25 Interesting (and Odd) Chicago Facts

From time to time I like to write some interesting tidbits about a particular location. I gather up 25 interesting (and odd) facts that are sure to educate, enlighten and kill some time while at your work desk. Previously I covered U.S. States New York and California, but for this post I went with one of my favorite cities to visit – Chicago. Enjoy!

1. Chicago offers locals and  guests about 40 museums, more than 150 theaters and over 6,000 restaurants!

2. Harold Washington Library Center is the world’s largest public library with a collection of more than 2 million books.

3. Move over Krakow and Greenpoint, because after Warsaw, Chicago has the largest Polish population.

4. Chicago River is the only river in the world that flows backwards.

5. The Windy City, Chi-Town, the Second City, the City of Big Shoulders, and the City That Works are just some of Chicago’s many nicknames.

6. Did you know that the infamous “Route 66″ starts in Chicago at Grant Park on Adams Street in front of the Art Institute of Chicago?

7. The metropolitan Chicago area is home to over 30 Fortune 500 companies!

8. In 1893 at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the Ferris Wheel debuted.

9. Encircled by the elevated (‘L’) train tracks, Chicago’s downtown area is simply called “The Loop.”

10. Chicago is home to one of only three major free zoos in the United States – the Lincoln Park Zoo.

11. Lincoln Park Zoo is the country’s oldest public zoo with an annual attendance of roughly three million.

12. Four states are visible from the Willis Tower (aka Sears Tower) Skydeck (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan & Wisconsin).

13. Montgomery Ward & Co. founded the first mail-order business in 1872.

14. Sorry Big Apple. but Chicago’s Home Insurance Company built the first skyscraper in 1885.

15. In 1930, Chicago opened the Western Hemisphere’s first ever planetarium called The Adler Planetarium.

16. Dr. Bernard Fantus opened the nation’s first blood bank at Chicago’s Cook County Hospital in 1937.

17. Couch potatoes can thank Chicago because the remote control was invented there in 1950.

18. On September 26, 1960, John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Richard Milhouse Nixon were apart of the first televised U.S. presidential candidates’ debate. It took place at Chicago’s CBS Studios.

19. Roller skates rolled onto the scene in 1884 in Chicago.

20. The Twinkie was invented in Chicago in 1930.

21. The first ever daytime soap opera was filmed in Chicago and televised in 1949. The show “These are my Children” only lasted a few weeks before being canceled.

22. The drive-through bank opened on November 12, 1946, in Chicago.

23. But Chicago has played a vital role as the setting for some of televisions most memorable shows. They include “Chicago Hope,” “ER,” “Perfect Strangers,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” “According to Jim,” “Family Matters,” and “Married with Children.”

24. The band Chicago actually was formed in Oakland, California. Kidding…they were in fact formed in Chicago, one of the many bands that named themselves after popular destinations (i.e. Boston, America, Kansas etc.).

25. The name Chicago is derived from an Algonquin word “Chigagou,” which translates to “onion field.” So why was it called that? Basically it is pretty self explanatory, lots of onions grew on fields where the city was formed. Hence the name.

Tags: chicago, facts, illinois, Travel

Three Great Airlines Offer Three Great Sales

Airlines kick off 2010 with major sales.

If you are looking to plan that 2010 getaway, now might be a good time to check airfare. Virgin America, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue have all announced some pretty good sales this week.

Virgin America is offering discounted seats if you book by January 11 and fly between January 7 – March 10. There are even a few select seats available through June 20. A three day advance purchase is required. Some one-way fares include:

• San Francisco to Las Vegas – $39

• Seattle to San Francisco – $59

• Boston or Washington DC to Los Angeles or San Francisco – $99

• New York or Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles or San Francisco – $109

• For more information and fares, check out Virgin America’s website.

