All language subtitles for Aerial Cities Series 1 2of6 Chicago 24 1080p

♪

Narrator: IT TOWERS OVER
THE AMERICAN MIDWEST...

WITH ENGINEERING MARVELS
THAT BOGGLE THE MIND

AND WORKERS
WILLING TO RISK THEIR LIVES

HIGH IN THE SKY.

BUT AWE-INSPIRING HEIGHTS ARE
JUST PART OF A DAY IN THE LIFE

OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

THERE ARE ALSO STUNNING WATERS
THAT LIE AT ITS FEET...

BEACHES THAT
BLANKET ITS SHORES...

AND THE PARKS
THAT MAKE CHICAGOANS PROUD.

THERE MAY BE NO CITY IN AMERICA

THAT’S HAD GREATER COMEBACKS
SINCE THE DAY IT WAS FOUNDED

THAN CHICAGO.

♪

FROM THE GREAT FIRE THAT NEARLY
BROUGHT IT TO ITS KNEES...

TO A MORE THAN
CENTURY-LONG CURSE

THAT PLAGUED ITS FAVORITE TEAM.

BUT THROUGH IT ALL,

THE PEOPLE OF CHICAGO
HAVE PROVEN TO BE

SOME OF THE TOUGHEST ON EARTH.

THEY TURN OUT BY THE THOUSANDS,
NO MATTER WHAT THE SCORE...

AND WORK HARD EVERY DAY TO KEEP
THEIR METROPOLIS RUNNING 24/7

WITHOUT A HITCH.

THERE’S NO END
TO WHAT YOU CAN DISCOVER

WHEN YOU SPEND A DAY
IN THE SKIES OVER CHICAGO.

♪

ART THAT CAN TRANSPORT YOU
TO THE CLOUDS.

TRAIN SYSTEMS THAT ARE UNLIKE
ANY OTHER IN THE WORLD.

EVEN BREATHTAKING COLORS
OF WATER AND SKY.

AND EVERY NIGHT,
THIS CITY TRANSFORMS

INTO A DAZZLING FEAST OF LIGHT.

WHETHER YOU’RE PEERING DIRECTLY
DOWN INTO ITS STREETS,

OR SOARING ABOVE THEM,
HIGH IN THE SKY,

IT’S ALL POSSIBLE,
IN JUST ONE DAY,

IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

♪

♪

♪

THERE’S NO BETTER WAY
TO KICK OFF

A DAY IN LIFE OF CHICAGO

THAN THIS:

CATCHING SIGHT OF THE SUN

WHEN IT FIRST APPEARS OVER
THE WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

THIS IS THE ONLY
MAJOR AMERICAN CITY

THAT TOWERS
OVER THE GREAT LAKES.

IT’S HOME TO MORE THAN
TWO AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE...

AND IT SERVES AS THE HEART

OF THE REGION KNOWN
AS "CHICAGOLAND."

THAT’S THE NAME PEOPLE USE

TO DESCRIBE THE VAST
METROPOLITAN AREA

THAT SPREADS OUT
FROM THE CITY OF CHICAGO

TO THE NORTH, WEST, AND SOUTH.

WHEN PEOPLE SAY "CHICAGOLAND,"

THEY’RE REFERRING TO THE THIRD
LARGEST METRO AREA IN THE NATION

AFTER NEW YORK AND LOS ANGELES.

IT COVERS ROUGHLY
11,000 SQUARE MILES

AND EVEN EXTENDS
INTO SOUTHERN WISCONSIN

AND NORTHERN INDIANA.

♪

EVERY MORNING,

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF COMMUTERS

FROM ACROSS CHICAGOLAND

MAKE THEIR WAY
INTO THE HEART OF THE CITY.

MANY GET HERE ON CHICAGO’S
LEGENDARY EL TRAINS.

STATIONS LIKE THIS ONE,
IN A SUBURB KNOWN AS LAKEVIEW,

ARE USUALLY PACKED
EVEN BEFORE THE SUN IS UP.

BUT NOT EVERYONE IN CHICAGO

STARTS THEIR DAY
WITH A COMMUTE TO THE OFFICE.

ESPECIALLY NOT THESE
TWO CHICAGO TWINS.

♪

FOR THE LAST 70 YEARS,

JENNIE AND JULIA PAPILLI

HAVE BEEN COMING DOWN
TO CHICAGO’S LAKESHORE

FOR A MORNING SWIM
IN LAKE MICHIGAN.

