Did You Know, Chicago? The Chicago Flood

We've all heard of the Chicago Fire, but have you heard of the Chicago Flood?

In 1992, construction crews working near the Kinzie Street Bridge punctured the ceiling on one of the abandoned tunnels under the Chicago River. It started leaking, but, in true Chicago fashion, nobody did anything about it.

After several weeks the leaking got worse and completely flooded the tunnels. The water rose so high that it flooded the basements of many downtown buildings. Electricity and natural gas was knocked out, and the entire Loop, Financial District, City Hall and even the subways, Board of Trade and Chicago Mercanitle Exchange were closed and evacuated.

The damage was estimated to cost about $1 billion. Some people didn't return to work for a month, and the subways were rerouted for weeks while water was pumped out of the tunnels. The flood cost the city even more money when the buildings and insurance companies sued.
What was really strange about the flood is that nobody was injured, and if you were standing on the street you would never know anything was wrong.

Even funnier: the city had absolutely no idea where the water was coming from until they started finding fish everywhere. 

Dehumidifiers snake out of DePaul University's Loop building at Jackson Boulevard and Wabash Avenue. The dehumidifiers were deployed to remove moisture from the air in the building's flooded basements. (Image and caption via the Chicago Tribune.)

The Great Chicago Flood of 1992 was an odd calamity that turned the Loop into a "soggy ghost town." It became an international news phenomenon, a joke for weeks on late-night talk shows and an item satirized by political cartoonists like the Chicago Tribune's Jeff MacNelly. (Image and caption via the Chicago Tribune.)

A passerby looks at a flood sale sign in a hand bag store at Wabash and Randolph Streets. Items in numerous downtown Chicago basements and sub-basements were damaged or destroyed due to the Great Chicago Flood.  (Image and caption via the Chicago Tribune.)

 

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Happy 4th! Not a ton on the big event docket, so just relax and enjoy. I'm putting on a bathing suit for the first time this season so I'm a little nervous, but I do love hitting the beach.

It's the last weekend for the Taste of Chicago! Have you gone yet?

Entertaining out-of-towners this weekend? Pay with a Bank of America card, and you'll get free admission to the Art Institute, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Shedd Aquarium, the Chicago History Museum, the DuSable Museum of African American History. I normally would ignore a credit card promotion like this, but admission to these museums can be pricy. If I had a Bank of America card, I'd take advantage of this.

If you're looking for urban 4th of July fireworks, Navy Pier is your only option. If you're willing to branch out into the suburbs, here's a list of fireworks displays to check out.

I might go to the African-Caribbean International Festival of Life. I haven't found too much information about it, but the website makes me want to get up and dance.

And remember, please wear sunscreen when you're outside this weekend! Anyone and everyone can get skin cancer, whether you're prone to burning or not. You'll notice a new badge on the right column of my blog. I took the pledge to be sun savvy. You should too!

via

Ethyl's Truckin' Thursdays

I think food trucks are just about the greatest thing since sliced bread, but (and I'm sure you're all tried of hearing about this) working out in the awful, mind-numbing, lifeless suburbs doesn't allow me to take advantage of their daily wares. I've already told you about Food Truck Tuesdays, but I found another weekly food truck gathering: Ethyl’s Truckin’ Thursdays.

Starting tonight, Ethyl's Beer & Wine Dive will host an array of food trucks every Thursday from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. in their parking lot in the West Loop. I've heard conflicting reports on just how many trucks will be there, but you can count on at least four every week. Tonight will feature Gaztro-wagon, Southern Mac, Meatyballs Mobile, 5411 Empanadas, Haute Sausage, Flirty Cupcakes and Sweet Ride.

By the way, I just heard that Food Truck Tuesdays has been extended through July, so you still have a chance to head out there.

If you're interested in learning more about the city's food truck movement, check out this website.

I REALLY want to try this one! via

You can't go home again; I miss you Santa's Village!!!!!!!

Mention Santa's Village to anyone who grew up in the Chicagoland area, and you'll most likely see a big smile spread across their face. Santa's Village was THE place you begged your parents to take you when you were little. Not only was it a kid-friendly amusement park opened all summer long, but it was SANTA themed! Candy canes, reindeer, ice cream. Joy of joys!

Images via Theme Park Review. It's a really weird website.

But all good things come to an end, and, after a large drop in attendance, it closed in 2006. Here is the tragic story of Santa's Village, as told by Wikipedia:

Santa's Village was a theme park that operated in East Dundee, Illinois from 1959 to 2006. The buildings were modeled on what an average child might imagine Santa's Village would look like...The unsuccessful launch of the "Typhoon" roller coaster, decreased attention to the aesthetics of the park and a decline of patrons eventually prompted the corporation to sell. The sale did not proceed as smoothly as hoped and with many setbacks and unmet deadlines the park had to shut its doors. In August 2006, the park announced its permanent closure.
 

This was my favorite ride. Mostly because I was (and still am) afraid of just about all theme park rides, and this one was pretty tame. And I liked sitting in something that looked like a doughnut.


Well, this year Santa's Village came back in some weird mish mash park that include something called Paintball Explosion and Azoosementpark. I never gave much thought to actually going to check it out, but the in-laws wanted to go with my husband's niece and nephew, so off we went.

It was probably one of the most depressing things I've ever seen.

Not only is the "amusement park" about a quarter the size, but there are now maybe a dozen rides built only for very small children. The park is clean, but it looks extremely old and worn. And there is a very strange collection of sad looking "exotic" animals. There were two turtles literally attacking each other! We had to call the zoo staff to break them up!

