How Chicago Built an Amazing Lake Shore

[@rossedwardmiller]

I can always tell whether someone has been to Chicago or not. I’ll tell people how much I love it and they always ask about the crime, and never know about the beach.

[@mazlumdogan7960]

I am from turkey, I have been to Chicago in 2019. I did not know that a city could be this beautiful. I definetely want to be there again.

[@frankkolton1780]

For many years, no matter where in the country or world you went, people always commented on and asked questions about the gangsters, Al Capone and his ilk, not the street punks on the South and West sides we have now.

[@seanthe100]

Chicago is an awesome city to visit.

[@annapavfan4680]

Yup and the amazing food and festivals in the summer 😁👍🏼

[@MightBeAPizza]

I live in the Southeast as of now, but seriously considering moving to Chicago though I've yet to visit. While most people I talk to about Chicago haven't visited, I'm surprised that crime hasn't been brought up more often to me when people react to the move. People are literally talking about its history, it being a good alternative to NYC, it's architecture, and so on. I'm excited to visit and live there and I'm glad not everyone thinks of it as some warzone.

[@mauricehopes9105]

I didn't realize how special and unique Chicago's lake front is until I started traveling around the country. Most of the other large cities that are right off water (new york, miami, Los Angeles, or Milwakee ) don't have expansive beaches and infrastructure right on their waterfronts. Except for Santa Monica pier and coney island New York and L.A. do surprisingly little with their ocean fronts. And Milwaukee has a big lake park, but there's only one beach on it. Miami has tons of beaches, but most if it is private to the condos built on the ocean. In Chicago there are tons of beaches, 15 miles of parkland and bike trails, skate parks, Museums, dinner cruises, boating, and tons of other stuff on the lake. All of the park land is very popular and gets used constantly (except for during winter). Chicagoians love our waterfront. Chicago is far from perfect. We have tons of problems. But our lakefront is amazing and beloved.

[@foxesamu]

So true. The first time I went to Milwaukee I was so confused by the barren lakefront.

[@nebuloushammer8773]

The whole gulf coast is a public beach in Texas. Good job, Texas.

[@certifiedforkliftdriver9987]

@@foxesamu Barren? Litterally ALL of the Milwaukee lakefront is public land, save Jones island, an industrial area.

[@sor3999]

Los Angeles has tons of beaches and they aren't cheap to maintain. Just because it doesn't provide a view of a manicured garden with fancy museums for it's wealthy water front property owners doesn't mean LA isn't doing anything with it. I prefer they stay beaches.

[@xGatoDelFuegox]

It's our crown jewel.

[@Thukad]

Fun fact, when Chicago burnt down the Queen of England was horrified and sent a few ships filled with books (many from her own collection) to help rebuild the Chicago library. While private libraries with memberships had been a thing before the fire (and burnt down in it), Chicago had never before had a public library. The enormous quantity of books coming from donors worldwide made the construction of a public library a requirement in the rebuilding of the city.

[@brianarbenz7206]

Chicago does more with a lakefront than most cities do with an oceanfront. And to compensate for the absence of mountains, the city built a skyline that serves as the best human-made equivalent of a mountain range ever. Your look at the history behind this is wonderfully thorough, relevant and lively. Great work, City Beautiful!

[@Vanilla_Wafr]

As a Chicago resident that enjoys the beaches, you did its history right here. Keep up the good work!!

[@newsaxonyproductions7871]

*its

[@coolthefool1]

did you live past the age of 12

[@davidroddini1512]

I was not surprised. Big cities tend to have a lot of “beaches”. But I am too much of a gentleman to say it in front of them.

[@guitarninja0403]

@@coolthefool1 you're not funny. Everyone goes "oh haha Chicago more like Chiraq" and they don't look at the crime rates of their metropolitan area.

[@chrisnash430]

@@guitarninja0403 Its a shit storm in Chicago, hate to break it to you

[@majy1735]

I (European) took my first visit to Chicago last year and I have to confess it was even better than what I expected. It's really an awesome city, with a compelling architecture and, as this video points out, a gorgeous waterfront. Thumbs up!

[@natebarry5553]

Where from in Europe, if i may ask? I'm from Chicago

[@Kellog888]

Same im from south chicago its great to hear people enjoy my home one of the thkngs im truly proud of is the effort weve all put in to out archetecture

[@Cruz474]

If Chicago didn’t have this Lakefront I wouldn’t even THINK about living here. It is absolutely amazing in the summer. Stunning and stellar views/vibes. 10/10 Best lake/oceanfront in the US.

[@KNByam]

But everything I hear about Chicago makes it seem like the worst place to live in the world. Fox news paints a picture like people are getting killed left and right all over the city.

[@ionelmasca2791]

@Dickgirl Nationalist yeah it is one of the richest cities in the world (3rd richest in the US). Wish to visit it as soon as possible.

[@02139atm]

They tried to hide all the violence and REAL problems with a bullshit park for all the white people

[@SunMoon-cg2ol]

Road condition is far below the third world countries! Come and experience driving on Lakeshore Dr!

[@spicyryne23]

@@SunMoon-cg2ol you obvi have never been to a 3rd world country

[@themasterjay7189]

I’ve been lookin at Chicago’s beautiful lakefront ever since I was 9 years old. I love how the city appreciates its lakefront and the iconic Skyline. It shows how much the city complements the parks and greenery that stretches from the Southside to the Northside. Now, I don’t know why they built a Major 10 Lane Road, but needless to say, it doesn’t really get in the way when u see the Skyline from the lake, so props.

[@kelvinw.1384]

It’s supposed to be a drive and that’s why pick up trucks and semi’s are banned from it. they never planned for it to be a major highway. It was just supposed to be a pleasure drive. But with cars become as important...altered that.