BY JULY, THE WATER TEMPERATURE
IN THE LAKE

IS STILL A CHILLY 61 DEGREES.

BUT THAT DOESN’T STOP
THE PAPILLIS.

♪

AS SOON AS THEY’RE IN THE WATER,
THEY GET INTO FORMATION,

AND THEN START
THEIR DAILY TWO-MILE SWIM.

THE TWINS BOUGHT
THEIR FIRST BATHING SUITS

WITH POCKET MONEY
WHEN THEY WERE 12,

AND THEY HAVE BEEN SWIMMING HERE
ALMOST EVERY YEAR SINCE.

THEY’RE SUCH A COMMON SIGHT,

THEY’VE BEEN CALLED
"LEGENDS OF THE LAKE."

BUT WHEN THEY STARTED
THEIR MORNING RITUAL,

CHICAGO DIDN’T LOOK
ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

THE TALLEST BUILDING AT THE TIME
WAS 44 STORIES.

SINCE THEN,

THE CITY’S SKYLINE HAS MORE
THAN DOUBLED IN HEIGHT.

BY THE 1970s,

CHICAGO WAS HOME TO THE TALLEST
BUILDING IN THE WORLD,

THANKS TO THE SEARS TOWER--

NOW KNOWN AS THE WILLIS TOWER.

♪

SINCE 1946,

CHICAGO HAS GONE THROUGH
TEN COLORFUL MAYORS,

AND SENT A SENATOR
TO THE WHITE HOUSE.

IT WAS HERE IN A LAW FIRM
IN CHASE TOWER, IN 1989,

THAT A YOUNG LAWYER
NAMED MICHELLE ROBINSON

MET BARACK OBAMA.

THEY WERE LATER MARRIED HERE,
ON THE SOUTH SIDE.

AND WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR OBAMA

TO GIVE
HIS ELECTION VICTORY SPEECH

ON NOVEMBER 4, 2008,

HE DID IT HERE,

TO AN AUDIENCE
OF MORE THAN 200,000,

IN CHICAGO’S GRANT PARK.

BY THE TIME MICHAEL JORDAN

WAS FIRST DRAFTED
BY THE CHICAGO BULLS,

THE PAPILLI TWINS

HAD ALREADY BEEN COMING DOWN
TO LAKE MICHIGAN

FOR ALMOST FOUR DECADES.

AND SINCE JORDAN’S RETIREMENT,

THEY HAVE GONE ON SWIMMING
FOR NEARLY 20 MORE YEARS.

♪

BUT WHILE SOME CHICAGOANS
START THEIR DAY IN THE WATER,

OTHERS ARE ALREADY AT WORK,

HIGH IN THE SKY.

FELIPE BERMAN AND EFREN SALAS
ARE TWO OF THEM.

BY 7:00 A.M.,
THEY ARE BEGINNING THEIR SHIFTS

1,128 FEET ABOVE LAKE MICHIGAN.

THEY ARE PREPARING TO DO

ONE OF THE MOST
TERRIFYING JOBS IN CHICAGO--

WASHING THE WINDOWS

AT THE VERY TOP OF ONE OF
THE CITY’S TALLEST SKYSCRAPERS.

♪

THE BLACK TAPERED TOWER
THEY’RE PERCHED ON

IS KNOWN
AS THE JOHN HANCOCK CENTER.

IT RISES 100 STORIES
OVER THE STREET.

AND BECAUSE OF
ITS UNIQUE DESIGN,

ALL OF ITS WINDOWS HAVE TO BE
CLEANED INDIVIDUALLY, BY HAND.

THERE ARE MANY SKYSCRAPERS
IN CHICAGO,

BUT THE ENGINEERING
OF THE JOHN HANCOCK CENTER

WAS REVOLUTIONARY
WHEN IT WAS COMPLETED IN 1970.

AT THE TIME,
THE WORLD’S TALLEST BUILDINGS

WERE BUILT AROUND
INTERIOR CORES.

BUT WHEN A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
NAMED FAZLUR KHAN

DESIGNED THIS SKYSCRAPER,

HE CAME UP WITH
AN ENTIRELY NEW WAY

TO ENGINEER TALL BUILDINGS.

HE DESIGNED IT AS A GIANT TUBE.

