Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I’m Faith Lapidus.
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And I’m Steve Ember. This week: some places to see in Chicago.
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Early last century, the poet Carl Sandburg described Chicago, Illinois, as the “City of the Big Shoulders.” That still seems right. Chicago does a lot of things in a big way.
For example, the city is a big transportation center in the Midwest for trains, trucks, ships and planes.
Manufacturing is one of the biggest industries in Chicago.
And Chicago has one of America’s busiest ports. The city stretches for about forty kilometers along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. The Saint Lawrence Seaway opened in nineteen fifty-nine. It connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
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Chicago is big on music. Visitors can find all kinds, from classical to hip-hop. Some of the best places for jazz and blues are along Rush Street.
There are lots of things to see and hear in Chicago.
At the Art Institute of Chicago, people can see fine Asian art and much more.
At the Museum of Science and Industry, visitors crowd a working coal mine and a World War Two submarine.
At the Adler Planetarium, people see stars and learn about space. And at the Shedd Aquarium, they see colorful fish and learn about life under the sea.
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Not surprisingly Chicago has a lot of big buildings. The two tallest are the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Building.
Many people take architectural tours around Chicago. There are many interesting landmarks and building designs to see.
The Wrigley Building, near the Chicago River, opened in the early nineteen twenties. This office building is hard to miss. It is bright white.
Downtown Chicago, the business center, is known as the Loop. There are many offices and stores. The Loop includes the financial district around LaSalle Street. The financial district is home to the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Stock Exchange and many banks.
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Another big thing to see, and feel, is the weather. After all, another name for Chicago is the "Windy City." People turn their shoulders to the strong winds off Lake Michigan. In winter, Chicago gets a lot of snow; in summer, the weather is hot and sticky.
Almost three million people live in Chicago. Chicago is America's third largest city, after New York and Los Angeles. More than nine million people live in surrounding communities.
Over the years many immigrants have settled in Chicago. Many of its people have ethnic roots in Poland, Germany, Ireland and Italy. More recent immigrants have come from all over the world.
Today just under half the population of the city of Chicago is non-Hispanic white. The city has large black and Hispanic populations. Four percent of the people are Asian.
