If you’ve every wondered about the source of that magnificent smell of chocolate that is so pervasive in the west end of the River North area, here’s your answer: Blommer Chocolate Company—the largest cocoa processor in North America—is located at 600 W. Kinzie Street.
Tribune Tower (Gothic Revival, 1925) at 435 N. Michigan Avenue has exterior walls that are embedded with “rocks”—authentic pieces of famous structures, including Westminster Abbey, the Alamo, Hamlet’s castle, the Great Pyramid, the Taj Mahal, Fort Sumter and the Arc de Triomphe.
Twice each year—within a few days of the spring and fall equinoxes—the setting sun aligns with Chicago’s grid street system, providing a simple, but remarkable visual phenomenon. The exact dates and peak viewing times vary slightly from year to year.
The legendary Great Chicago Fire of 1871 raged from Sunday, October 8 until the early morning hours on Tuesday, October 10. The fire destroyed about 3 1/3 square miles of downtown Chicago, killing about 300 people. More than 100,000 residents lost their homes in the fire.
An artist’s rendering of the fire by Currier and Ives (1871); looking northeast from the west side of the Randolph Street Bridge across the Chicago River.
Chicken Parmigiana – Chef Flay got it exactly right.