THE STEEL BEAMS, OR TRUSSES,

THAT ARE VISIBLE
ON THE OUTSIDE OF THIS TOWER

ARE ACTUALLY WHAT HOLD IT UP.

THEY’VE MADE
THE JOHN HANCOCK CENTER

ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE
SKYSCRAPERS IN CHICAGO.

KHAN HAS BEEN CALLED
THE GREATEST STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

OF THE 20th CENTURY,

AND HIS TUBULAR DESIGNS
ARE NOW COMMONLY USED

ON SUPER TALL BUILDINGS
AROUND THE WORLD.

♪

BUT BECAUSE THE WINDOWS
OF THE JOHN HANCOCK CENTER

LIE BEHIND
ITS EXTERIOR SKELETON,

THE ONLY WAY TO CLEAN THEM
IS THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY--

ONE WINDOW PANE AT A TIME.

♪

AFTER THEIR SAFETY CHECKS
ARE DONE,

FELIPE AND EFREN
LOWER THEMSELVES OVER THE EDGE

SO THEY CAN GET TO WORK.

THEY’LL SPEND
THE ENTIRE DAY OUT HERE,

DROPPING LOWER AND LOWER

AS THEY SQUEEGEE CLEAN
100 STORIES OF GLASS.

WIND AND WEATHER
CAN MAKE THIS JOB DANGEROUS,

BUT SO TOO CAN FALCONS.

THESE BIRDS OF PREY OFTEN NEST
IN THE TOWER’S FACADE

AND HAVE BEEN KNOWN
TO THREATEN FELIPE AND EFREN

WHEN THEY GET TOO CLOSE.

♪

IF YOU LOOK UP AT THE TOP
OF CHICAGO’S SKYSCRAPERS

IN THE MORNING,

CHANCES ARE
YOU’LL SEE DARING WORKERS

DANGLING IN THIN AIR.

BUT IF YOU PEER UP AT
THE HIGHEST BUILDING IN CHICAGO,

YOU MIGHT CATCH SIGHT
OF A ROBOT INSTEAD.

THERE ARE 16,100 WINDOWS
ON THE WILLIS TOWER,

AND IT TAKES SIX
ROBOTIC WINDOW WASHING MACHINES

TO KEEP THEM ALL CLEAN.

JUST AFTER DAWN, THEY EMERGE
FROM THEIR PARKING GARAGES

ON THE VARIOUS ROOFTOPS
OF THIS SKYSCRAPER

AND CRAWL ON TRACKS,
SLOWLY, TO THE EDGE.

AFTER A QUICK INSPECTION
BY A TECHNICIAN,

THESE MACHINES THEN DEPLOY DOWN
THE SIDES OF THE BUILDING.

STEEL TRACKS BUILT INTO
THE FACADE OF THE WILLIS TOWER

ARE WHAT KEEP THEM ON COURSE.

THEY ONLY WASH ON THE TRIP DOWN.

SPRAYERS, SQUEEGEES,
AND VACUUMS ON BOARD

CLEAN EACH WINDOW
AS THEY PASS IT BY.

♪

ROBOTS LIKE THESE ONLY WORK
ON TOWERS WITH FLAT FACADES.

UNLIKE HUMANS,

THEY CAN DO THEIR WORK
IN UP TO 30-MILE-PER-HOUR WINDS,

AND THEY’RE NOT AFRAID
OF HEIGHTS.

AFTER THEY REACH
THE GROUND FLOOR,

THEY RETURN AUTOMATICALLY
TO THE LEDGE WHERE THEY STARTED

SO THEY CAN BE RE-POSITIONED

AND THEN BEGIN CLEANING
ALL OVER AGAIN.

♪

IN 1986,

FILM DIRECTOR JOHN HUGHES
CREATED WHAT HE CALLED

A LOVE LETTER
TO THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

HIS MOVIE,
"FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF,"

BECAME A CULT CLASSIC.

IT TELLS THE STORY
OF A CONFIDENT YOUNG TEEN,

PLAYED BY MATTHEW BRODERICK,

WHO SKIPS OUT OF SCHOOL
TO SPEND A DAY HAVING ADVENTURES

ALL ACROSS THE CITY
AND ITS SUBURBS.