I guess if you're looking for something to do with a few five-year-olds on a summer afternoon, you could take them here. (P.S. admission is $16.50 for anyone over three.) Otherwise, don't bother tainting your fond memories.

Did You Know, Chicago? - The Streets of Chicago

As a reverse commuter, I often find myself winding along the city streets in an effort to avoid massive traffic jams. I have become very curious about Chicago streets, and, thus, the streets are the topic for this week's 'Did You Know, Chicago?'.

Every wonder why, if Chicago is on the grid system, we have those really random and annoying angled streets? These streets were originally Native American trails, established even before this place was called Chicago. Clark Street follows part of the old Native American Green Bay trail. Lincoln Avenue was called Little Fort Road and was founded because it ran on a ridge over the giant marsh that used to be Chicago.

Lake Shore Drive is such a strange invention. Who shoves a three-lane freeway on the edge of a giant lake? Well, it was originally just supposed to be a cute lakefront path for the carriages of Chicago's high society, but when the auto age came around someone thought it was a good idea to put cars on it. The Drive has been extended and realigned a ton of times, but it's still a giant mess.

The triangular-shaped intersection of Ashland Avenue, Milwaukee Avenue and Divsion Street forms the Polonia Triangle, also known as the Polish Triangle. This used to be the center of Chicago's enormous Polish community. (Another fun fact: Chicago is home to the largest Polish community outside of Warsaw.)

Western Avenue is the longest street in Chicago, and one of the longest in the country. It's also one of the most dangerous streets for bicyclists.

In my opinion, Halsted is one of the most diverse streets in the city. From north to south you have Boystown, old Cabrini Green, Goose Island, Greek Town, Hull House, fancy West Loop restaurants, Taylor Street/Little Italy, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Englewood and all the way to Chicago Heights.  

Hope you weren't on Lake Shore during the Snowpocalypse! I was! Fortunately I got of Lake Shore about 20 minutes before they closed it down and made people abandon their cars.

It's a "Pride Market Tasting" Kind of Weekend

There's tons of great events happening this weekend, but, more importantly, it's Pride weekend! The closest thing we have to Carnival, the entire Boystown neighborhood is THE place to be this Saturday and Sunday. Check out the calendar for a complete list of Pride happenings - my favorite is the annual Pride Shabbat beach service - but you NEED to make it out to the Chicago Pride Parade on Sunday. Absolutely the best parade you will see all year.

(I will say that the parade seems to get tamer every year. The city now puts up baracades and made it illegal to throw things into the crowd. When I moved to the neighborhood, people thought nothing of running topless along the parade route. Those were the days...)

The Taste of Chicago kicks off on Saturday. Be sure to read my Taste of Chicago Survival Guide before you go! I'm really excited for some of the new restaurants this year.

You know I don't usually recommend going out to the suburbs, but I do have to say that the annual Long Grove Strawberry Festival is adorable. Long Grove in itself is cute as a button, but when you toss in fresh strawberries hand-dipped in homemade chocolate, it's heaven. The festival starts today and runs all weekend.

The Randolph Street Market Festival will host its second installment this Saturday and Sunday.
A quick tip: don't be like me and completely miss the inside. Not sure how that happened, but I think I skipped half of the market that way. Here are a few photo highlights I took last month:

Happy Friday!!

Taste of Chicago Survival Guide

I can't believe it's already time for the Taste of Chicago! This year the Taste has kicked it up a notch with new vendors and programs, but a festival that attracts millions of people every year can still be a bit intimidating. Even more so if you're not a city person.


Photo from Wee Windy City

Now, here are some of Chicago Quirk's helpful suggestions when attending the Taste of Chicago. I'd like to preface this with the fact that I love the Taste, and you'll have a great time!

Try to avoid going to the Taste on the weekend. Last year, 700,000 people were at the Taste on July 3, and that's actually down from the over one million people that came the year before. The most ideal time to go is during your lunch hour or for a weekday dinner.

Bring the smallest purse/backpack you can find. The crowds are massive and a big bag will smack you and everyone else in the face. You also want to make sure it zips closed and can't be easily taken off of your shoulder. Chicago doesn't have a huge pick-pocketing problem, but the Taste always gets hit.

Make driving your absolutely last resort. You won't be able to find decent parking, and the sheer amount of people will make it impossible for you to get down the block. If you're coming from the suburbs, try to park at an outlying EL station and take the subway in. If you're taking the Metra, the stations are nowhere near the festival so either plan on walking or taking a cab. I'd recommend hopping on a bus, but there are going to be so many re-routes it probably isn't the best idea.

Instead of waiting in the loooonnnnngggg line to get your food tickets, you can buy tickets in advance at Dominick's when you show your Frest Values Card. Tickets will be sold in strips of 12 for $8, but if you buy them at Dominick's from June 16 - 23 they're $6 per strip. Definitely worth it.

Leave your maxi skirt or dress at home. The city trys to keep the festival clean, but it's pretty impossible. Any long clothing will become a magnet for ice cream and sauce puddles. And it will probably get stepped on.

Via About.com Taste of Chicaog photo gallery

And since you know I love my funfacts, here's a few tidbits about the Taste of Chicago:

The festival started in 1980 when a group of restaurants received a $150,000 budget from the city to host a Forth of July food festival. Around 250,000 people attended this one-day festival.

The first Taste of Chicago was held on Michigan Avenue, but due to large attendance the festival was moved to Grant Park the next year.

The Taste of Chicago is the second largest tourist attraction in the state of Illinois. It attracts more than 2.5 million visitors every year from all over the world.

Happy Tasting!