CHICAGO

 

     

 

Hi, Welcome to Chicago

Well here I am in `The Windy City' ... and yes it didn't take me long to work out how this wonderful City managed to retain this name ha ha!

                  Sears Tower Entrance

 

Sears Tower

The view from here really is amazing! You can see 40 – 50 miles (65 - 80 kilometres) on a clear day, and you will hopefully also be able to see four states; Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, just by walking around the Skydeck. I felt this was definitely a must for any tourist. I spent quite some up here taking in my first views of this wonderful city, and as the sun went down, the city came alive. Memorable is a word I would use to describe this tower.

The Sears Tower is 1,450 feet (443 meters) high - 1,730 feet (520 meters) including twin antenna towers. This is the fourth largest building in the world and you really do get a good view of this City.
   

 

The Great Chicago  Fire 

Historians agree that on Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, the Chicago Fire did start in the barn of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick and Catherine O’Leary.

Did Mrs. O'Leary's cow start the Great Chicago Fire?

There's evidence that suggests she did. The uncontrollable fire almost surely began in the vicinity of the crowded family barn, where, in addition to a horse, a calf, and a wagon, Kate O'Leary kept the five cows she milked twice a day for her local dairy business. The O'Learys had just stored plenty of coal, wood shavings, and hay to see them and their livestock through the winter--(and to feed any fire once it got going).  Kate supposedly revealed to different people the morning after the blaze began that she was in the barn when one of her cows kicked over a lantern. This has never been proved or disapproved.

While the fire spared the O'Leary home, located on the city's West Side, much of the rest of Chicago was not so fortunate. Before the fire died out in the early morning of Tuesday, October 10, 100,000 people were left homeless, and 300 people lost their lives.

The board of enquiry members failed to discover the fire's cause, stating in their report that "whether it originated from a spark blown from a chimney on that windy night, or was set on fire by human agency, we are unable to determine."

So did Mrs. O'Leary and her cow cause the fire, or is this merely a nineteenth-century urban legend? A study of the original transcripts of this inquiry, provides powerful evidence that the latter may be the case.

Wrigley Field - Chicago Cubs

Unfortunately there wasn't a game on whilst I was here but I did get to see the famous site. Since September 11th there are no tours around the Chicago Cubs Field, which is a shame but I guess that is how it has to be if everyone is to remain safe in this world we have today. As we couldn't tour inside we were advised to take a look at the famous field from the railway line that is opposite, from there you get a good view of inside the Wrigley Field playing ground.

 

 

 

Disney's "The Lion King" - Cadillac Palace Theatre

The Lion King tells the story of the epic adventures of a young lion cub named Simba as he struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destined role as king. Visually stunning, technically astounding and with a musical score like none other you have ever heard. Giraffes strut, birds swoop, gazelles leap. The entire savannah comes to life and as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist. I was totally dumb struck, and for me that has to be a first! ha ha ha!

This was an amazing night for me.  There I was standing in the queue with everyone else, yet I felt like I was a little kid, talk of being excited is an understatement, and I shall not forget this evening. The characters came alive on stage and this really was a show that left the audience gob smacked at times. You were never sure whether to keep your eyes focused on the stage or to look around the theatre for more characters, as I said truly amazing!

I was curious as to how they would be able to bring the characters of this famous Disney film onto the stage, bring them to life and keep it interesting.  I shouldn't have doubted the cast and crew they definitely excelled themselves.  You always see the human factor in the character but somehow that makes it even more believable. Seeing is believing as they say.

 

 

 

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