THE FILM DOESN’T JUST
PAY TRIBUTE TO CHICAGO;

IT CELEBRATES ALL THAT’S
POSSIBLE IN THIS CITY,

IN JUST ONE DAY.

HUGHES IS SAID
TO HAVE BASED THE MOVIE

ON HIS OWN TEENAGE HIJINKS

WHILE HE WAS A STUDENT HERE
AT GLENBROOK NORTH HIGH SCHOOL,

IN THE CHICAGO SUBURBS.

TODAY, FANS STILL RECREATE
SCENES FROM THE FILM

AT MANY OF THE LOCATIONS
WHERE THEY WERE SHOT.

THIS SET OF STEPS
AT GLENBROOK NORTH HIGH

IS ONE OF THEM.

IN ONE OF THE FILM’S
MOST MEMORABLE SCENES,

FERRIS ROLLS UP
TO THE FRONT OF THESE STEPS

IN HIS BEST FRIEND’S
DAD’S FERRARI

AND PICKS UP
HIS GIRLFRIEND, SLOANE,

RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE PRINCIPAL.

THANKS TO THAT SCENE,

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS
MOVIE LOCATIONS IN CHICAGOLAND.

♪

WHEN FERRIS, SLOANE,
AND THEIR FRIEND CAMERON

HIT THE ROAD AND HEAD DOWNTOWN,

THEY DO WHAT MANY
CHICAGOANS MIGHT DO

IF THEY, TOO,
COULD TAKE A DAY OFF

AND SPEND IT
HOWEVER THEY WANTED.

AFTER ARRIVING IN TOWN,

THE THREE FRIENDS
RACE UP THE STEPS

OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO,

WHICH LIES ON THE WEST SIDE
OF GRANT PARK.

INSIDE THEY CONTEMPLATE
A SERIES OF PAINTINGS

THAT HUGHES HIMSELF ONCE ADMIRED

DURING HIS OWN VISITS
TO THIS MUSEUM--

A PLACE THAT HE ONCE DESCRIBED
AS HIS REFUGE IN THE CITY.

LATER, THE FRIENDS
TAKE AN ELEVATOR

TO THE TOP OF THE SEARS TOWER.

WHEN THE FILM WAS SHOT,

THIS SKYSCRAPER WAS STILL

THE TALLEST BUILDING
IN THE WORLD.

AS THEY PRESS THEIR FACES
AGAINST THE GLASS,

FERRIS, SLOANE, AND CAMERON
PEER DOWN ON THE STREETS BELOW.

THEY DESCRIBE THEIR CITY
AS PEACEFUL.

♪

IT’S TRUE

THAT WHEN YOU LOOK DOWN
ON CHICAGO FROM HIGH ABOVE,

THE NOISE AND BUSTLE
OF LIFE HERE

OFTEN SEEMS TO JUST FADE AWAY.

AND IT’S POSSIBLE
TO DISCOVER NEW WORLDS

THAT YOU CAN’T SEE
FROM THE GROUND.

CHICAGO HAS 5 MILLION
SQUARE FEET OF GREEN SPACE

ON ITS ROOFTOPS.

IT BLANKETS MORE THAN
350 OF ITS BUILDINGS.

THERE ARE EVEN
ELABORATE ROOFTOP GARDENS

THAT HOVER OVER
THE STREETS BELOW.

YOU MIGHT NEVER KNOW THEY EXIST
UNLESS YOU GET UP HIGH.

BUT THERE’S ONE ROOF IN CHICAGO
THAT’S NOT LIKE THE OTHERS.

♪

THIS ODDLY SHAPED STRUCTURE
DOWNTOWN

IS THE CITY’S METROPOLITAN
CORRECTIONAL CENTER.

EVERY MORNING, PRISONERS START
FILLING THE EXERCISE YARD

THAT LIES ON TOP
OF THIS CHICAGO SKYSCRAPER.

IT’S ONE OF THREE EXPERIMENTAL
PRISONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

THAT WERE BUILT IN THE 1970s.

ARCHITECT HARRY WEESE
DESIGNED IT AS A TRIANGLE

SO EACH CELL COULD HAVE
ITS OWN FLOOR-TO-CEILING WINDOW.

HE ALSO TURNED THE PRISON’S ROOF
INTO AN EXERCISE YARD.

♪

EVERY OTHER DAY,

PRISONERS ARE ALLOWED
TO SPEND UP TO TWO HOURS HERE

IN THE OPEN AIR
ABOVE THEIR CELLS.

