CHICAGO: THE CITY OF WIND.

Chicago is the most populous city in the state of Illinois, and the third most populous in the United States. The origins of its famous nickname are not entirely clear. The most obvious explanation is that it comes from the frigid breezes that blow off Lake Michigan and sweep through the city’s streets. It’s located on the shores of freshwater Lake Michigan. Chicago is an international hub for finance, culture, commerce, industry, education, technology, telecommunications, and transportation. Its airport O’Hare International Airport is ranked among the world’s top six busiest airports. Chicago’s 58 million tourist visitors in 2018 set a new record and Chicago has been voted the best large city in the U.S. for four years in a row by Condé Nast Traveler. IMPORTANT LANDMARKS:

MILLENNIUM PARK: is one of the largest public parks and is often considered the largest garden in the world with its 24.5 hectares of surface, having been built on top of a railway and large parking lots. Every year millions of people come from all over the world to see it.

In this park, is located the Bean, a  work of public art in the heart of Chicago. The sculpture, which is officially titled Cloud Gate, is one of the world’s largest permanent outdoor art installations one of  Chicago’s most popular sights.

NAVY PIER: is a 3,300-foot-long (1,010 m) pier on the shoreline of Lake Michigan. It is one of the most visited attractions in the entire Midwest and is Chicago’s second most visited tourist attraction. It was opened to the public on July 15, 1916.Originally known as the “Municipal Pier”, the pier was built by Charles Sumner Frost.

WILLIS TOWER: is a 108-story, 1,450-foot (442.1 m) skyscraper in Chicago. The tower has 108 stories. It surpassed the World Trade Center in New York City to become the tallest building in the world and it is currently the third-tallest building in the United States and the 23rd-tallest in the world.

I have visited this city many times because I have relatives living there. I remember perfectly my visit to the Willis Tower. How could I forget the 103 floors and also the fear that accompanied me the whole time? It was only after I got up there that I took a breath and enjoyed the extraordinary view that has remained engraved in my mind.