[@whoishim2998]

@@kelvinw.1384 and maybe relieve some traffic

[@utterbullspit]

Chicago is definitely my favorite city in the U.S. It sits right on a lake and has so much green space and park lands. A really beautiful city in my opinion.

[@Bob-te3le]

Chicago is my favorite also. To me Chicago is the best city in the USA if not the world. I argue with New York City fans all the time over which city is greater. To me Chicago & New York City are the 2 best cities in the country if not the world. I love Boston also.

[@JeffWallick]

Did I just learn that the land under Millennium Park is basically debris from The Great Chicago Fire?? Honestly, my mind was just absolutely blown. What a cool story.... thanks so much for sharing. I'm from Ohio and I've lived in Chicago for about five years. I absolutely love this place and will probably never leave. The Lakefront is one of my favorite places in the world.

[@thefrub]

Debris is very useful as landfill... FDR Drive in NYC is built on the ruins of Bristol UK after 1,700 ships used rubble as ballast while bringing supplies to England

[@Mattthewanderer]

There are parallels to San Francisco building massive flat areas using debris from the big earthquake.

[@mohare134]

Interesting related note on this. When construction is taking place East of Michigan Ave, you have to perform thorium and other hazardous ground testing due to the decomposing nature of the debris. We've found old boats, bottles/cans and rail lines. All kinds of stuff is buried there.

[@garyconner6151]

My home town.chicago.

[@justdrive5327]

Michigan Avenue was our old Lake Shore Drive more than a century ago. Everything east of that was water. Chicago is also the only US city that has multi street levels. The city was raised multiple times due to flooding because Chicago was built on a swamp. Lower Wacker Drive is our orginal street level. Chicago has the most miles of underground tunnels of any city. The world's largest tunnels system if you include all miles of abandoned/sealed tunnels left behind from old subway lines, rail lines, etc. There's more proof of this outside of Downtown. Pilsen, Chinatown and other neighborhoods have buildings that have their 1st floor stairs go up to the sidewalk, instead of down

[@berrylarry20]

I'm a third generation Chicagoan and we've been enjoying the lakefront for decades. Love how it's always improving with bike trails, beach festivals, public commodities, and entertainment for everyone.

[@tubz]

I moved to Chicago a few months ago and WOW I can't get over how much public lakefront there is. Love this city, truly a gem.

[@frederickjones3918]

I hope your enjoying the city's history museums food and downtown

[@bradybrapples]

go to pequods and moody's in rogers park

[@carldavis1774]

i'm sorry, enjoy beetle juice

[@dans3294]

See how you like it in February. Chicago is great at first then it’s appeal wears out quickly

[@troyarrington5492]

@@dans3294 if you can’t handle cold, don’t come here

[@EmilyTienne]

Hands down, America’s most beautiful city, and I’ve seen many beautiful cities here and abroad. The free and largely open lakefront makes Chicago unique and wondrous.

[@willrobinson4976]

Absolutely, it's beautiful.

[@poopisgood3752]

not u.s most beautiful city but one of them.

[@EmilyTienne]

@@donnerwetter1905 it doesn’t “ruin” anything. But, yes, would be better if it was a quiet tree lined parkway, 35 mph tops.

[@bruceli9094]

I guess you've never been to Alaska, It's the MOST beautiful city by FAR.

[@EmilyTienne]

@@bruceli9094 Nah, Mississippi is the most beautiful city BY FAR.

[@elijahbee34]

I'm a native New Yorker and never been to Chicago, but I always felt Chicago had a better waterfront.

[@GRANOLA77]

A lot cleaner city too

[@pinker812]

We have alleys for trash.

[@TheHopetown]

Rio has a beach, Chi-town has murder.

[@GRANOLA77]

@@TheHopetown Only in the places tourists never go to.

[@TheHopetown]

@@GRANOLA77 sounds great but I’m skipping it

[@kelly2631]

"Mate your house will be gone in 20 years, we're gonna build a seawall." "And I'm not paying for it."

[@Buildbeautiful]

Chicago is a long way from the sea

[@andrewevans5750]

guess the republicans need a company that wants an el-paso to san diego elevated tramway

[@feartheghus]

@@andrewevans5750 why exactly?

[@andrewevans5750]

@@feartheghus dude get the original sarcasm. the wall.... is it clear yet

[@c.simmons2147]

That is basically the same thing going on in the Bay Area right now with corporate campuses for Google and Facebook.

[@wclark3196]

Poor Chicago. They're stuck with all these parks. Fortunately, the geniuses in my home of Toronto went a different way. When all the warehouses and docks shut down, they knew that it would be better to build lots of tall, ugly, generic condominiums along the lake. Sometimes we get a bit of a promenade beside the lake but mostly we get to walk on the street because looking at the lake should be for rich people. This started 40 years ago, so it's still not finished, but we are doing our best to keep the public away from the lake and vigourously building more condos.

[@TheTroyc1982]

Toronto needs more housing right now, not more parks which we already have a ton of including many lakefront parks from Mississauga to Pickering. Lets not forget about the Toronto Islands which by themselves are more than twice the size of Grant Park and to me is a superior park space.

[@wclark3196]

@@TheTroyc1982 Yeah, those giant concrete and glass hulks that have cut off millions of residents from the lake that should be a communal birthright are really providing a lot of affordable housing. Your shilling for such an obviously bad idea that can only be good for the short-term gain of a few and your attempt to pretend that Pickering and Mississauga are Toronto can mean only one thing: you're a real estate agent. Go back to Oakville, shill.