MANY OF THE PEOPLE DOING TIME
IN THIS HIGH-RISE JAIL

HAVEN’T BEEN CONVICTED
OF A CRIME.

THEY ARE PRE-TRIAL DETAINEES,

WHICH MEANS THEY EITHER CAN’T
AFFORD OR WERE NOT GIVEN BAIL

AS THEY WAIT FOR
THEIR NEXT DAY IN COURT.

IN 2005,
A WOMAN NAMED PIPER KERMAN

WAS HOUSED HERE BRIEFLY

AFTER HER CONVICTION
FOR MONEY LAUNDERING.

HER MEMOIR OF LIFE IN PRISON,

TITLED
"ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK,"

WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR
THE POPULAR TELEVISION SERIES

ON NETFLIX.

WORKERS, ROBOTS, AND PRISONERS

ARE ALL USED TO SPENDING
LONG DAYS UP HIGH

OVER THE STREETS OF CHICAGO.

BUT EVERY MORNING,
STARTING AT 9 A.M.,

OTHERS PAY FOR A CHANCE TO LOOK
DOWN ON THIS CITY FROM ABOVE.

THEY COME HERE,

TO THE 94th FLOOR
OF THE JOHN HANCOCK CENTER,

FOR A RIDE CALLED TILT.

AFTER SHELLING OUT ABOUT $25,

THEY STEP INTO ONE OF
EIGHT WINDOWED COMPARTMENTS

AND MAKE SURE
THEY’RE HOLDING ON TIGHT.

♪

THEN, THE ENTIRE WINDOW
AND FLOOR THEY’RE STANDING ON

TILTS OUT OVER THE SIDEWALK,

1,000 FEET BELOW.

♪

THIS IS HOW SOME EXPERIENCE

THE AWE-INSPIRING ENGINEERING
OF CHICAGO SKYSCRAPERS.

BUT FOR OTHERS,

IT’S A RACE TO THE TOP
OF THE TALLEST BUILDING IN TOWN.

♪

EVERY YEAR,
THOUSANDS OF ATHLETES

COMPETE IN A RACE
TO CLIMB THE 2,109 STEPS

THAT LEAD FROM THE STREET

TO THE 103rd FLOOR
OF THE WILLIS TOWER.

THE BEST RECORDED TIME SO FAR

IS 13 MINUTES 9 SECONDS.

FROM A DISTANCE,

ALL THE WINDOWS OF THIS
SKYSCRAPER LOOK THE SAME.

BUT UP ON THE 103rd FLOOR,
A FEW STAND OUT.

♪

THEY’RE ACTUALLY GLASS BOXES

THAT EXTEND JUST OVER FOUR FEET
FROM THE BUILDING’S FACADE.

THEY ARE KNOWN AS "THE LEDGE."

THE FLOORS OF THESE
1,500-POUND CUBES

BOTH THRILL AND TERRIFY.

THAT’S BECAUSE
THERE’S NOTHING UNDER YOUR FEET

BUT CLEAR GLASS AND THIN AIR.

WHEN YOU STAND ON THE LEDGE,

YOU CAN SEE FOR MILES

OVER ILLINOIS’S
FAMOUSLY FLAT LANDSCAPE

AND LOOK OUT
ALL ACROSS CHICAGOLAND.

BUT YOU CAN ALSO LOOK DOWN
ON THE FASCINATING RAIL SYSTEMS

THAT YOU CAN ONLY FIND
IN CHICAGO.

♪

IT’S 10:30 A.M.
ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO.

HERE AT A STATION
KNOWN AS ASHLAND/63rd,

EL TRAIN OPERATOR
LACHELLE JENKINS

IS JUST STARTING HER SHIFT.

THE LAST STOP ON HER RUN
ON THIS GREEN LINE TRAIN

WILL BE HARLEM STATION,
WEST OF DOWNTOWN.

LACHELLE HAS BEEN OPERATING
EL TRAINS FOR TWO DECADES.

SHE’S RESPONSIBLE FOR MOVING

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF PASSENGERS A YEAR

SAFELY ACROSS CHICAGO.

AS HER TRAIN
SCREECHES AND RUMBLES

THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS
LIKE THIS ONE,

SHE HAS A SPECTACULAR
FRONT-ROW SEAT

TO DAILY LIFE
IN THIS GREAT AMERICAN CITY.

