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Nestled between the Great Lakes states of Indiana
and Wisconsin and the Great Plains states of
Iowa and Missouri, Illinois is very much
the center of Midwest America. Pioneers pushing further
west settled on Illinois land. Blues and jazz
greats like Louis Armstrong migrated from New Orleans
to Illinois nightlife city Chicago in search of a new
place to play their tunes. Immigrants from Europe flooded
into the region throughout the 1800s and 1900s. Even one of
the nation's greatest presidents, Abraham
Lincoln, was born and raised in Illinois's rural countryside.
Today, Chicago has kept up with the pace of major metropolises
like New York and San Francisco, while the rest of the state
has been able to preserve its quiet charm.
Chicago
The direct translation of its name given by its
American Indian inhabitants meant "wild onion";
today, it is frequently referred to as The Windy City.
Located on the shores of Lake Michigan in the heart
of the Midwestern United States, Chicago is a multicultural
city that has its roots in its ethnically diverse history.
Between 1900 and 1930, thousands upon thousands of European
immigrants, African-Americans, and rural Midwestern youths
relocated to Chicago in search of steady work. Chi-town,
as it is endearingly called, was also home to countless famous
Americans including 1930s gangster
Al Capone, novelist Ernest Hemingway, and architect
Frank Lloyd Wright. In the early 1920s, jazz musicians
like Louis Armstrong made their way up the Mississippi
River from New Orleans to Chicago where they established
themselves, transforming the Windy City into a musical focal
point.
Today, the city virtually explodes with cultural activity
and countless attractions.
From never-ending nightlife and world-famous museums to lakefront
parks and vibrant ethnic neighborhoods, Chicago offers a range
of attractions to keep any traveler busy. While the city bustles
all year round, summer months offer the most activities. Catch
a Chicago Cubs game accompanied with a hotdog and a
beer at the historic Wrigley Field on a Saturday afternoon.
Stroll around the city's zoo in Lincoln Park or wade
in Lake Michigan along lakefront parks before exploring
Navy Pier for dinner and a Ferris wheel ride for a
better view of the city's skyline. Take an elevator to the
top of the Hancock Building for a bird's eye view or
strap on those shopping shoes for the famed 'Magnificent
Mile' which runs along Michigan Avenue from the
Chicago River to Oak Street. This strip offers
hundreds of specialty shops and boutiques presenting top-of-the-line
goods from around the world.
Springfield
Drive two hundred miles south of Chicago and you'll find
Springfield,
the state's capital, quiet and proud of its connection with
one of America's greatest presidents, Abraham
Lincoln. He lived in the city until he left to become
the sixteenth President of the United States in 1861, when,
while in power, he emancipated the rampant slavery of the
south. From that moment on, Springfield's history and future
have been inexorably tied to this American icon. The city
offers a 'Looking for Lincoln' tour for those who can't get
enough of American presidential history. The tour makes all
the stops: his boyhood home, several of his law firms where
he practiced, his home in the city (now a National Historic
Site), the train station where he departed for America's capital,
Washington D.C., and his tomb where he was laid to rest with
his family the rest of his family.
National Road
In the wake of America's in the Revolutionary War
of 1776, a new nation looked towards the unknown wilderness
of the Wild West. For the first half of the nineteenth century
and again from the late 1800s to the 1950s, Americans packed
their lives into wagons, and later cars, and began their adventures
on the National Road, America's first federal highway.
Today, the Historic National Road (Route 40) crosses
through Illinois to the great Mississippi River. And
while millions drive this road each year, the rolling prairie
fields remain untouched and small towns with main street storefronts,
soda fountains, one-room schools, museums, and old hotels
whisper to travelers of earlier times. For those seeking a
quiet drive through the heartland of America with stops in
small towns that have preserved their charm, the National
Road offers both scenery and a slice of American history. |