[@weenisw]

Those Toronto condo buildings truly are exceptionally generic. The row of buildings at the South end of Grant Park always remind me of that aspect of Toronto

[@TheTroyc1982]

@@wclark3196 so where would you put the 20,000 people who live in these condo's then and how would removing 20,000 housing unit from Toronto supply help affordability? Toronto has tons of waterfront parkland and it really doesn't need anymore. I mention the Toronto Islands earlier and guess what, they are over twice the size of Grant park if you want a central big park for Toronto there it is. Grant Park: 129 ha Toronto Islands: 332 ha

[@joshduni]

Ironically, you can thank environmentalists for Toronto’s sprawling waterfront. Because they are dead set against building out into the suburbs, that really leaves no other choice to solve the housing shortage than to build condos wherever there’s space in the already sprawling downtown and lakeshore. As someone living in the gta, I would much rather we build outwards, which Chicago has done.

[@mentonerodominicano]

Love Chicago so much. Never get tired of visiting. Makes sense that lakefront was planned. It's beautiful day and night.

[@milesknowlton5887]

One of the experiences that makes Chicago so incredible is going to the beach surrounded by the skyscrapers of a business district

[@cycologist7069]

And some good paddleboarding.

[@akaviral5476]

Lakeshore Drive being removed or retrofitted into a smaller public transport route and bike path would ultimately boost this waterfront in every way possible.

[@SpaceEndeavour]

Agreed

[@Nik-ny9ue]

Hell yes.

[@SpaceEndeavour]

Idea, bike/pedestrian path with grassy tram tracks in the middle. I know this won't happen but god I would kill for it.

[@Nik-ny9ue]

@@SpaceEndeavour That would be nice! Toronto has something like that

[@LoveToday8]

@@SpaceEndeavour If we fight for it we can get it done! Chicago wouldn't be the first to convert a freeway to something better.

[@xtremegamer2218]

Lake Shore Drive was once planned to be a part of the Interstate Highway System. It was going to be designated as Interstate 494 and later Interstate 694. That’s why in the areas north and south of the Chicago River, it resembles a freeway. Also, before the s-curve south of the Chicago River was built in the 80s, Lake Shore Drive used to turn immediately right onto part of what is now Wacker Drive and immediately left on two 90-degree turns. These turns then connected LSD to a viaduct that crossed the old rail yards of the Illinois Central Railway on what is now Field Boulevard and the parks. LSD also used to encircle Field Museum on both sides.

[@NatashaEh]

my GPS goes crazy there and constantly reroutes. Wacker drive was my enemy lol

[@carstarsarstenstesenn]

@@NatashaEh driving downtown Chicago, you will be better without a GPS. you'll be able to get around much faster when you learn your way around the grid and the lower streets

[@yoshuarodriguez8]

I was a little disappointed that those two design elements on the evolution of LSD over time weren't in there. The history of the drive could be a video on it's own especially the old system of hydraulic barriers on the north part of the drive that created reversible lanes. Also, the curves on the old viaduct were technically greater than 90 degrees and created a Z shape instead.

[@stevenj2380]

(Tthough I was not the one driving) college mid 70s, I loved 'running south on Lake Shore Drive' at Gold Coast and Grant Park section of LSD. Aliota, Haynes and Jeremiah.

[@rsi4561]

there is a cool old song about LSD

[@armaghett0]

My favorite part of the Chicago Lakefront is how truly public it is. Any given weekend, you'll see families from all parts of the city, picnicking, grilling, flying kites, swimming or just sitting and relaxing. All colors and backgrounds, rich and poor, we're all there to appreciate our beautiful lake shore.

[@davidcole1928]

I was just there visiting this week and thats exactly what I saw along the lake! EVERYONE uses them! Was beautiful to see.

[@CC-si3cr]

I have never been to Chicago. Never really thought about visiting. I have no idea why I clicked on this video, but I'm glad I did. The aerial views of the lake front are so beautiful! I see why Oprah lived in Chicago for so long. This video was very interesting. I want to visit Chicago in the summer, fall, and winter.

[@willrobinson4976]

You should, it's even more impressive in person.

[@justdrive5327]

I have many recent videos of the city life and night life here. ✅ them out. Chicago is highly underated and this video doesn't do it justice

[@stevengordon3271]

Skip the winter, unless you like freezing wind and blackened snow. But, summer is great along the lake.

[@iwouldliketoorderanumber1b79]

Come during the summer and go of course of the main attractions sometime, you can find cool places to explore like lower wacker drive with the rest of its underground network.

[@Bob-te3le]

Do it. Chicago is the countries best city by far. You can start seeing it driving like 30 miles away. Best food , best architecture , best skyline , best downtown , best lake front , best river walk ,

[@amirwan2017]

I moved to Chicago 3 years ago and absolutely love it. Thanks for sharing some interesting history about it!

[@Ryan-on5on]

Best city waterfront I've ever experienced, and one of the biggest advantages Chicago has over its old rival New York. New York has many things its natives can rightfully boast about, but the "Second City" hands down has a far more beautiful and accessible waterfront area that compliments the magnificent, well-ordered skyline so well (though NYC has been slowly catching up with the Hudson and East River Greenway projects).

[@admina.r.9727]

very well edited. very much enjoyed the topic and the presentation.

[@redeer4891]

Great vid as always ! I just want to say that I have started a geography degree, and that is in part thanks to you !

[@CityBeautiful]

That is awesome!

[@michael04__806]

Nice!

[@tedroscourt1205]

Inspiration is good. However reconsider doing civil engineering instead if this content interests you.

[@ChicagoGeographer]

Great video as always! Chicago's lakefront is one of our best assets and its history is little-known. Thanks for making this video!