♪

WHEN AUTHOR NELSON ALGREN WROTE
HIS FAMOUS BOOK ABOUT CHICAGO,

HE DESCRIBED "GREAT TRAINS
HOWLING FROM TRACK TO TRACK."

IF THERE’S ANY SOUND

THAT’S FAMILIAR TO CHICAGOANS
ON THE STREET,

IT’S THE CLATTER OF THE EL
PASSING OVERHEAD.

♪

BUT IT’S NOT THE ONLY
FAMILIAR SOUNDTRACK

TO DAILY LIFE IN THIS CITY.

♪

CHICAGOANS ALSO KNOW WELL
THE SOUNDS OF WAVES AND SEAGULLS

ON THE MANY BEACHES
THAT LINE THE LAKE...

[SEAGULL SQUAWKING]

THE SOUND OF WIND RACING
THROUGH ITS URBAN CANYONS...

[WHOOSHING]

AND THE CRACK OF A BAT
AGAINST A BALL...

[CRACK]

AT WRIGLEY FIELD.

[CHEERING]

BUT THERE’S ONE SOUND

THAT’S MOST OFTEN ASSOCIATED
WITH CHICAGO,

ESPECIALLY
HERE ON THE SOUTH SIDE.

♪

AND THAT’S THE SOUND
OF THE BLUES.

IN 1943,

AN ARTIST NAMED MUDDY WATERS
ARRIVED IN CHICAGO BY TRAIN

FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA.

HE WAS ONE OF ROUGHLY

HALF A MILLION AFRICAN AMERICANS
FROM THE SOUTH

WHO JOURNEYED NORTH TO CHICAGO

DURING WHAT’S KNOWN
AS THE GREAT MIGRATION.

THEY CAME LOOKING FOR JOBS
IN STEEL, MEAT PACKING,

AND OTHER INDUSTRIES
ALL AROUND THE CITY.

BY THE 1950s,
THIS BRICK ROW HOUSE

HERE ON SOUTH LAKE PARK AVENUE
WAS MUDDY’S HOME.

IT WAS IN CHICAGO

THAT HE PLAYED
THE ELECTRIC GUITAR

FOR THE FIRST TIME.

FROM HIS BASEMENT STUDIO,

HE HELPED FORGE
A NEW URBAN BLUES STYLE

THAT CAME TO BE KNOWN
AS CHICAGO BLUES.

WITH LEGENDARY SONGS LIKE,
"I’M YOUR HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN,"

"GOT MY MOJO WORKING"

AND "ROLLIN’ STONE,"

MUDDY WENT ON TO WIN
NINE GRAMMYS

AND A PLACE IN THE ROCK AND ROLL
HALL OF FAME.

♪

SINCE THEN, NEW MUSIC LEGENDS
HAVE RISEN TO FAME

HERE ON THE SOUTH SIDE.

THIS SMALL HOUSE
ON SOUTH SHORE DRIVE

IS EASY TO MISS,

IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS.

IT WAS ONCE THE CHILDHOOD HOME
OF HIP-HOP ARTIST KANYE WEST,

WHO MOVED TO CHICAGO
WITH HIS MOM FROM GEORGIA

WHEN HE WAS THREE.

KANYE NEVER FINISHED COLLEGE,

BUT HIS 2004 DEBUT ALBUM
TITLED "COLLEGE DROPOUT"

WENT TRIPLE PLATINUM.

♪

WHEN YOU SPEED ACROSS CHICAGO
ON THE EL,

THERE’S COLORFUL HISTORY

IN JUST ABOUT EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD
THAT PASSES BY,

JUST AS THERE’S HISTORY
ON THE RAILS YOU RIDE.

LACHELLE’S GREEN LINE TRAIN

RUNS ON THE OLDEST EL TRAIN
TRACKS IN THE SYSTEM.

IT WAS ON A SECTION OF THIS LINE
THAT THE FIRST EL TRAIN EVER,

MADE OF WOODEN COACHES
PULLED BY A STEAM ENGINE,

JOURNEYED ACROSS CHICAGO
IN 1892.

TODAY, THE GREEN LINE IS ONE OF
8 DIFFERENT COLOR-CODED LINES

THAT CRISSCROSS THE CITY.

