This Week's Featured Destination

Fun Facts about Chicago

• Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States at just over 2.7 million residents.

• Chicago derives its name from Native Americans. There are a couple of words it could be derived from (“Shikapiwa” or the Algonquian word “Chigagou”). Both mean “wild onion” or “onion field”.

• The Chicago River flows backwards! Up until 1900, it emptied into Lake Michigan. But engineers reversed the flow of the river using locks so that all the sewage in the river would not flow into Chicago’s source of drinking water.

• The Ferris wheel was invented by George Washington Gale Ferris for the 1893 Columbian Exposition.

• Chicago is called the “Windy City”, but not because of the wind. While it is windy near Lake Michigan, it is not the windiest city in the United States. Chicago is called the Windy City because of a New York Sun reporter who, in 1893, said the cities politicians were “full of hot air”. So, “Windy City” is a reference to the “windbag” politicians in the city in the late 1800s.

• Walt Disney was born in Chicago.

Places to visit in Chicago

This is just a short list of all the things to see and do in Chicago

• Visit “The Bean” in Millennium Park or stroll through Grant Park to see Buckingham Fountain.

• Visit one of the many museums. Here are just a few:

  • Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (the last remaining building from the 1893 Columbian Exposition)

  • Art Institute of Chicago

  • Field Museum

  • Adler Planetarium

• Navy Pier

• Skydeck Chicago in the Willis Tower or 360 Chicago in the John Hancock Building

• Lincoln Park Zoo (It’s free!)

• Stroll the Magnificent Mile

• Try some deep dish pizza at Gino's East!