Chicago: Home: A City of Commerce and Industry
The place chosen for this study was Chicago. I chose to observe the Willis Tower, also known as the Sears Tower, at the center of the city at 233 South Wacker Drive. This is the specific given address for the building itself. The general area is known as the “Loop”. This is the absolute location that pinpoints it on the earth, and there are enormous buildings that surround it. The area is urban, and there are skyscrapers surrounding . The Sears tower is used for business, and so are the buildings around it. There are also many restaurants and other things to visit in the area. The Sears tower is the most noticeable building downtown because of its height, and it is well known around the world. It is a skyscraper surrounded by skyscrapers, making it one of the world’s major cities.
The economic systems based on characteristics and location within the world market are represented by all the buildings in the “Loop” area. The city has an absolute location, and in this case the Sears building is the focus of observation, as well as buildings surrounding it. The Sears tower also has a relative location. This is a place it holds in respect to other locations. For example, the Sears tower has a relative location, in that it has a location within the economic system based on its characteristics and location within the world market. The businesses that surround it are part of this relative location. The landscape, the things that appear vertically around the Sears Tower, are skyscrapers that also conduct commerce and industry. There are street signs at the intersections, restaurants, and constant movement in the area. Of particular importance would be the Chicago Board of T...
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...mplishment that it is an attraction in itself that people want to visit and experience, making tourism another factor in what makes the city run.
Chicago is home to those of us born or raised in the bustling and heavily occupied streets of the city. It is identifiable to many generations by the Sears Tower, (Willis Building) which is distinctive. The trains, busses, and constant traffic also make this city one of movement, and communications. It is home because it provides endless opportunity while valuing architecture and growth. It holds culture in the food, commerce, and arts that it provides. It is a spectacular city, built on a lake that makes its human imprinting even more astounding in terms of accomplishment. This is what makes Chicago a landmark city, and home for me, personally.
Ehrenhalt, Alan (2012-04-24). The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City (Kindle Location 283). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
The TD Centre is a landmark of Toronto. It is one of the most recognizable elements of the downtown core. It has gained this status for two main reasons. The first one concerns its historical significance: the complex was one of the first of many skyscrapers built in the international style. The second reason is personified by the individual behind the planning and realization of the project: Mies van der Rohe. The building was the last high-rise the world-famous modernist created and therefore it embodied all of his concepts and beliefs on the international style. The complex as a whole stands out in the multitude of high-rises of the downtown core because of its typical, recognizable and repeated style. The original three point configuration by Mies has been expanded during the years with three new buildings by architectural firm Bregman and Hammond. Those new additions are different in the relationship they create and extend to the original buildings. In approaching the complex a distinct feature becomes clear. The complex itself is an urban extension of the international style. When entering the area both by car and as a pedestrian an individual is not only witness to a number of remarkable buildings but finds himself immersed in a modernist urban space. In this short analysis it is important to pay specific attention both to the type of construction and to the materials used. All of those elements are important in recognizing how the development of the TD Centre in the 60s shaped the architecture of downtown Toronto and became a widely imitated example of managing the public space surrounding a building.
With this in mind, Chicago is a wonderful place to visit and live, however it does have it light and dark side. Millions of people visited Chicago for it cultural events, annual festivals, to walk, jog, or ride a bike along the lakefront. Visit the Planetarium, museums, Art Institute or ride up to the 103rd floor of Willis Tower. Take in a movie go shopping down Michigan Ave, or State Street. Nevertheless, be careful of the dangers hidden in some of the neighborhoods in Chicago.
In the United States there are many highly populated, big cities that exist. They not only serve as purpose for business and industry, but also serve as homes for many people. Chicago, the third highest populated city in the United States, can be defined in several different ways. Carl Sandburg a fan and native of Chicago describes the city. Sandburg describes the city in different ways with his poems “Chicago” and “Skyscraper.” Both poems portray the city as lively and dominant, but the poem "Skyscraper" acknowledges drawbacks of the city.
The setting of the story is Chicago’s South Side. This area of Chicago was known as the “capital of black America” (Manning), and according to Andrew Wiese, Chicago used to be known as “the most segregated city in America” (118). These seriously contradictory statements are true. Chicago’s South Side was home to William L. Dawson, who was the most powerful black politician at the time, and Joe Luis, who was a boxing champion and was known as the most popular black man in America (Manning). It was the most popular place for blacks to migrate to during the Great Migration, and the population grew from 278,000 blacks to 813,000 blacks. Most of the neighborhoods located in the South Side were poor and highly segregated from the rich white neighborhoods located just outside the South Side (Pacyga). The housing in these areas was very poor as well. Most of the African Americans at the time lived in a small apartment called a kitchenette. These were cramped with a small kitchen and small rooms (Plotkin). Lorraine Hansberry describes the Youngers house as a worn out, cramped, and very small apartment (23). She also talks about the small kitchen, living room, and bedrooms (24). These apartments were not ideal, but it was all that many African Americans could afford. If African Americans tried to move nicer neighborhoods, whites would perform violent acts on them (Choldin). This violence was recorded in a African American newspaper, known the Chicago Defender (Best).
