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

Send Me Somewhere Results – Week Three

San Francisco: One of the two cities eliminated this week.

Another week of voting has come to an end and this week not one, but two cities were kicked off the island…er I mean eliminated. To just backtrack before I give the results, to show you how unpredictable this voting has become, last week’s favorite city Montreal was in dead last for six out of the last seven days. It was not until late last night that a few votes put the popular Canadian city back in the competition.

Over the last two rounds we saw one west coast city eliminated each week. San Diego was out followed by Seattle. Well the dark cloud of the left coast continues with double elimination due to the bottom cities receiving the same amount of votes. So I will have to part ways with Portland and say sayonara to San Francisco as both were the least voted on cities this week. It is now down to six cities and they are New Orleans, Quebec City, Montreal, Vancouver, Chicago, and Austin. You can start voting now for week four.

Here are the results from week three:

1. New Orleans – 27%

2. Chicago - 18%

3. Vancouver - 16%

4. Austin - 12%

5. Montreal - 10%

6. Quebec City – 7%

7. San Francisco – 5%

7. Portland, OR – 5%

Tags: austin, canada, chicago, illinois, louisiana, montreal, new orleans, oregon, portland, quebec city, san francisco, seattle, texas, vancouver, washington

An Olympic Size Giveaway

Tokyo, Japan is one of the final four cities that could be announced the host of the 2016 Olympics this week.

Chicago…Madrid…Rio de Janeiro…Tokyo. All four locales are absolutely amazing cities that pretty much any traveler would love to visit on their next trip. They are also the final four nominees vying to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

So how would you like to visit one of these desirable destinations for free? One lucky twerson…er I mean person will be chosen by Where Ive Been and flown round-trip to one of the aforementioned cities, for what is sure to be an extremely memorable vacation.

Here is how you can compete in the “Where I’ve Been Olympic Twitter Giveaway.”

1. Follow Where I’ve Been (@whereivebeen) on Twitter.
2. A message will be posted by @whereivebeen at 9am CT on Thursday, October 1st. Tune in and RE-TWEET THAT MESSAGE!

Winner will be selected at random & announced on the @whereivebeen Twitter page on Friday, October 2nd.

If you are the chosen one, you must direct message @whereivebeen within 24-hours of the announcement with the city you want to visit (Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, or Tokyo). Good luck!

Tags: asia, brazil, chicago, europe, illinois, japan, Madrid, rio de janeiro, south america, spain, tokyo, Travel, united states, whereivebeen.com

Look Out Below With These See-Through Travel Attractions

While flipping through the endless amount of awful options that were presented to me one night by my great cable company, I came across a special on the Discovery Channel about the all new Grand Canyon Skywalk. If you have not heard of this extreme innovation that has become a new popular tourist attraction in the Arizona desert, then let me be the first to enlighten you.

In an attempt to bring in some much needed cash to a local Indian tribe, a new way to check out a familiar American landmark was needed. Years of planning and hundreds of man hours later, the new Skywalk was introduced to the public on March 28, 2007. It is simply a “U” shaped walkway that is located 4,000 feet above the Colorado River…oh yeah and it has a glass floor. Since its debut 2 1/2 years ago, nearly 1 million visitors have made the brave walk over the Grand Canyon.

So why are tourists enamored with glass floors when they travel? That is probably something no one has ever asked you before, but when you think about it, people really dig see-through sites when they are on vacation. In addition to the Grand Canyon’s latest stunt, here are a few more glass floor loving locales to check out on your next trip.

Skydeck Ledge at Willis (Sears) Tower (Chicago, Illinois): So how far up will you be? Eh just a measly 1,353 feet! The five sided enclosure, which is located on the 103rd floor of Sears Tower and overlooking the Chicago river, has been a hit with people visiting Chicago’s famed skyscraper.

Sydney Tower Skywalk (Sydney, Australia): At about 850 feet (or 260 meters) you will be able to check out the lovely city of Sydney, Australia from a completely new angle. The open-air, glass floor platform circles the famed Sydney Tower and provides gutsy guests with exhilarating views of this Australian city.

