire. The historic Chicago Cultural Center (1897), originally serving as the Chicago Public Library, now houses the city's Visitor Information Center, galleries and exhibit halls. The ceilingsoffitto of its Preston Bradley Hall includes a 38 ft (12 m) Tiffany domevolta, cupola.
 

Finally, for a touch of Prohibition era drama, don’t miss Tommy Gun's Garage, Chicago's only original Speakeasybar clandestino Dinner Theater. Don’t expect a quiet evening meal when you get there: you'll get raidedsarete acciuffati by the cops, complete with sirens and flashing lights, and you might get pulled up on stage to perform a hilarious sobriety test given by Officer Murphy.

McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade

The McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade, is an annual parade produced and presented by the Chicago Festival Association (CFA). Held ontenuta in State Street in downtown Chicago, the three hour event begins each year at 8:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Chicago's first Christmas Parade was on State Street on December 7, 1934. The United States had been in the Great Depression for five years. Many leaders in Chicago
searched for wayscercavano soluzioni to boostper rilanciare the economy as well as public spirit. Walter Gregory, President of Chicago's State Street Council, proposed a Christmas parade to Chicago Mayor Edward Kelly in the hopesnella speranza that it would improve the moodanimo of Chicago residents. The Mayor agreedautorizzò to the parade, being primarily interested in its potential to improve Chicago's economy.

The holiday event was called Christmas Caravan. Walter Gregory and a costumed Santa Claus led the caravan, which was filledera colmo with toys and various merchandise from State Street businessesnegozi. As the city's government officials had hoped, the parade contributed to desirable growthcrescita in the local economy and 1934 held the city's largest holiday buying period since 1927.
 
In 1935, the city was in evenancora worsepeggiore financial status as a result of the depression. The city could not affordnon poteva permettersi the expensive floatscarri that were used the year before. However, the event had been so successful in the previous year that The State Street Council and the City of Chicago agreed to use an old trolleytram to pull the floats, as there were trolley tracks on State Street at the time.
From 1935 to 1983 it became the “State Street Christmas Parade”. In 1984 it was renamed in McDonald's Children's Charity Parade. Now the parade routepercorso begin from State Street, moving north from Congress Parkway to Randolph Street. In 2002, the Chicago Festival Association changed the parade format from a Christmas or often broadly-labeledampiamente riconosciuta holiday parade to the Thanksgiving parade that it is today. Since 2006 it has been called McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade.
In 2007, the Chicago Festival Association recruitedscritturò the pop rock group Plain White Ts to perform in the parade. In the last couple of years, the band has had great success (their single Hey There Delilah was number one on the Billboard Chartsclassifiche for two weeks).
The parade is also broadcast live nationally. In 2008, in fact, it was broadcast for three hours. This makes the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade one of only two parades (the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York being the other) to be broadcast in its entirety to a nationwide audience.
The parade also features hugeenormi character balloons, some topping outche svettano at 50 feet tall of characters like Elmo, the Pink Panther, the Cookie Monster, Popeye, Kermit the Frog, and so on. The McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade uses inflatablegonfiabili helium balloons, which have the benefit of floating in the air…. a stunning view skywardsguardo verso il cielo! There are also the melodic carolscanti of marching bands and floats, decorated platforms, which are either built on a vehicle or towed behind one. But the main character is Teddy Turkey!
Teddy Turkey is the fun-loving, plumppaffuta mascot of the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade. Although the big giant Teddy Turkey balloon has made appearances in the parade for the past several years, Teddy Turkey will be making his first live appearance in the 2009 parade. Teddy also is known to make appearances throughout the city, helping
to keep the spreaddiffondere the holiday spirit - year round - to everyone he meets.
Thursday November 26, 2009 from 8 - 11am CST
Downtown Chicago (along State Street from Congress to Randolph) 60611

See more at Chicago Festivals.