[@jonr6558]

Love this lakefront and this City, here in Detroit we are completely redoing our riverfront with multiple large parks and recently were voted the best riverfront in the US. Excited to be more like our larger neighbor in this respect

[@marvinstrong9374]

Agreed. I live in Detroit too. Im glad were finally making changes. One of the worst mistakes this area made is making most of it's waterfront private. Even in the suburbs it's mostly mansion, condos, and private beaches blocking off access to Lake St. Clair and the Detroit river. Too much underutilized potential

[@UzumakiNaruto_]

It might look nice, but is it even safe to visit with all the crime and violence happening in Detroit? Maybe if Detroit can solve that, many more people would feel safe to visit.

[@jonr6558]

@@UzumakiNaruto_ yeah I don’t actually live in downtown but visit once or twice weekly to go to university and also go have fun, very safe downtown and surrounding areas, the outer neighborhoods are where the danger lies in between the city proper and the rich suburbs

[@ezioaugustus2621]

@@UzumakiNaruto_ What kind of bullshit comment is this? Of course it's safe. They're not randomly shooting people in Detroit. The riverfront has tons of people daily walking it. Don't be ignorant.

[@UzumakiNaruto_]

@@ezioaugustus2621 If Detroit is such an awesome city then why is its population still strinking? I don't know about you, but 300+ murders among a population of 640,000 doesn't scream 'safe' to me. In Toronto and surrounding suburbs here, people are losing their minds when we have even 100+ murders among a population of 6+ MILLION.

[@zachperkins688]

Great video! I love Chicago so much. Some of the best urban design and architecture in America. Even the more modest residential neighborhoods all have beautiful brick houses!

[@icreatedanaccountforthis1852]

I didn't know Chicago has such amazing parks. I only knew about the architecture.

[@TheSpaceBrosShow]

Funny enough, many Chicago residents don't know either.

[@0fficialdregs]

we will gladly welcome you to the city

[@r.d.9399]

Just have to be out of the parks at a certain time or you're almost guaranteed to be a victim of a robbery.

[@TheSpaceBrosShow]

That's an over dramatization if I've ever heard one

[@cycologist7069]

That's one of the things Chicago is known for.

[@cousinchris5851]

Cleveland's waterfront looks like something out of the early industrial 1800's. Way to go Chicago!

[@0531jos]

Cleveland has made a lot of collective choices that are better than Chicago's. But Chicago made every aesthetic waterfront choice that Cleveland should have.

[@bodegatiger404]

I was there for the first time a few weeks ago visiting family and the lakefront trail AMAZED me. I literally went jogging on it every day and the views of the skyline/beaches/lake/millennium park never got old. Something I never knew that made me appreciate Chicago even more is the fact that developers weren't allowed to build developments/high-rises on the lakefront (which is why people can enjoy the view of Lake Michigan while driving down lakeshore drive or from the park without any obstructions, and why I can jog down 18 miles of pedestrian friendly pavement with constant views. This is truly a city planning marvel that most people don't appreciate or notice, but is kind of a "best kept secret" in plain sight. Also part of why I personally like Chicago over coastal cities like NY, Miami, or LA. It's honestly a very underrated city.

[@adityavandanapu2791]

Chicago is definitely underrated but it’s reputation got even more tarnished by mainstream media over the cities crime which immediately make people overlook chicago as a place to move too. The lakefront trail is by far amazing, sunrises over the skyline in the morning is one the best sights I seen

[@dsmith8104]

I'm from Ireland and was lucky years ago to get a cross community course trip to work and live in Chicago for 6 months I love this city.

[@jadibear]

Chicago has always been on of my favourite cities to visit because of my time spent on their lake front

[@BenShutUp]

Wow, Chicago is such an interesting city. This video was so well done! Thank you for your content, I love it!

[@victorsladkowski]

I always recommend anyone visiting, if they can, to grab a bicycle and bike the entire lake shore trail. Just a gorgeous ride as you pass beautiful parks, the enormous lake, and some amazing city views. The lakefront is Chicago's greatest asset.

[@Lucas-vo6kr]

Your channel was the first urban planning content I ever found, and about a year later I’m finally going back to school to get my bachelors in urban studies at UIC! Thank you for helping me find something I was passionate about and changing my life

[@nathann1624]

wut you go to uic? noice same here

[@dtraw9573]

Best thing I ever did was leave florida for Chicago. Love it here so much

[@mattwolford8608]

Bro! I’ve struggled to understand just how and why those parks are so beautiful. Thank you for piecing the history together and delivering it so enjoyably 🤙

[@Mickla]

That was fascinating. I love the ambition the city had for public spaces. Having visited once its a truly unique city in the US.

[@lisa_kikukawa]

wow i never knew that chicago was so beautiful!

[@Mattthewanderer]

Check out Taste of Chicago. It's an amazing experience set all around the downtown area in the video. And it's even more beautiful on the ground.

[@emil1063]

Even better in person. :) Definitely recommend visiting if you get a chance!

[@davidfouts1939]

The issue with Lakeshore Dr. sounds a lot like what's happening in Austin, TX with the I-35 freeway. It's a massive scar down our awesome downtown that the Texas Department of Transportation wants to expand. We are trying to get them to look at other plans that would replace it with a boulevard (with no freeway or a buried freeway). Not a bad idea for the next video, now that I mention it. *wink wink*

[@CityBeautiful]

I just got back from Austin. Expect a video on TxDOT and I-35 sometime this fall!

[@KSPRAYDAD]

@@CityBeautiful Confused for a second...TDOT is Toronto to us Canucks

[@RTopes]

@@CityBeautiful As a Chicago native that's lived in Austin now for 6 years, I can't wait to see that video!

[@davidfouts1939]

@@CityBeautiful Can't wait!

[@broudwauy]

@@CityBeautiful TxDOT's plans are absolutely killing us. We are fighting hard to keep them from adding lanes to their inner city highways all across the state.