CN Tower (Toronto, Ontario, Canada): The world’s tallest structure provides visitors who make it up to the observation deck with a glass floor to snap some memorable pictures or to just goof around. Don’t worry scaredy cats, as it is just a small section of the observation deck. So you can simply stand on the sidelines and watch as people make fools of themselves snapping that oh so original picture of themselves laying down on the glass floor. In addition to this see-through attraction, CN Tower has also added a glass floor elevator to enjoy as you make your way up to the top floor.

Calgary Tower (Calgary, Alberta, Canada): Just 2,100 miles from Toronto in the city of Calgary is the Calgary Tower. The 41-year old tower offers a panoramic view 627 feet above downtown Calgary. While not as popular as the aforementioned CN Tower, this structure was the founding member of the World Federation of Great Towers.

Are You Ready For Some Travel?: Five Great Football Stadiums

Ah crisp, cool weather has arrived in New York, the sun is setting earlier, leaves are already starting to fall off some of the trees on my street, and I even wore a sweatshirt outside today in the park. That can only mean one thing…football season is here!

The NFL is back and kicked off last night with the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers squeaking out an overtime victory against the Tennessee Titans. Honestly one of the main reasons I love football is that its the perfect excuse to get away with drinking a few beers and eating some unhealthy food at 1pm on a Sunday.

What’s more, it is also a great reason to travel. Yes I usually always find a way to incorporate everything I enjoy into travel. While I prefer to wander the globe in search of  amazing food, historic sites, unique hotels, and the occasional concert, one other thing I love to do is visit an away game and tailgate with the “enemy.” It is definitely a worthwhile road-trip experience that everyone needs to try at least once in their life. With that, here are my top five favorite football stadiums (in no particular order):

Lambeau Field: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Lambeau Field is home to the legendary Green Bay Packers. Each year thousands of “cheese heads” fill this historic stadium, which was the first built exclusively for an NFL franchise. It is also the longest continuously-occupied stadium in the NFL, giving it more memorable moments than any other stadium in the United States. Witnessing a game at Lambeau has often times been dubbed by Packers fans as somewhat of a “religious experience.” It is without a doubt in my mind the second best reason to visit Green Bay, Wisconsin. The first? That would be the abundance of cheese.

Soldier Field: Chicago, Illinois

Located along Lake Michigan in one of my favorite cities is the Chicago Bears’ home Soldier Field. Named after American soldiers that have died in wars, this stadium recently underwent a second rebuild in 2003, making it one of the newer stadiums in the NFL. At a seating capacity of 61,500, it also makes Soldier Field the smallest stadium in the NFL. Either way this city is football crazy and they prove it on a weekly basis when they arrive hours before game time and pregame in the extremely chilly Chicago weather.

Gillette Stadium: Foxborough, Massachusetts

As much as it pains me to admit this as a New York sports fan…I really like Gillette Stadium. Home to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, this fairly new stadium, which is starting it’s 8th NFL season, has already hosted many memorable pigskin moments. Some of those include 2003 and 2007 AFC Championship victories and the coldest game in franchise history, with temperatures dropping to a frosty 4 degrees (-10 with wind chill).

Heinz Field: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Steel City truly is home to some of the most die hard and rabid fans in all of football. Pittsburgh is home to wild tailgate parties, vocal fans in the stands, and an incredibly superb stadium. Built on the site of the old Three Rivers Stadium, the eight year old Heinz Field has a picturesque view of downtown Pittsburgh in the backdrop and the Great Hall is one of the best concourses in the NFL. When in Pittsburgh, be sure to check out Peppi’s for their enormous sandwiches, awesome cheese steaks, and of course the widely popular and delicious Roethlis-burger.

Giants Stadium: East Rutherford, New Jersey

Did you really think a lifelong “Noo Yawka” would leave out the stadium that is home to the recent Super Bowl winning New York Giants (and occasionally that other team which will remain nameless). I mean many of my football memories have occurred in the swamp lands of New Jersey. As bias as this may seem coming from a local, I have  to admit that the New York/New Jersey crowd knows how to put on one hell of a tailgate in the parking lot. Football weather in these parts are usually not pretty (think cold with a mixture of brrr), so there are plenty of grills fired up and adult beverages to go around. Giants Stadium holds 78, 741, making it the third largest NFL stadium (behind FedEx Field and Cowboys Stadium). It is set to be demolished in 2010 to make room for the new Meadowlands Stadium.