| Yesterday I woke up at 5:00 am Chicago
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| | with flying buttresses, is derived from
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| time and I figured I might as well get
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| | the design of the French cathedral of
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| ahead of the crowd at the Arlington House
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| | Rouen and gives the building its striking
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| Youth Hostel and take an early shower. At
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| | silhouette.The area around the Michigan
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| 6 am I was already on the Internet,
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| | Avenue Bridge and Esplanade looking
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| recording my first impressions of this
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| | westwards along the Chicago River is an
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| exciting city and by 6:30 am I had left
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| | absolute mecca for an architecture buff
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| the hostel. It was still pretty dark
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| | like me. You'll find a mixture of classic
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| outside and the sun was just slowly
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| | skyscrapers, many of them built in Art
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| starting to come up.I walked through the
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| | Deco Style, as well as more modern
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| quiet Lincoln Park neighbourhood all the
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| | skyscrapers built over the last 30 years.
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| way to the Lake Michigan Shoreline where
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| | This has to be one of the most impressive
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| the cool wind was just howling off the
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| | urban vistas in existence anywhere.I
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| lake. Joggers, bicyclists and power
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| | continued to walk west on Wacker Drive
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| walkers were already out in full force. I
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| | and walked past a number of the
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| strolled around for about 15 minutes, but
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| | north-south streets that connect the Loop
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| when the wind got too strong I decided to
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| | with the areas north of downtown. I
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| take a bus and head south to a
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| | wanted to capture another fascinating
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| neighbourhood called "Old Town", near
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| | building: Merchandise Mart, an impressive
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| North Street and N. Wells Street. It's a
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| | building at the north bank of the Chicago
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| tidy, well-kept neighbourhood of historic
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| | river between Wells and Orleans street,
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| homes and the location of the Second City
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| | was built in 1931. At that time, when it
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| Comedy Club, a place that has spawned so
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| | was constructed by Marshall Field and
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| many comedic talents.After a brisk
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| | Company to replace H.H. Ricardson's
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| morning walk around Old Town I hopped
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| | Marshall Field Wholesale store, it was
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| back on the el-train and went to check
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| | the building with the largest floor area
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| out downtown. I got off in the Loop and
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| | in the world and today it is the second
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| headed out towards the openness of
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| | largest building in the United States
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| Michigan Avenue and Grant Park.
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| | after the Pentagon.A short hop on the
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| Interestingly the wind in between the
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| | el-train later I got off at Randolph
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| buildings
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| | Street to pick up my friend Linda who was
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| in the Loop was much stronger than in
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| | scheduled to arrive at 10:25 am on the
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| the open areas just off the Lake Michigan
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| | South Shore Railway Line. We have known
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| Shoreline.Michigan Avenue and Grant Park
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| | each other since we are 10 years old
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| are one of the areas where Chicago's
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| | (almost 30 years!) and grew up in
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| beauty is most striking. Daniel Burnham's
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| | Austria, and Linda herself moved to the
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| city plan of 1909 that preserved a huge
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| | United States a few years ago. We hadn't
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| amount of green space right on the
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| | seen each other for 2 years and this was
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| shoreline of Lake Michigan was a
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| | the time to reconnect.Linda arrived a few
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| brilliant decision, and visitors and
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| | minutes late and after a heart-felt
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| local residents alike benefit from the
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| | greeting we headed off to the Chicago
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| huge green zone between the Loop and the
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| | Cultural Center to try to pick up a 3-day
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| lake. Grant Park's beginnings actually
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| | transit pass. Much to our surprise we
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| date all the way back to 1835, when
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| | were told that the closest location for
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| foresighted citizens, fearing commercial
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| | multi-day transit passes was the Marriot
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| lakefront development, lobbied to protect
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| | Hotel at 549 North Michigan Avenue, about
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| the open space. Burnham's vision of the
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| | 20 minutes walking north of where we
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| park as a formal landscape with museums
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| | were. We were a bit surprised that it
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| and civic buildings became reality: today
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| | would be so inconvenient for visitors
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| Grant Park holds 3 of the city's most
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| | arriving in the Loop to purchase transit
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| distinguished museums: The Field Museum
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| | passes, but off we went with Linda's
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| of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium
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| | suitcase in tow and we were finally able
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| and the Adler Planterium.The Buckingham
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| | to pick up our coveted 3-day transit pass
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| Fountain is the centerpiece of Grant
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| | at the 2nd floor gift shop of the Marriot
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| Park, the city's grand "front yard," and
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| | Hotel.We decided to get rid of Linda's
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| it is set within a handsomely landscaped
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| | luggage and headed north towards the
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| garden, one of the city's finest examples
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| | youth hostel on the bus. By that time it
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| of a Beaux-Arts-style landscape design.
