Every summer my family would visit my grandfather's farm out in the middle of nowhere, also known as South Dakota. But every time we went, we would always make a stop in Chicago on the way there and on the way back. Ever since I can remember, I have always had a natural affinity for the skyline of this great city. A mix of early 20th Century art deco style skyscrapers and newer, modern designs from after World War 2 makes for a large list of iconic buildings that define the city of Chicago. From Sears Tower (no it will never be the Willis Tower) to the Tribune building to the Merchandise Mart to Trump Tower, it all makes for a skyline that is beaten by few other cities not just in the United States, but in the entire world.
From the first time I visited, I have always associated Chicago as a distinctively American city. Since my uncle and aunt on my dad’s side also live here as well as being the hometown of my paternal grandmother, I have always associated the city with my dad’s family, which is the American side.
Overtime, after many visits as well as visits to other cities, I have come to realize that out of all of the cities in the United States, Chicago is the one that best captures Americana and American culture. Its large skyline and expansive landscape as far as the eye can see perfectly captures America’s reputation as a large, sprawling place, both with its cities and landscape in general. The architecture of the city is a mix of almost every era in the United States, with the added bonus of being home to some of the most renowned American architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright. It is home to the headquarters of McDonald’s, possibly the most recognizable American brand of all time and home to the flagship McDonald’s restaurant, known as the Rock and Roll McDonald’s. It is for these reasons that my dad and I refer to Chicago as “the largest American city.” While New York and Los Angeles are larger in terms of population and area, both have grown very cosmopolitan to the point where they both lost some of their American roots in the process.
Chicago offers a mix of a lot of pretty much every region in America. As a Rust Belt city along the Great Lakes, it shares a lot with the surrounding region including culture, accent, weather, and the history of losing its industrial manufacturing jobs in the second half of the 20th century, although Chicago was able to adjust its economy more toward service industries like tech and education, much like what happened in cities on the East and West coasts such as New York and San Francisco. Thanks to the Great Migration, Chicago was a hub city for Jazz and rock music and more recently hip hop, both imported from the Southern United States. The city is not only a hub for all things American, but as the largest city in the middle of the country it also acts as the connector to everywhere else in the country. Chicago’s domination in transportation has been a given for all of its history, from the age of the steamboat to the age of rail to today in the jet age, with Chicago O’Hare Airport consistently being ranked one of the busiest in the country and the world.
The city of Chicago will always have a special place in my heart. Its unique history and atmosphere is something that will always stand out to me and attract me to visit again and again and maybe someday live there. There is a lot going on in this city and everything here has a unique American flare to it. I will be back here soon.
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