Southwest Airlines is offering “3 Days of Deals” with some pretty decent deals.  Hurry because you only have until  this Thursday January 7, 2010 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time to grab a seat on sale. Travel is good through May 14, 2010 and a 14-day advance purchase is required. A few one-way fares that caught my attention include:

• Chicago to Long Island – $80

• New York to Baltimore - $59

• Denver to San Diego – $92

• Milwaukee to Ft. Lauderdale – $101

• For more information and fares, check out Southwest’s website.

Finally, if you are looking to “shake up the new year” and jet for less, check out JetBlue’s first sale of the new year. What is great about this sale is that you can either purchase tickets or use your TrueBlue points. You must book by January 13, 2010, travel by March 24, 2010 and blackout dates do apply. Some of the one-way fares that stood out include:

• New York to New Orleans – $84/$89

• Austin to Orlando - $79/$89

• Fort Lauderdale to Nassau - $29

• Boston to Chicago - $67/$79

• For more information and fares, check out Jetblue’s website.

Tags: boston, chicago, fort lauderdale, jetblue, Las Vegas, los angeles, new orleans, new york, San Diego, san francisco, southwest airlines, virgin america, Washington DC

Send Me Somewhere Results – Week Six

Then there were three. After showing some signs of life the Windy City just could not hang out in the final weeks. Chicago has been eliminated from the “Send Me Somewhere” competition. For most of the week the four cities stayed in the same position, except for one day when there was a tie for first.

Claiming first place for another week is Montreal. I am amazed at how many of you want me to go either here or to New Orleans. Since starting “Send Me Somewhere” back in October, only Montreal and New Orleans have claimed the top spot. The two cities might be different in climate, but they both offer cuisine with a heavy French influence.

Week seven voting is now underway. Will Montreal stay on top? Can New Orleans reclaim first? Or is Austin going to shock everyone and take both cities down? Make your vote count…get clicking. Only three cities remain and after this week’s voting, the final two will face off with the winning city announced on January 1, 2010.

Below are the results from week six:

Montreal - 34%

New Orleans – 29%

Austin - 26%

Chicago - 11%

Tags: austin, chicago, montreal, new orleans

Send Me Somewhere Results – Week Five

I have been singing in the shower for a few weeks now in preparation  for tonight’s first ever “Twitaoke” (Twitter Karaoke). Hosted by the travel geek’s at SoSauce.com, it will be a little get together of about 20 travel writers, travel bloggers and just plain travel addicts. Hope to see some of you there. But be forewarned, I enjoy a tune or two after a few pints of Guinness.

Now on to this week’s “Send Me Somewhere” results. Oh Canada…another one of your cities has been eliminated. Just one week after Vancouver got the boot, Quebec City will join the host of the 2010 winter Olympics and the other sorry cities that just could not get enough votes to survive the weekly elimination.

Voting for week six is underway and it is down to New Orleans and Montreal, who have both dominated the weekly voting and the cities of Chicago and Austin. Remember to vote each week in order to keep your favorite city alive until the finals on January 1, 2010. Here are this week’s results:

1. Montreal – 35%

2. New Orleans - 24%

3. Chicago - 19%

4. Austin - 17%

5. Quebec City – 5%

Tags: austin, chicago, montreal, new orleans, quebec city, texas

Send Me Somewhere Results – Week Four

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

I am writing to you this Friday from the cozy Tarrytown House in Tarrytown, New York. Located about 25 miles outside of the Big Apple, this beautiful hotel is where I will be resting my head for the night. Tomorrow I will be heading back into the city to catch the ACES train for a ride down to Atlantic City to lose some money at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.

In the meantime, the results are in for week four’s votes and the last remaining west coast hopeful city has been eliminated. That’s right, no Vancouver vacation for me in early 2010. So we are now down to five cities and it should get interesting as the amount of options gets lower and lower. The winning city will be announced January 1. You can start voting for week 5 now. Here are this weeks results:

1. New Orleans – 36%

2. Montreal - 27%

3. Chicago - 14%

4. Austin - 10%

5. Quebec City – 8%

6. Vancouver - 5%

Tags: austin, chicago, montreal, new orleans, quebec city, vancouver