Chicago also has multiple arena and stadiums to attend sporting and concert events, including Wrigley Field, US Cellular Field, Soldiers Field, United Center, Rosemont Theatre, and The Chicago Theater. I also visited Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo on the lakefront, and Brookfield Zoo which is located Southwest of the city. If you want to spend time on Lake Michigan, there are many beaches for swimming, and piers for boating. I can honestly say that Chicago has a lot to offer. I never had a boring time. Of the many things I miss about not living in Chicago, one of them is the food. I love Chicago hot dogs, pizza, and Chinese cuisine. Chicago neighborhoods have multiple, family owned restaurants and hot dog stands. You have enormous menu choices from hamburgers, cheese fries, hand dipped ice cream and shakes, hot dogs, gyros, giant fried shrimp, Italian beef, and one of my favorites, the "Confused Chicken Sandwich". Chicago also has multiple family owned pizza "joints", such as Lou Malnati's, Gino's East, Old World, Home Run Inn, and my two favorites, Amato's Pizza and Giordano's. The best Chinese food I've ever tasted is made in
Every morning on my way to school I often pick up the Red Eye newspaper and read the latest news happening in Chicago. As I skim the pages I often see a section that shows the homicide tracker in the city of Chicago. This section of the newspaper shows numerous of deaths occurred in a month in a specific area. Consequently, similar to this homicide tracker on the newspaper the following articles have about the same homicide stories that have occurred in the city of Chicago years ago. In the book The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson illustrates the dreadful events about crime, violence, and illness all leading to death; The Coldest Case: The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre by Jonathan Eig describes a tragic murder of six men by the mob making Chicago seen as a gangland murder capital; The Untouchables by Eliot Ness tells the conflict Eliot Ness experienced trying to put the gangster Al Capone out of business, and For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age Chicago by Simon Baatz retells the case of judge Clarence Darrow which was to defend two boys of receiving the death penalty. The combination of these three stories shows serious issues such as crime, corruption and violence that are plaguing Chicago.
Diversity in Chicago is astounding, known for the contrasting ethnic and racial society having contributed to the cultural and economic value of that great city. Chicago is defiantly one of the ultimate divers’ cities in the country. The City of Chicago thrives on its multicultural diversity and harmony throughout its neighborhoods. The city is overflowing with diversity from amazing dining and shopping to the breathtaking views from either the lakefront or even some of the most spectacular architecture skyscrapers. It is accustomed that Chicago defiantly represents diversity and its countless designs. However, diversity exists in Chicago that has a tendency to go unnoticed diversity of the individuals that compose the city.
Times Square finds itself in a city whose complexity in culture and spontaneity in character, often leaving its visitors as mere spectators, contrasts sharply with the perspective of an organized tourist industry. However, the creation of some destinations from scratch, completely repurposed districts, and the organization of the chaotic life in New York into something safe and consumable have no doubt made Times Square a place to visit as well as ridding it of many neg...
Chicago has played a major role in American Literary history. As African American writers struggled to express their unique literary voice, they sought to celebrate diversity of the American people and to develop a unifying national identity for themselves (Woolley).
Chicago, one of the most popular cities in America. Visits from families all around the country, what makes this place so great? Is it the skyscrapers that protrude the sky? Or is it the weather people loved? Does Chicago being the second most favored city in America show that this town has some greatness? In the nonfiction novel The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson uses imagery, tone, and figurative language to portray the dreamlike qualities of Chicago and the beauty that lies within this city.
Location, location, location -- it’s the old realtor 's mantra for what the most important feature is when looking at a potential house. If the house is in a bad neighborhood, it may not be suitable for the buyers. In searching for a house, many people will look at how safe the surrounding area is. If it’s not safe, they will tend stray away. Jane Jacobs understood the importance of this and knew how cities could maintain this safety, but warned of what would become of them if they did not diverge from the current city styles. More modern planners, such as Joel Kotkin argue that Jacobs’s lesson is no longer applicable to modern cities because they have different functions than those of the past. This argument is valid in the sense that city
One World Trade Center (WTC) is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere measuring up at 1776 feet tall. The built output sets new standards of design, construction, and prestige. Its beauty in New York City’s magical skyline makes it an icon. It is the most recognised and desirable office address in the world. In this essay I plan to argue that the social, political and economic status of society has affected the built output of this building considerably, for the good. Making the building one of the best skyscrapers in the world.
In Ernest W. Burgess’s “The Growth of the City: An Introduction to a Research Project,” (1925), the author delves deep into the processes that go into the construction of a modern city or urban environment. Burgess lists its following qualities: skyscrapers, the department store, the newspaper, shopping malls, etc. (p. 154). Burgess also includes social work as being part of a modern urban environment. This is supported by his construction model based on concentric circles that divided Chicago into five zones. The first was called a center loop meant for a business district. Secondly, there was an area for business and light manufacture. Third, there was a “zone for working men’s homes” (p. 156). The fourth is the residential area of high-class apartment buildings. The fifth is where suburban houses are located.
Tourism is often associated with traveling to places away from home. Tourism has a big impact on the economic growth of some countries, which define the shape of their cities by producing different sectors like historic districts, convention centers, museums, malls, hotels, restaurants, and the list can be endless. Furthermore, tourism elements have been developed by cities for a variety of reasons including: situating themselves in the world by drawing a positive image and attracting visitors and for their money.