Fun facts and Chicago History

Hello,

So I said that I would post this the following day after the last one but I've been pretty busy and not had too much time so here it is, a couple days late but better late than never.

I'm sure that anyone reading this has also been following the pictures I post. They aren't necessarily in a particular order as I have been between places. 

To continue from the last post, last Thursday (10/12) while at the first hostel we took a free basic tour on foot led by a fellow named Michael (don't have any of his contact info but if you search free tours on foot, I'd recommend the one he gives every Thursday morning at 10. I'm not going to bore you with the huge amounts of detail that Michael gave us but I will give a couple sentences from what I can remember.

We started at the Chicago Theatre, one of Chicago's several landmarks that Chicagoans know well. Now the marquee is not the original but an exact replica down to the number of lights used. Opening in 1921 and seating near 4,000 people at the time, attending this deluxe movie centre was as much about going to see the featured performance as it was about being seen. That is, suit + tie + limo = pretty much required. Fun fact about the marquee, the red "Y" behind the word Chicago represents split Chicago river that runs through the city, a symbol that frequents shows and films. Also, in his slump, this is where Frank Sinatra made his comeback mid 20th century selling out all his performances.

Our next stop continued along State street to Marshall Field's, the original upscale department store, from which several common refrains and amenities were born, such as the modern food court, price tags (as opposed to haggling and bargaining), return policies and "give the lady what she wants," revolutionary ideas at the time that made Marshall Field & Company so successful. The roots start with a smaller store owned by a businessman named Potter Palmer, who made many contributions to State Street's development during his life, and Marshal Field Levi Leiter. Macy's bought out Marshal Field's in 2005 but the original plaque is still on the side of the building (Macy's tried taking it down but Chicagoans were so upset and essentially ostracized and booed anyone who went to the store that Macy's decided to put it back up. 

Another fun fact, the stained glass dome at Marshall Field's was designed by Louis Tiffany, son of 19th century leader in American leader in jewelry trade and founder of New York City's Tiffany & Co., Charles Tiffany. Louis specialized in handmade iridescent glasswork ranging from lamps to Marshal Field's 1.5 million piece mosaic dome. This upscale department store is another example of how buildings were supposed to not only look extravagant but also give consumers that feeling of being super important and special in the company's eyes. Another novel idea that Marshal incorporated into the store was an entire area dedicated to shoes, with its own elevator button marked with a shoe. 

The next stop we made was to one of several plazas in Chicago, Daley Plaza. The main highlight about this plaza was the 50 foot steel structure gifted to the city by Pablo Picasso. The actual structure was not actually created by Picasso as original structure was less than a foot tall and had to be recreated. Aside from the historical significance of the plaza, it also serves as a spot for festivals, farmer's markets and other seasonal civic activities. During Christmas time, a load of German shops and hubs line the plaza to create the Christkindle Market. I have already been there at least 3 times and still enjoy looking at all the trinkets and foods that they offer. A must-see for anyone who is around Chicago during Christmas season.

Didn't take too many pictures but there was some pretty cool stuff. 

Couple glass ornaments.

Ended the tour with a stop at Millennium Park, with a couple stops in between including the beginning and end of route 66 and Palmer House Hilton Hotel (where the crumb-less chocolate cake, aka the brownie, was invented). This is the same Palmer businessman who invested so much into the development around State Street. Final stop, the BEAN (Cloud Gate)! 

 Made of near 200 pieces of stainless steel plates, the inside of the bean was actually constructed in such a way that allows for expansion and contracted with the changing temperatures. If you were to look inside, it would look like a dandelion right before the wind carries the seeds away. If you are interested in finding out any more about what the tour consisted of or would like suggestions on places to check out downtown, feel free to write me.

Thanks for reading and until next post!