Chicago

Population: 2.7 million; metro 7.1 million

Elevation: 665 ft

From the Indian word Checagou, meaning either "great and powerful," "wild onion," or "skunk," Chicago is the third largest city in the country, and the largest between the eastern seaboard and the Pacific Ocean. It is the most important Great Lakes port and the center of the nation's industrial area. the world's largest railroad terminal is here, as is O'Hare International Airport, the world's busiest airport.

The first Europeans known to have visited the site of Chicago were Joliet and Marquette in 1673. The first cabin was built about 1779 by Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a black explorer and fur trader. Fort Dearborn was constructed in 1804. In the face of Indian unrest, it was ordered evacuated in 1812, and more than half of the retreating garrison was killed. the post was burned and not rebuilt until 1816.

In 1830 the town of Chicago was laid out in a grid pattern. A drastic land boom followed the decision to make Chicago a terminal site on the proposed Illinois and michigan Canal. Connected by rail to San Francisco in 1869, the city held considerable promise.

Disaster struck the city on the evening of October 8, 1871. A cow in the stable of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary kicked over a paraffin lamp. A huge fire ensued - raging for 27 hours, wiping out over 17,000 buildings and leaving 1/3 of the population homeless. When a rainstorm put it out, not only was the Water Tower still standing, but so was Mrs. O'Leary's stable. As the city was quickly rebuilt, the skyscraper was invented (1883) and architects like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright worked in Chicago.

Architectural landmarks can be found throughout the city, but most are within the downtown area. Perhaps the most notable is the Wrigley Building on Michigan Ave at the Chicago River. Also of interest is the Monadnock Building, the world's tallest office building when built in 1891 and still the highest commercial building with outside walls of masonry construction.

Other notables include Federal Center Plaza; the Marquette Building; the First National Bank Building, the tallest bank in the world; Marina City, the scalloped cylindrical towers that among the most photographed complexes in the country; the Rookery Building, the world's oldest remaining steel skeleton skyscraper; the 110-story Sear's Tower - the world's tallest building at 1,454 ft - and the John Hancock Center, with 100 stories of shops, offices and apartments.

During the Roaring Twenties, Chicago was the home of many notorious gangsters. Al Capone made his illegal fortune selling "bootleg" whiskey and running "speak easy" bars during Prohibition. Capone was so powerful that at one point he almost took over the city. Capone was the brains behind "Murder Inc.," as he called his corps of "hit men." Such men were employed in activities such as the famous St. Valentine's Day Massacre in which Capone's mob (dressed as cops) executed 7 members of rival Bugs Moran's mob in a surprise machine gun attack. Capone was eventually convicted (of income tax evasion) and died of terminal syphilis in prison. Capone spent part of his prison life in Alcatraz Federal Prison in San Francisco.

Until 1924 Capone ran his operations from the now empty Lexington Hotel on the corner of Michigan Ave and Cermak. His home from 1923-1932 was at 7244 S Prairie Ave, between 72nd and 73rd.

Another famous mobster, John Dillinger, was leaving the Biograph Theater (2433 N Lincoln Ave) on July 22, 1934 when he was gunned down by federal agents. He had been betrayed by the notorious Lady in Red.

Museum of Science and Industry (corner of Lake Shore Dr & 57th) The museum is a reconstruction of the Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 Columbian Exposition. It contains exhibits of applied sciences, engineering and industry. Featured exhibits include a working replica of a coal mine, complete with mining equipment and an underground train, a German submarine captured during World War II, an incubator that hatches baby chicks, the Fairy Castle, a 16 foot walk through human heart and a large model train. M-F 9-5:30, Sat & Sun 9:30-5:30  Admission: $5 (Free Thursdays) ph: 312/684-1414

University of Chicago, one of the outstanding private universities in the United States, occupies a 175-acre campus flanking the Midway between Stony Island and Cottage Grove Aves and extending north to 55th St and south to 61st St.

Opposite the Research Institutes (5640 S Ellis Ave) stands Henry Moore's sculpture, "Nuclear Energy," which commemorates the Manhattan Project's first controlled nuclear chain reaction which took place in 1942 in a squash-court laboratory under the football field of the university.

Adler Planetarium is just E of Lake Shore Dr (US 41) at 1300 S Lake Shore Dr. A museum inside the planetarium building has a collection of timepieces, early scientific instruments, space-age hardware, models demonstrating the development of astronomy and an exhibit on the history of space travel. Daily 9:30-4:30 (Fri 9:30-9) Free ph: 312/322-0300

Shedd Aquarium (1200 S Lake Shore Dr) exhibits more than 6,000 fresh-water and marine animals in more than 200 naturalistic settings. The Oceanarium is said to be the largest indoor mammal marine pavilion in the world and contains whales, dolphins, sea otters, harbor seals, and a colony of penguins. Divers hand-feed fish in a 90,000 gallon coral reef exhibit daily at 11, 2 and 3, May-Aug; Mon-Fri at 11 and 2, Sat & Sun at 11, 2, and 3 rest of the year. Daily 9-6  Aquarium Admission: $3 Admission for both: $7 ph: 312/939-2438

Field Museum of Natural History (Roosevelt Rd at Lake Shore Dr) ranks among the world's foremost museums of natural sciences. Established in 1893, it houses more than 10 acres of exhibits surveying the Earth's history. Exhibits explore the primitive arts, cultures of the American Indian and the civilizations of China and Tibet. Open daily 9-5 Admission: $4 ph: 312/922-9410

Art Institute of Chicago (Michigan Ave at Adams St) houses famous paintings ranging from the 13th century to the present. The 19th- and 20th-century French Impressionist collection is among the best in the world. M-F 10:30-4:30 (Tues 10:30-8) Admission: $6 Free on Tuesday ph: 312/443-3500 or 443-3600

Grant Park (on the waterfront between Randolph & Roosevelt) is home to the Buckingham Memorial Fountain. It is made of red Georgia marble and surrounded by a formal garden. It is 280 feet at its greatest diameter; the central column of water rises to 135 ft.

Sear's Tower, (Wacker Dr at Adams) at 1,454 ft high, has 110 floors and contains 16,000 bronzed windows (one for each person who works in the building). There is a skydeck on the 103rd floor. The building itself was originally built for the Sears, Roebuck merchandising company as the ultimate status symbol. Skydeck open daily 9-11, May-Sept; 10-10 rest of year. Last admission 1/2 hr before closing. Admission: $4.25 ph: 312/875-9696

The John Hancock Center (875 Michigan Ave between Delaware Pl & E Chestnut St) is a 100 story complex. The center stands 1,125 ft high and contains offices, apartments, shops, and parking facilities. The X-frames on the tower are the center's distinguishing features. 94th Floor observatory open daily 9-midnight Admission: $3.65 ph: 312/751-3678

Lincoln Park lies along Lake Shore Dr from North Ave to Hollywood Ave. It is the largest park in the city.

The Water Tower and the Pumping Station (N Michigan & Chicago Ave) are the sole public building survivors of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The pumping station, which still supplies water to nearly 400,000 people on the North Side, now houses a multi-media production called Here's Chicago ($5.75). There is also free visitors information here.

The Tribune Tower is one of the city's more bizarre skyscrapers. Built in 1925 for the Chicago Tribune newspaper, it was the winning entry in America's most famous architectural competition. Many of the world's leading architects - 233 entries from 23 countries - submitted designs.