[@JergBizcochino]

I really wish we could redesign our city grid to be more accommodating to bike/foot traffic because I'm tired of having to drive all over the city since the CTA is pretty whack. Our lakefront is beautiful but there's so much more potential for the whole city.

[@Randomdive]

I agree, though I also think we need to both modernize and expand the CTA. (Building shiny new stations adorned with Lori Lightfoot's brand doesn't really help the core problems like vast areas that lack access to trains, having to always be routed through the loop if you want to go from the north side to the northwest, broken trains, safety issues, etc.)

[@angelm3670]

Bruh u are so privileged to think the CTA is wack Lfmaoo, chicago has a top 5 public transit system in the US

[@ianarmstrong9658]

@@angelm3670 That doesn't mean it can't strive to be better

[@peach7469]

@@angelm3670 if you think any public transit in the United States is any good, you haven’t been paying attention.

[@mohammedsarker5756]

@@angelm3670 im a new yorker and it always breaks my heart to know that our subway system is considered the best when it really could be so much better and expansive, along with fixing the delays. This country just doesn't have public transit for shit

[@zoradelaney9412]

This video gives me more appreciation for what I've been taking for granted, as a third-generation Chicagoan. Well done......

[@rafaelbarrera2612]

As a native Chicagoan, that was an amazingly informative and interesting presentation!

[@chicagofan76]

Loving this video. I enjoy all of your Chicago videos but this has a WTTW feel to it.

[@drewc3784]

I'd love to see a companion piece on mistakes made by other major Great Lakes cities...Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee, etc.

[@davelb87]

Someone needs the courage to shut down BKL. Most of Cleveland's most valuable lakefront land can't be developed because of airport-related restrictions.

[@matlestee]

I can’t speak for the other cities, but Milwaukee did a comparatively good job with preserving its lakefront by restricting private development from the harbor north to Lake Park.

[@maingeemutt1668]

Tell me you haven’t been to Milwaukee without saying it, Milwaukee has a beautiful lakefront with parks and beaches.

[@SynchroSk8]

I was born in Chicago and lived in Lakeview & Wrigley (I am a Brewers fan though!) - its an absolutely beautiful city. I have been in Phoenix for 20 plus years and currently working in public transit. I have to say, I always loved how easy it was to get around Chicago on public transit. I still have so many fond memories of Chicago. Great video and super interesting.

[@k-majik]

I just finished reading through the Dresden Files fantasy series, which is set in Chicago. I've never been to America so this video really helped me picture the setting

[@TheJustin99]

I absolutely love living in Chicago and being a block from Michigan avenue in the South Loop. Have a beautiful view of the lake

[@peteroberts6771]

Chicago is truly a beauty, a gem! Its embarrassing that most of the country doesn't see this..lol

[@EibaProductions]

I've never been to Chicago but the waterfront seems really nice. What I don't really understand is the shore drive. That's quite a big road. Why would you want (through-)traffic in a recreational area? Apart from that, a bit further inland, there are massive highways cutting through the city. That looks like a traffic nightmare, to be honest. And the size: These are as wide as whole city blocks.

[@SpaceEndeavour]

I can tell you it is a traffic nightmare

[@Pieman62295]

The freeways in Chicago are definitely not ideal but they're far less intrusive than most other American cities.

[@stephanierobinson8759]

The only way they could realistically reduce the lanes of LSD is if they expanded the Dan Ryan and there isn't enough land to do that. Rush hour both the Dan Ryan and LSD are parking lots.

[@TadpoleDispenser]

Welcome to America, where cars are more important than people

[@kevinmsft]

You are probably not American lol, every single big city in America is scarred by huge Interstates. It is very convenient and efficient for car drivers, but they do look and sound terrible.

[@warmflash]

I wish Toronto had a Montgomery Ward - the waterfront here is a write-off - it’s one missed opportunity after another-

[@nobel978]

Hahahahahahahaha, it can't be that bad Edit: Well, I can somewhat see what you mean. While not horrible, it could have been much better, especially as it seems most of the developments on the waterfront is quite new.

[@warmflash]

@@nobel978 The lakeshore is so bad there is no reason to see it. There are millions of people here who have no idea Toronto (like Chicago) is a maritime city, they have no idea it’s on a lake.

[@lyssasletters3232]

Agreed. Toronto’s lakefront is very unpleasant.

[@warmflash]

@@lyssasletters3232 It's soul-destroying. But fitting, as it's perfectly in tune with Toronto, a city that is always the bridemaid, and never the bride.

[@wclark3196]

@@nobel978 You've got no idea. But then, apparently you looked. Yeah, it's horrible.

[@kajuanhurn]

As a Chicago who go from the north side to the south side a lot. I love that lake shore drive fell more like an expressway. Don’t get me wrong you can definitely slow down to enjoy the view but that drive just make it way more easier to get to the north side of Chicago I want to get to. Getting back to the south side suck since you have to slow down. But going north always felt so great after getting passed that turn north of Navy Pier

[@washingtonzoom2618]

I recently read "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. It is a fascinating read and makes me truly appreciate Burnham's work and influence. I am sure Burnham would be pleased with the waterfront of today, except for the loud roadways. Additionally, I am sure Burnham would have been LIVID when Soldier Field was renovated and truly ruined his design. Thanks again for the great video!

[@vinnieviddivicci5459]

Burnham didn't design Soldier Field, did he?

[@washingtonzoom2618]

@@vinnieviddivicci5459 He did not design it for he had passed away but the architectural style and existence were in line with his plan/vision for Burnham Park where Soldier Field is located. Wikipedia says he conceived the stadium.

