Illinois - Chicago

Clearfield, PA to Chicago, IL: Travel Distance: 854 km
AirBnB Accommodations: $ $471.69 CAD CAD for 3 nights

Chicago, formally the City of Chicago, is located on the shores of freshwater Lake Michigan, and is the third most populous city in the United States. As of the 2017 census-estimate, Chicago has a population of 2,716,450, which makes it the most populous city in both the state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States. The Chicago metropolitan area has nearly 10 million people, is the third-largest in the United States.

Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837 near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed and grew rapidly in the mid-nineteenth century. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed several square miles and left more than 100,000 homeless, the city made a concerted effort to rebuild. The construction boom accelerated population growth throughout the following decades, and by 1900 Chicago was one of the five

largest cities in the world.

Positioned along Lake Michigan, the city is an international hub for finance, commerce, industry, technology, telecommunications, and transportation. The city saw the creation of the first standardized futures contracts at the Chicago Board of Trade; which today is the largest and most diverse derivatives market in the world, generating 20% of all volume in commodities and financial futures. Chicago has one of the world's largest and most diversified and balanced economies, not being dependent on any one industry, with no single industry employing more than 14% of the workforce.

O'Hare International Airport is the one of the busiest airports in the world, and the region also has the largest number of U.S. highways and railroad freight. Chicago was the second most visited city in the

United States with 55 million domestic and international visitors, not far behind the 62 million visitors to New York City in 2017.

Landmarks in the city include Millennium Park, Navy Pier, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Willis (Sears) Tower to only name a few. Of the area's many colleges and universities, the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago are classified as "highest research" doctoral universities.

Chicago has professional sports teams in each of the major professional leagues, including two Major League Baseball teams - Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs; My favourite being the Chicago Cubs. The city has had several nicknames throughout its history such as the Windy City, Chi-Town, Second City, and the City of the Big Shoulders, referring to its numerous towers and skyscrapers.

We made our way from Clearfield to Chicago without any trouble. Driving on the US Interstates is simply a breeze. Usually they are 3 lane, double divided, and no ground level crossings. The large "M"(McDonalds) is usually at every overpass along the way and can be seen in the sky from miles away; calling you for a rest stop and a coffee or "any time, any size" $1.00 soft drinks. We arrived early to our side of the town, so we decided to head over to Costco to fill up

the car and pick up some dinner for the night. Usually on our first night in a city we like to kick up and keep Roxy company, helping her to adjust to her new environment.

We are staying in a ground floor apartment in an old home likely built in the turn of the century. The home has been divided into 3 apartments - main floor, basement suite and upper floor. Our hosts and their family live on the top floor. It is a 2 bedroom apartment with everything that you could imagine. Another comfortable space for us to hang our hat for a couple of nights. In the evening Glenda (our host), her mom, kids and dog all came down for a visit. What a wonderful family. She gave us some good tips on what we should do while we were in town for the short while. We have lots of great options for the next couple of days.