WHAT MAKES
CHICAGO’S TRANSIT SYSTEM

DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CITIES

IS THAT 5 OF THESE 8 LINES

END UP RUNNING
ON THE SAME SET OF TRACKS

WHEN THEY REACH DOWNTOWN.

THE REASON THAT THE HEART OF
CHICAGO IS KNOWN AS "THE LOOP"

IS BECAUSE OF THIS 2-MILE CIRCLE
OF ELEVATED TRAIN TRACKS.

ONLY TWO OF CHICAGO’S EL TRAINS,
THE BLUE AND RED,

RUN IN TUNNELS UNDER THE CITY.

PEER DOWN
ON THE LOOP FROM ABOVE,

AND IT LOOKS LIKE
A CAREFULLY CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE

OF TRAINS BELOW.

HUNDREDS ENTER AND EXIT
THE LOOP EVERY DAY.

IN 1977,

A COLLISION ON THESE TRACKS

CAUSED FOUR CARS OF ONE TRAIN
TO JACKKNIFE

AND THEN CRASH DOWN
TO THE STREET.

11 PEOPLE DIED
AND 180 WERE INJURED.

IT WAS LATER DISCOVERED

THAT THE OPERATOR
OF ONE OF THE TRAINS

HAD USED DRUGS
PRIOR TO THE COLLISION.

♪

TODAY, NEW SAFETY RULES

AND SKILLED OPERATORS
LIKE LACHELLE

KEEP THE TRAINS
AND CHICAGOANS MOVING SAFELY,

WITHOUT A HITCH.

BUT CHICAGO WAS A RAILWAY TOWN

LONG BEFORE EL TRAINS

STARTED MAKING THEIR TURNS
THROUGH THE LOOP.

♪

THE VERY FIRST TRAIN HERE,

PULLED BY A STEAM ENGINE
CALLED THE PIONEER,

HEADED WEST OUT OF TOWN IN 1848,

AND CHICAGO HAS BEEN
A MAJOR AMERICAN RAIL HUB

EVER SINCE.

BY 11 A.M., WORKERS AND CRANES
ARE ALREADY BUSY LOADING CARGO

AT CHICAGO’S CORWITH RAIL YARD.

EVERY DAY, CLOSE TO 1,300 TRAINS
PULLING ALMOST 40,000 RAIL CARS

ROLL THROUGH CHICAGOLAND.

THERE ARE 40 RAIL YARDS
LIKE THIS ONE

TO MANAGE ALL THE TRAFFIC.

WHEN IT WAS BUILT IN 1887,

THIS YARD WAS THE LARGEST
IN THE WORLD.

FOR DECADES,

OPEN TRAIN CARS
PACKED WITH LIVESTOCK

FROM AS FAR AWAY
AS SOUTHERN TEXAS

ARRIVED HERE EVERY DAY TO SUPPLY
CHICAGO’S SLAUGHTERHOUSES.

NOW IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE

WHAT KIND OF FREIGHT
PASSES THROUGH THIS CITY,

BECAUSE MOST OF IT
TRAVELS INSIDE

LONG STANDARDIZED
SHIPPING CONTAINERS.

ONCE TRAINS ARE LOADED,

THEY ROLL OUT ON THE NEARLY
4,000 MILES OF RAILWAY TRACK

THAT CRISSCROSS CHICAGOLAND.

♪

MANY OF THE CITY’S
OLDEST RAIL LINES

ARE STILL IN USE.

BUT NOT THIS ONE.

AT LEAST NOT BY TRAINS.

IT’S 11 A.M. ON THE 606.

THAT’S THE NAME
FOR THIS ELEVATED PARK

THAT RUNS ALMOST 3 MILES ACROSS
THE WEST SIDE OF CHICAGO.

IN THE EARLY 1900s,

A TRAIN TRACK
KNOWN AS THE BLOOMINGDALE LINE

RAN RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE
OF THIS CHICAGO STREET.

BUT THAT LED TO FATALITIES

SINCE TRAINS OFTEN APPEARED
SUDDENLY OUT OF NOWHERE.

TO KEEP CHICAGO RESIDENTS SAFE,

THE BLOOMINGDALE LINE WAS RAISED
ABOVE THE STREET IN THE 1910s.

BY THE 1990s,
CITY PLANNERS STARTED IMAGINING

HOW THEY COULD REPURPOSE
THIS OLD TRAIN TRACK

FOR PUBLIC USE.