[@vinnieviddivicci5459]

@@washingtonzoom2618 - I did not realize Burnham had envisioned a stadium anywhere along the lakefront. I am in the minority, I know, but I sort of like the new Soldier Field. And I'm an architecture fanatic. Anyway...peace, brother. ✌

[@spjr99]

@@vinnieviddivicci5459 Don't worry, its definitely a greater feat, the old field just had lots of history so people were sad to see it go for the futuristic stadium. Chicago has a deep deep history of architecture and there are dozens of pages and groups I've seen looking to protect it so it's kind of a culture thing. Also to think they might just get rid of that Stadium entirely and move to Arlington Heights!! Crazy lol. Maybe they could turn soldier field into something incredible along the lakefront.

[@vinnieviddivicci5459]

@@spjr99 - I was born/raised in northern burbs. I saw the old Chicago Fire football team playing at Soldier Field. Saw tennis matches there, and of course the Bears. For me, no city in the country, or maybe in the world has a skyline better than Chicago. That view from the lake? Magnificent.

[@nevecenere]

It's a pity they didn't build the Spire. It would have changed the skyline and the waterfront

[@spartan117zm]

100% agree. Really wish it would get revived one day.

[@whoishim2998]

What happened to it funding?

[@thomasgeschke9553]

@@whoishim2998 The Great Recession happened.

[@Pouyasin]

Spire was soo big for Chicago and they want replace it with twin tower hotel

[@helge000]

IIRC Meigs Field was not closed but rather bulldozed in a cloak-and-dagger operation :)

[@ztl2505]

Almost disappointed there was no mention of how insane the closure was. The runways were bulldozed in the middle of the night with so little notice that a dozen planes were stranded until being permitted to takeoff from the taxiways.

[@carlglick1990]

@@ztl2505 My headcanon is that Dave got a call from the Daleys and decided to cut it out of the video

[@xGatoDelFuegox]

The story of Meigs still brings me to tears. Private amateur aviation is a true public good. The united states is the only country in the world with this much aviatior-friendly real estate. The NIMBYs that would crow at an airport being built so close to a downtown these days... you just can't BUILD more airports. To have one lost...not even lost, MURDERED, by a politician for no real reason other than just to say that they did, is heartbreaking. Everybody knows Meigs from flight sim, but it really was a beautiful piece of Chicago.

[@muthergoose4084]

I LOVED watching the planes land. Best spot was right next to Adlers. I have to say though, the concert venue that replaced it is a fun place to go.

[@markbajek2541]

@@muthergoose4084 I remember attending CES at McCormick and taking a break, watching the planes land for a little bit. I think there were little puddle jumpers across the lake to some Michigan cities. That's a nice idea a direct flight right into downtown.

[@Chiefchief4444]

Chicago architecture is second to none. Their thin crust pizza from neighborhood pizzerias is the best.

[@Eyeguy640]

"There was a Mega Nimby, the most powerful of all" Truly a sentence to strike fear into the hearts of men

[@zaydansari4408]

In this case, we may have the Mega-Nimbys to thank that we don’t have a railway station, airport, or something like that like so many cities do on their waterfronts. It’s insane how many coastal cities will make an airport out on the shore. But Chicago, which easily could have an airport minutes from the business district, doesn’t have one.

[@paxundpeace9970]

The heart and home of the city beautiful movement.

[@lindsog]

Fun to see this pop up while I was getting ready to go for my evening run on the lake shore path.

[@kanefrommilton8105]

Just came back from a summer trip to Chicago, gotta say it's an awesome city. The waterfront is better than any other major city on the Great Lakes, and the architecture, attractions, and energy are second to none. The Field Museum and Museum of Science and Industry are massive, on a scale that makes other cities versions of the same look totally unambitious.

[@drakedbz]

I'm surprised you didn't even mention that the entire city was raised up like 6-15 feet in the late 1800s. Chicago is built on wetlands, so they raised the street level, putting drain pipes directly on the old streets and building new streets on top. It's the reason why the city streets can seamlessly bridge over the rivers, and why there is an upper and lower wacker drive. It's also the original reason why it's called the "windy city"... they _wound_ up the buildings using hand-wound jacks. It only took on the other meaning and pronunciation later (windy as in the air blowing, named for its politicians being wind-bags).

[@frankkolton1780]

Being built on lowlands is also one of the reasons for the Deep Tunnel Project.

[@NC-qc7wd]

I have been traveling thru Chicago for the last 25 years, and I have witnessed the changes, and if it were not so cold I would be living there! Love Chicago

[@room34]

I've spent more time in Chicago than in any other city that I've never lived in, and I've always absolutely loved the lakefront. Fascinating to see how it came to be what it is! Definitely my favorite urban landscape anywhere. (I still prefer to live in Minneapolis though.)

[@leob4403]

Why is minneapolis better?

[@scottanderson8470]

Not a universal truth; it just works better for me personally. Chicago traffic stresses me out, and I like the accessibility of the park system here.

[@leob4403]

@@scottanderson8470 are you answering me or?

[@room34]

@@leob4403 Yeah, sorry, that's me… I replied from the wrong account.

[@leob4403]

@@room34 oh okey, is the public transport better in Minneapolis too?

[@ViniciusSC10]

I was amazed by how beautiful Chicago is as whole, but the Lake Shore is just amazing. I love how the parks connects to the city and the lake and make a beautiful sight to be seen. I Would love that São Paulo, had keeped the roads out of the river banks and maintained the parks and river shore that used to have.

[@paxundpeace9970]

The city of Chicago does realy serves it's former motto Urbs in Horto (City in a Garden) well.

[@TheDeadbone1961]

Having vacationed there for a week this last March (yes, it was still really cold) I can attest to the beauty of the waterfront and the city. The views, from both ground level and near the top of the old Sears building, are spectacular. And, I should add, the shear number of people out and about even up until midnight meant that we felt pretty safe downtown. A great city.

