Illinois Travel

Illinois is mostly famous for being home to America's third largest city, Chicago which I finally visited in August 2011. Being such a large city, there is plenty left for me to explore and I'll definitely be visiting it again. This trip I spent most of my traveling time in the downtown parts of the city, but also stayed in a suburb of chicago. On my first trip to Illinois which was back in 2008, I explored the southern part of the state, which was mostly countryside and reminded me of states like West Virginia or Kentucky.

Illinois Links
	These two photos are of the downtown areas of Chicago, with the Chicago river running through the city on the left and the shores of the Lake Michigan against the city on the right. Chicago's American history began in the early 19th century with Fort Dearborn constructed by the US Army. This fort was destroyed in the war of 1812 when the US fought Great Britian again, but only 20 years later settlers returned and the town of Chicago was founded. In the next few decades Chicago grew to become a great city but was the site of one of the most tragic disasters the United States saw that century. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire scorched nearly a third of the city and killed thousands of people. Investors and new residents arrived to take up real estate and rebuilt the city better than it was. The first skyscrapper in the world was actually built in Chicago in 1885 and the city quickly became and remains one of America's largest population centers.
	Some old and new famous icons of Chicago are the Wrigley Building on the left and the 'Bean' on the lower left. Above is the Millenium Park Theater and the 'spitting' Crown Fountain below. I was surprised to find out that the Wrigley building here is actually the same Wrigley as in Wrigley Spearment Gum. The company was founded in Chicago back in 1891 but this building was constructed in 1920. The bean on the lower left has become a new icon for Chicago even though it was added just recently in 2006. It's nickname comes from its appearance, but the original intention was for it to be a cloud, also known as the Cloud Gate.


Above is some art work being sold on the left and the 'feet' on the right which are part of the Museum of Art.

One of the main reasons why Chicago grew to be such a great city is because of its efficient public transportation system. Since the late 1800s, Chicago became one of the main rail hubs in the country and today is still one of the largest hubs in the entire continent. The modern rail is known as Metra as seen at one of the station entrances above. The system performs just like any other city subway would just that they are build over the streets. I got to ride to a few places and took the pictures below of one of the trains I got on. Unlike most other cities, there is a flat fee you pay to board the train and are free to go anywhere you want. The only expection is you might have to pay a small fee for switching lines.


Two things Chicago is famous for are food and the great lakes. Above is Giordano's Pizza, which unfortunately I didn't have time to eat there because my flight was too soon and they had a wait. On the right, is Lake Michigan, one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world.

I've always known that Chicago sits on Lake Michigan, but for some reason I never associated or though of Chicago having real beaches. Beaches stretch for miles here, and with the warm summer weather no one was shy about jumping in even though the water is relatlively cold.

Here are two more photos that make you feel like you are right by the ocean instead of lake. Though being the largest fresh water lakes in the world you might as well be by the ocean I suppose. The yacht park on the left was one of many I saw all over the city, and the volley ball court was another common site by the waterfront.

These surrounding photos are of a neighborhood in Chicago called Logan Square. I visited Chicago for my girlfriend's sister's wedding reception, and she took me to this area since she used to live here. She describes Logan Square as a mixture of hipsters and different cultures. Above in the center was my first view of Logan Square after stepping off the train, and two cool houses covered in Ivy. Below is one of her favorite cafes that we visited that had some interesting art work made out of trash, such as the cardboard on the lower left, and their bathroom on the lower right.


These surrounding photos are outside of Chicago inside two nice suburb known as Elmwood Park and Oak Park which is where I stayed when I visited with my girlfriend. Above is a house from the neighborhood and on the upper right her sister's wedding cake. Below are photos of a farmers market that takes place every Saturday.


In the year 1000 A.D, an ancient native American civilization existed on the western border of Illinois right along the Mississippi River. The old city was once constructed of giant mounds with wooden temples on top, and surrounded by small villages. This area is known as the Cahokia Mounds, and is the largest native American ruins north of Mexico in the continent. Today the mounds have been weathered down and might not be very scenic, but they represent a unique tribe of Native Americans, who usually were nomads leaving little behind. The left photo is the largest mound known as the Monk Mound. On the right is a photo taken inside the visitor center, of what Cahokia Mounds might have looked like during its peak; in the background is a drawing of the Monk Mound.

Occasionally at the Cahokia Mounds are Indian festivals known as pow wows. Pow wows still take place all over the United States, and always include Native American singing and dancing with the traditional clothing. On the left is a Native American just after performing in the festival with a front and back photo. The lower left show the remains of a small hut in the Cahokia Mounds that was definitely duplicated. I stumbled across the pow wow on accident when it was almost done so I missed most of the singing and dancing but will definitely return for another one!

The entire western border of Illinois is made up of the Mississippi river, which runs from Minnesota all the way south to the Gulf of Mexico. On the left is a boat casino and hotel in Illinois taken from St. Louis Missouri. On the right is a trailer near East St. Louis, Illinois.

Further south in Illinois takes you near the border of Kentucky. Here religion is still strong in the community and you have a feeling of being back in the south, even though Illinois is traditionally seen as a mid-western state. On the left is a religious mural painted on the side of a building, on the right is a sign offering alligator meat at only $7.89 a pound.

The area in between the Missouri and Ohio Rivers is known as Shawnee National Forest. This is the best place for outdoors in Illinois, with plenty of trails and over night camping. On the left is a flower along the Mississippi river, on the right is a view Shawnee National Forest, with the wildnerness going back as far as you can see.

A very impressive part of Shawnee Forest are the boat rocks that are found in Ferne Clyffe park. The forest here is densely covered with decidious trees with giant moss boulders randomly scattered. Another scenic part of Shawnee is an area called Garden of the Gods, which also has some impressive rock formations and scenic views.

These two photos show some Cacti that I was surprised to find growing in the state as well as some mushroom growing off a tree in front of some strange type of rocks in Shawnee forest. I was definitely impressed with the outdoors of the southern part of the state.

This is a small but very cool swamp I saw next to the Mississippi river a few hours north of Shawnee. The entire swamp is covered with duckweeds, making it look like it is filled with green water. I saw several species of birds here such as a heron, gulls, and the wood ducks seen above.


	The large rock formations in Shawnee Forest formed a large cliff, with the bottom of it washed out forming a low ceiling. On the left is a box turtle taking shelter under the cliff after a rainstorm. On the right is a slug seen on one of the large boat rocks. Since it had just rained, the whole forest was extremely humid, reminding me of the Amazon.

	There was a lot of wildlife to been seen while I hiked in Shawnee. On the left is a terrible picture of a male buck, but something is better than nothing right? Also above is a hawk that was circling over a large lake.

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Illinois Travel

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