Chicago
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Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States, after New York City and Los Angeles. With 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States. The Chicago Metropolitan area, is home to 10 million people and is the third-largest in the United States. Today, the city is an international hub for finance, commerce, industry, technology, telecommunications, and transportation, with O'Hare International Airport being the busiest airport in the world; it also has the largest number of U.S. highways and railroad freight. In 2014[update], Chicago hosted 50.2 million international and domestic visitors. Chicago's culture includes contributions to the visual arts, novels, film, theater, especially improvisational comedy, and music, particularly jazz, blues, soul, and house music. The city has many nicknames, which reflect the impressions and opinions about historical and contemporary Chicago. The best-known include the "Windy City". Chicago has professional sports teams in each of the major professional leagues.
1. Millennium Park
Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago, and originally intended to celebrate the millennium. It covers a 24.5-acre section of northwestern Grant Park, and bounded by Michigan Avenue, Randolph Street, Columbus Drive and East Monroe Drive, features a variety of public art. Because the park sits atop a parking garage and the commuter rail Millennium Station, it is considered the world's largest rooftop garden.
2. Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. The other four Great Lakes are shared by the U.S. and Canada. It is the third-largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third-largest by surface area.. Twelve million people live along Lake Michigan's shores, mainly in the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. The economy of many communities in Northern Michigan and Door County, Wisconsin is supported by tourism, with large seasonal populations attracted by the beauty and recreational opportunities offered by Lake Michigan. Seasonal residents often have summer homes along the waterfront and return home for the winter.
3. Willis Tower
The Willis Tower, built as and still commonly referred to as Sears Tower, is a 108-story, 1,451-footskyscraper in Chicago. At completion in 1973, it surpassed the World Trade Center towers in New York to become the tallest building in the world, a title it held for nearly 25 years. More than one million people visit its observation deck each year, making it one of Chicago's most popular tourist destinations. The structure was renamed in 2009 by the Willis Group as part of its lease on a portion of the tower's space. As of December 2013, the building's largest tenant is United Airlines, occupies around 20 floors with its headquarters and operations center.