[@IanZainea1990]

Cleveland is trying, but damn, I've never had a good overview of Chicago like this. They really have something special there!

[@kailehtinen5972]

I live in Cleveland but am from Chicago. Edgewater park is lovely, Cleveland doesnt deserve the rep it gets. But there's nothing quite like Chi-town

[@IanZainea1990]

@@kailehtinen5972 hey, welcome welcome! Yeah, I live a 6 min walk from Edgewater park. And it's nice. But yeah, no where near Chicago. They do have some interesting plans for changing the area around first energy stadium. And the Edgewater pier is a joke compared to Navy Pier (or even piers in small town Massachusetts)

[@kailehtinen5972]

@@IanZainea1990 Thanks! Been here a few years now. Theres so much potential by First Energy and the Rock Hall. Even as it stands though I love it, very picturesque. Hard to compare a city of about 400k to one of 2.6 million lol, but it reminds me a solid bit of home, albeit smaller

[@IanZainea1990]

@@kailehtinen5972 yeah. I live on the westside, so the view of downtown is quite boring haha. The best is from out on the water, or south or east... All of them but west 🤣. I recently started sailing, so I've been getting a new perspective on the city! Wendy Park also provide great lakeside parks, but not really for swimming. The cliffs on the westside are beautiful and should be "The Dover Cliffs of Lake Erie" even if that's an exaggeration. But they're like. 100ft sheer cliffs, and just completely hidden and not utilized. Which is a problem imo! And while I'm not 100% sold on getting rid of Burke Lakefront, I do see the arguments, and to have a park like that grant park would be amazing. Oh and the "Malls" downtown, they are completely wasted. They could be as beautiful as Central park, but nope, just giant grass lawns. Complete waste of space imo. The new public square puts it to shame. Cleveland may be 400k now. And that's part of it's problem. It used to be almost 1million, and so a lot of it's infrastructure is built for that max population, and it looks half empty (because it kinda is). One of my favorite nick names for Cleveland is "the 6th city," for being the 6th biggest back in the day. Apparently it even got up to 5th for a minute. But the nickname was already settled I guess! Haha. Sorry for the book

[@jadawngriffis3745]

I drove from Boston back home to Chicago and I passed downtown Cleveland at 3 am in the morning, while Cleveland may not have the towering buildings like Chicago what they do have really looks beautiful and nicely designed.

[@ms_cartographer]

I miss Chicago. ❤ I hope to move back there someday.

[@seanthe100]

Chicagos lakefront is truly stunning one of my favorites to visit. Chicago in general is a fav to visit.

[@willrobinson4976]

It is

[@cushmanproductions]

I'm glad you mentioned some of the problems with Lake Shore Drive (now Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Lake Shore Drive, as of a few months ago). One thing that many people don't think about when discussing LSD's expansion is that it's actually already more than 8 lanes for most of its north side route. From Navy Pier to LaSalle and from Diversey to Foster (totaling over 70% of of its length on the north side), the main LSD (called the outer drive) is paralleled by a surface street (called the inner drive, and often even sharing the Lake Shore Dr name), giving LSD anywhere from 10 to 14 lanes. So when many park and transit advocates talk about reducing the number of travel lanes on LSD and making it a surface street, much of that is just re-integrating the express portion back into the surface street portion, providing more room for transit, bikes, sidewalks, and green space.

[@angelm3670]

16:43 millennium wasn’t the last major addition Maggie Daley park was

[@Sammywhammy773]

The land was already there, they just put playground equipment, and the ribbon walkway thing

[@angelm3670]

@@Sammywhammy773 it very much a major addition tho and it’s not just playground equipment they put an ice rink and a bouldering wall

[@alnd]

ive lived in chicago my entire life, I think I learned more about my city from this video than everything else in my life combined.

[@dungeonbeast1087]

This makes me realize how pathetic the parks in Houston, Texas are 😩

[@0fficialdregs]

i waited until October 1st to watch this video with a sprite and a deep dish pizza. i loveeeee videos talking about my hometown, including the railroad and i deeply love the Metra Commuter Railroad from Southern line to Randolph Street

[@Knowledge-mc9lt]

Oh my beautiful home Chicago 💕

[@stuarthirsch]

Thanks, grreat video. We just returned from Chicago. We were very impressed with the city.

[@ntatenarin]

I heard that Lincoln Park is actually larger than Central Park. Granted, it doesn't look like it because Lincoln Park is so long and seems like separate parks put together. Also, Lake Shore Drive got a name change. It's now Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Lake Shore Drive. LOL, not sure if that can fit an envelope! Ah well, it'll always be Lake Shore Drive, Sears Tower, and Comiskey Park to me!

[@4tha99n2oo0z]

Great comment. I will never call Sears tower---" Willis tower" lol. It also hurt me when Marshall fields closed. That franco chocolate & evergreen bag was everything

[@JoePCool14]

No one will ever call it anything other than Lake Shore Drive.

[@huntrrams]

As a Chicagoan, it’s always be lake shore drive. I respect Du Sable but we have so many places named after him and this wasn’t the right road to be named after him.

[@MrRoyalChicken]

Chicago: Builds a long park along its lake front. Also Chicago: Builds a freeway through the center of this park.

[@angelm3670]

Not a freeway lol

[@Bryan22ER]

This was amazing, can you do a brief history of the city planning of Austin, TX? I am a native here and would love to see something similar to this about the planning of my city that has seen so much growth in the past 20 years.

[@DiscoverWithDima]

Amazing video! I really enjoy it especially as I'm from the Chicagoland area. Hoping to see some on Northwest Indiana too, we have some really major railway links to the rest of the country!

[@CityBeautiful]

Next video is on Gary!

