"My First Time... in Chicago"

Written by Sarah Anne Polsinelli


People whirl through revolving doors. Sirens whirl and blare in 5-minute intervals. Potted wildflowers dividerepparttar North and South lanes on Michigan Avenue. Children run splashing across a large outdoor work of art: Two 30 ft tall screens project ethnic faces, sporadically spitting out water ontorepparttar 138018 children that wait anxiously below them. This is Chicago. Ernest Hemingway,repparttar 138019 father of modern literature, was born here. So wasrepparttar 138020 most notorious gangster of all time: Al Capone. Comedian Bill Murray is from Chicago. The city’s most identifiable citizen, one ofrepparttar 138021 wealthiest and most influential women alive today, is Oprah Winfrey. There is so much to do duringrepparttar 138022 day that evenrepparttar 138023 most decisive person feels dumbfounded. We spent our days walking around aimlessly, straining our necks to admirerepparttar 138024 world-renown architecture. I shared an elevator with some German tourists, and later found out that many people fly in from Germany to go onrepparttar 138025 $10 “Mies and Modernism” architectural tour, which tracesrepparttar 138026 buildings of German-born architect Mies van der Rohe.

Chicago lacks a downtown "core" because every corner ofrepparttar 138027 city thrives in its own way – each one different, yet just as fascinating asrepparttar 138028 next. The endless supply of 50-plus storey condominiums and eighty-story buildings is astonishing. But you don’t feel dwarfed by these towering edifices because ofrepparttar 138029 expansive, meticulously kept sidewalks and pleasantly “green” streets. The windy city allows you to breathe, inrepparttar 138030 midst of an urban jungle.

Chicago’s appeal is broad because of its variety of attractions. The Shedd Aquarium is located 25 ft underground and boasts one ofrepparttar 138031 most diverse collections of sharks in North America. The Art Institute is internationally known for its French impressionist collection, but also displays art from Renaissance Italy and Ancient China.

But art isn’t simply contained withinrepparttar 138032 museum walls: Modern art pieces are scattered acrossrepparttar 138033 city’s several parks. Tourists flock torepparttar 138034 entrance ofrepparttar 138035 United Centre to seerepparttar 138036 world-famous sculpture of basketball legend Michael Jordan. The Uptown Jazz Club is a living museum of 1930’s Chicago. Oh, and jazz bars are everywhere.

Although jazz music and prominent players came to Chicago fromrepparttar 138037 south inrepparttar 138038 1920’s (the "Jazz Age") to enlivenrepparttar 138039 city's nightclubs with their performances,repparttar 138040 excitement still resonates. One ofrepparttar 138041 most scenic bars is located onrepparttar 138042 95th (yeah - 95th) floor ofrepparttar 138043 John Hancock building, with floor-to-ceiling windows and an unbelievable view ofrepparttar 138044 city.

Robbed On A Bus

Written by Steve Gillman


We knew better. Both me and my wife had a strong feeling we shouldn't get on that bus in Cuenca, but neither of us said anything. A taxi was two dollars, andrepparttar bus cost only twenty-five cents. Ana sat down, but there was no room left for me, so I was packed in withrepparttar 137991 other commuters standing up. Almost immediately I noticedrepparttar 137992 drunk pushing his way throughrepparttar 137993 crowd, randomly going this way and that.

I knew somethimg was up, and instinctively reached into my pockets to check on my money. We had just visitedrepparttar 137994 ATM that morning, andrepparttar 137995 $170 cash in my pocket wasrepparttar 137996 most we had carried in one place duringrepparttar 137997 entire trip. It was still there. The old guy pushed against me like he was trying to find a place to stand comfortably. I checked my pocket again.

A few minutes later some space opened up near Ana, and I went over to her seat. I reached in my pocket again, and it was empty. The other pocket was empty too. I hadn't felt a thing. The old drunk was still onrepparttar 137998 bus. I looked over at him.

"We've been robbed," I told Ana. "All of it." I grabbedrepparttar 137999 drunk, who was no longer acting drunk at all.

Atrepparttar 138000 next stop we got off, draggingrepparttar 138001 thief with us. A police officer appeared, and a crowd formed. The man was very sober now, pulling out his pockets and insisting again and again that he was inocent. He said we could search him if we wanted. I searched him, but understood now that his associate was long gone withrepparttar 138002 money, probably offrepparttar 138003 bus at a previous stop.

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