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| | was about noon and we were both
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| It is an exact replica of the fountain in
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| | voraciously hungry. So we plunked
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| Versailles, just twice as large, and with
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| | ourselves down at a cozy spot called the
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| those measurements it is one of the
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| | "Pasta Bowl" on Clark Street and I had a
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| largest free-standing fountains in the
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| | really delicious gorgonzola pasta that I
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| world.At the north end of Grant Park is
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| | absolutely devoured.From there we went
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| Millenium Park, at an investment of $495
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| | back to the Arlington House, dropped off
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| million Chicago's most ambitious public
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| | Linda's luggage and rested for a bit
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| undertaking. Unsightly railroad tracks
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| | since we were both pretty tired after
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| and parking lots were turned into a
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| | this hefty lunch. At 4 pm we got going
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| multi-media outdoor entertainment area
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| | again and headed down to the Golden Mile,
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| during the last few years. Among
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| | Chicago's main shopping area along
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| Millennium Park's prominent features are
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| | Michigan Avenue, north of the Chicago
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| the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker
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| | River. The place was absolutely hopping
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| Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor
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| | with people. We picked up a little gift
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| concert venue of its kind in the United
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| | for Linda's daughter at H&M and then
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| States; a winding mirror clad bridge over
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| | headed up into the John Hancock Centre,
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| Stetson Street, designed by
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| | Chicago's third highest building.The view
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| world-renowned architect Frank Gehry; and
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| | from the John Hancock Centre was amazing
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| "Cloud Gate" ("The Bean"), a hugely
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| | and the sun was just getting ready to
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| popular sculpture inspired by liquid
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| | set. Chicago's skyline is impressive,
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| mercury, designed by British artist Anish
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| | crowned as it is by the Sears Tower.
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| Kapoor. On this beautiful sunny morning,
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| | After our high altitude excursion we
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| the reflections of the city's skyscrapers
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| | strolled along Michigan Avenue and for
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| had an almost surreal feel to them.I
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| | dinner we headed back into the Lincoln
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| still had about an hour and a half before
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| | Park area where we had a very filling
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| my friend Linda would arrive at the
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| | Mexican vegetarian burrito dinner on
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| Randolph Street Station, so I decided to
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| | Lincoln Avenue.Exhausted from all this
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| head north on Michigan Avenue towards two
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| | exploring and eating, we went back to the
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| of my favourite buildings: the Wrigley
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| | Arlington House to crash in our bunk
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| Building and the Chicago Tribune Tower.
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| | bed...Susanne Pacher is the publisher of
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| The Wrigley building serves as the
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| | a website called Travel and Transitions(
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| headquarters of the Wrigley (chewing gum)
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| | Travel and Transitions deals with
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| company and was built in 1920 by the
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| | unconventional travel and is chock full
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| company's founder, William Wrigley Jr. It
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| | of advice, tips, real life travel
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| was the first of a series of landmarks at
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| | experiences, interviews with travellers
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| the southern end of the Magnificent
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| | and travel experts, insights and
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| Mile.The design of the Tribune Tower was
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| | reflections, cross-cultural issues,
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| the result of an international
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| | contests and many other features. You
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| competition for "the most beautiful
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| | will also find stories about life and the
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| office building in the world," held in
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| | transitions that we face as we go through
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| 1922 by the Chicago Tribune newspaper.
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| | our own personal life-long
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| The various competition entries proved
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| | journeys.Submit your own travel stories
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| extremely influential for the development
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| | in our first travel story contest( and
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| of skyscraper architecture in the 1920s.
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| | have a chance to win an amazing adventure
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| The winning entry, with a crowning tower
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| | cruise on the Amazon River.
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