[@maryvonstein6493]

Excellent video! Locals call the park near the planetarium and Field Museum “museum campus”.

[@shaynebarron82]

Grew up in Northwest Indiana. I love Chicago❤️

[@ethakis]

It's a shame that Chicago's leadership for the past few years has been awful. It truly is a beautiful city.

[@stevepowsinger733]

Yes, he might have said a few words about the rot that threatens an otherwise great city. A friend lives in a far out suburb and says Chicago neighborhoods are going down.

[@citizenstranger]

more than the past few years actually, probably going back to the 80s or earlier.

[@spjr99]

try decades

[@spjr99]

@@stevepowsinger733 they go up and down. it's constantly changing lol. My motto is anything can happen to anyone in any neighborhood. Sure some neighborhoods are worse and you need to use common sense based on what you look like, how you dress, what kind of car you drive etc but theres no single neighborhood in the world you are truly safe. For example, the neighborhood in chicago i've lived in for over 20 years has an average crime rate, I definitely feel relatively safe walking home most nights, but I am not always alert because there are the standard robberies and car break ins etc. Then one day my mom told me they found some burned unidentified body in the alley across the street, which happened to be the alley of the church I worked at. Then 5 days later they found a chopped up body in the garbage as well, same alley. Shit just happens. I love Chicago, I think it is by far the best and most well rounded city in America. I would consider myself biased but I've heard hundreds of people say the same. And we just got voted 2nd most beautiful city in the world.

[@infinitejinpachi]

@@spjr99 "the standard robberies and car break ins" lmao, the fact that you think this shit is "standard" "burned unidentified body in the alley" "chopped up body in the garbage" "Shit just happens" no it doesn't, Chicago is just a 3rd world shithole

[@benjaminthompson8359]

I really appreciated learning about the history of how cities developed. I would love to see more of these types of videos.

[@brazy8427]

It would be really interesting to see Chicago and Toronto’s waterfronts compared, as I find the cities similar in a lot of ways.

[@Bob-te3le]

Toronto cant compare.

[@ThomasNing]

what a fascinating collection of stories. Nice documentary

[@CraigMcArthur]

Ah! When is Nebula going to have a Fire TV app? You've been talking about it for a long time, but, it hasn't happened. A major roadblock in watching (and supporting) Nebula!

[@jeffneptune2922]

For all it's problems with crime, Chicago is a world class city and certainly the lakefront is the focal point of any tour. Thanks for this great video.

[@keefgtp]

You mention that Miegs Field closed in 1994. The airport was open and active - and very busy - until 2003, when mayor Daly bulldozed it, partly due to post-9/11 fears.

[@garyconner6151]

Born and raised in chicago.my sweet home Chicago.

[@NWOhioSirens]

The old S Bend on LSD must have served as the inspiration for the 90 degree highway corners in Sim City 3000. I couldn't stop laughing the first time I saw a picture of it.

[@jakerundell]

The Streeterville section of Lakeshore Drive is always a traffic nightmare. It was an afterthought and it shows. I worked with some Teamsters however and they let me in on the secret route through Lower Wacker Drive. It's a great example of the multilevel streets concept. The bad part is you can get cell phone service down there - which means no google maps to guide you through the confusing service roads.

[@corn1971]

Lower Wacker used to be a fun drive when it was all lit with green over head lights. And a little white knuckle before the rebuild when lanes narrowed to barely wide enough around cement pillars.

[@bingefox4056]

Chicago is always majorly improving its waterways. Add river walks and river fronts now.

[@CreepyBlackDude]

I loved this video! I know people hate N. Lakeshore Drive, but I actually love it as a pleasure drive. It's one of the most beautiful drives in the nation. I wish you had mentioned Lake Point Tower, the only skyscraper that currently stands to the east of Lakeshore. It was built on a ridiculous technicality regarding land at the mouth of the river, and there were other buildings that took advantage of the loophole, but Lake Shore's constant shifting meant that when all was said and done, only Lake Point Tower still is to the East. AND it influenced the design of the Burj Khalifa, considering that the architect of the latter building, Adrian Smith, could see the tower out of the window of his Chicago office.

[@Romain_69420]

Now getting Lakeshore Dr to 2 lanes is cool but how are they gonna pull off that NASCAR race in Lake Park if there's not 10m wide roads to go with it /s

[@JeremyExplores]

I never knew Chicago was this beautiful. Amazing!

[@leiny74]

Love this video. There is a lot of stuff I never knew, and I grew up here. But we are going to have to talk about that last part. I'm a resident of Rogers Park, Chicago's northern most neighborhood. LSD is an important part of commuting for my neighborhood and other surrounding neighborhoods. While I'm not completely against your ideas there are going to have to be alternatives for commuters because without LSD as a highway it will take hours to get down town. It would also send drivers west to an already heavy traffic Kenedy expressway and make that worse. Not against it but something would need to be worked out.

[@mauricehopes9105]

Agreed. I live in ravenswood and travel south past downtown to visit family often. Removing lake shore drive would make commuting much harder for anyone who likes a mile or less from it.

[@LoveToday8]

I live in Rogers Park too. I'd love there to be a bus-only lane along Sheridan that gets buses quickly to and from LSD. LSD needs a bus-only lane. It makes sense. You can move 50-60+ people on a bus that takes up the same amount of space as 3 cars. Fewer cars on the road is a win and the people taking the bus don't deserve to be slowed down by mostly empty cars. My commute on the 147 was so unreliable due to all the congestion caused by mostly empty cars. More people would ride the bus if we gave the buses priority.

[@daveotuwa5596]

I was born in Chicago! The association relative to my future job is HQ'd S near the river. And as well rebranded. All the members of the association would see the river dyed green on St. Paddy's!