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Interesting Facts
- No visit to Chicagoland would be complete without a trip to the friendly confines located at the corner of Addison and Sheffield. First opened in 1914, Wrigley Field still boasts its original, ivy-covered, brick outfield and a manual scoreboard, both of which maintain the charm of one of baseball's last remaining shrines. After a game, be sure to spend time pub-hopping in Wrigleyville, the neighborhood that surrounds the "old ball park."
- For a little luck of the Irish, stop by Fadó Irish Pub in the Windy City's River North area. Originally built in Ireland, this authentic pub was disassembled, shipped to Chicago, and rebuilt by Irish craftsmen.
- Thoroughbred racing's first million-dollar race took place at historic Arlington Park in 1981, with Bill Shoemaker riding John Henry to a stunning, come-from-behind finish over The Bart. Today, a bronze statue of the Hall of Fame jockey stands on the paddock atop the park, commemorating the event and Shoemaker's marvelous achievement.
- Chicago is home to three of the world's tallest buildings, including the 1,454-foot Sears Tower. Able to accommodate the 14,000 people who work there, the tower also features 800 bathrooms! In addition, if all the cables and wires enclosed in the building were laid end-to-end, they would circle the earth's equator twice!
- Known as "The World's Busiest Airport," O'Hare International sees approximately 200,000 passengers each day. Indeed, with hourly flights to major American cities and 75 carriers offering regular service to cities around the world, it's impossible to dispute such a claim. O'Hare by the numbers: 7,700, the number of acres the complex takes up; 4, the number of terminal buildings; 72 (as in 'million'), the number of passengers who pass through O'Hare each year; and 50,000, the number of O'Hare employees.
- A little history: Originally known as Dunton (after entrepreneur land-owner William Dunton), the area that would become Arlington Heights was little more than a Chicago & Northwestern Railway stop in the 1850s. By the 1880s, however, the community boasted more than 1000 people and was briefly known as West Wheeling. By 1887, local leaders incorporated the Village of Heights, and its fortunes have soared ever since.
- The Chicago area is greatly affected when trade-show conventioneers come to town. The bad news for tourists is that when a convention takes place, almost every hotel room within a 100-mile radius of the Loop is booked, and rental cars are scarce. The good news is that large conventions and trade shows seem to show no effect on the availability of cabs and reservations at restaurants.
- When driving around the Windy City, be sure to mind your Ps & Qs. The city is not afraid to issue tickets, and more than 3 million traffic violations are given every year. For perspective, that's one ticket for every man, woman, and child living in Chicago.
- Arlington Park, which opened its gates for the first time in 1927, has enjoyed many firsts in its long history. In 1933, management installed the first all-electric totalisator, which decreased the time between races and showed the total amount bet on each horse. In 1936, Arlington Park debuted Chicago's first photo-finish camera, and 1940 saw the park introduce the first electric starting gate.
- In 1871, fire ravaged Chicago, destroying more than 17,000 buildings, leaving more than 100,000 people homeless, and killing 250. It should come as no surprise that Engine Company 98 was the first firehouse in the US equipped with a pole for firemen to slide down. First made of wood, the pole was eventually crafted of brass to prevent painful splinters.
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