THAT PROJECT WAS NAMED THE 606,

AFTER THE ZIP CODE PREFIX
THAT ALL CHICAGOANS SHARE.

IT TOOK ALMOST 18 YEARS
TO PLAN AND FUND.

BUT IN 2015,
IT FINALLY OPENED TO THE PUBLIC.

SINCE THEN, THE 606 HAS BECOME

ONE OF CHICAGO’S MOST POPULAR
PLACES TO WALK, RUN, AND BIKE.

♪

IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF CHICAGO

WITHOUT ITS TRAINS,

AND WITHOUT THE VAST
AND STUNNING WATERS

OF LAKE MICHIGAN

THAT LIE AT ITS FEET.

WHEN THE SUN’S OUT,

MANY HERE FLOCK
TO THIS ARC OF SAND

KNOWN AS NORTH AVENUE BEACH,

NOT FAR FROM DOWNTOWN.

IF THERE’S ONE THING
THAT MAKES CHICAGOANS

PARTICULARLY PROUD
OF THEIR MIDWESTERN CITY,

IT’S THEIR LAKEFRONT.

♪

TODAY, THERE ARE AT LEAST
24 BEACHES, BIG AND SMALL,

INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS.

AND WHERE THERE AREN’T BEACHES,

THERE ARE PARKS,
HARBORS, AND MARINAS

THAT DOT THE SHORELINE,

AND AN 18-MILE TRAIL
THAT WINDS ALL ALONG THE LAKE.

♪

BUT THERE WAS A TIME
WHEN RESIDENTS OF CHICAGO

WERE FEARFUL OF THE WATERS
IN THEIR RIVERS AND LAKE.

BACK IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY,

SEWAGE AND INDUSTRIAL WASTE
FILLED THE CHICAGO RIVER.

WHEN IT RAINED,

WATERBORNE DISEASES
WASHED INTO THE LAKE

AND POISONED
THE CITY’S WATER SUPPLY.

CHOLERA EPIDEMICS
PLAGUED CHICAGO.

TO FIX THE PROBLEM,

ENGINEERS CAME UP
WITH A DARING IDEA.

THEY PROPOSED
TO PERMANENTLY REVERSE THE FLOW

OF THE CHICAGO RIVER.

INSTEAD OF DIRTY RIVER WATER
FLOWING OUT INTO LAKE MICHIGAN,

FRESH CLEAN LAKE WATER WOULD
FLOW IN AND THROUGH THE CITY,

CLEANSING IT OF POLLUTANTS.

PULLING IT OFF REQUIRED

ONE OF THE LARGEST ENGINEERING
AND EXCAVATION PROJECTS

IN THE NATION’S HISTORY:

A 28-MILE CHANNEL

KNOWN AS CHICAGO’S
SANITARY AND SHIP CANAL.

THE CANAL WAS NEEDED

TO SEND WATER
COMING FROM THE LAKE SOUTH,

TOWARDS THE MISSISSIPPI.

♪

IT TOOK MORE THAN 8 YEARS
TO COMPLETE

AND WAS SUCH A MARVEL IN ITS DAY

THAT CHICAGOANS OFTEN FLOCKED
HERE ON THE WEEKENDS

TO SEE THIS ENGINEERING WONDER
FOR THEMSELVES.

THE EARTH-MOVING TECHNIQUES
DEVELOPED HERE

WERE LATER USED TO BUILD
THE PANAMA CANAL.

TODAY,
MORE THAN A CENTURY LATER,

THE CHICAGO RIVER STILL RUNS
BACKWARDS THROUGH THE CITY.

WHEN THE GATES OPEN

AT THIS MASSIVE LOCK
AT THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER,

FRESH WATER FROM LAKE MICHIGAN
FILLS UP THE LOCK

AND THEN FLOWS THROUGH CHICAGO.

AND CHICAGOANS
AREN’T TAKING ANY CHANCES

WITH THEIR WATER SUPPLY.

IN 1968, THEY COMPLETED THIS,

THE JARDINE
WATER PURIFICATION PLANT.

IT’S THE LARGEST OF ITS KIND
IN THE WORLD.

IT PROCESSES UP TO A BILLION
GALLONS OF WATER A DAY

AND IS CAPABLE OF DELIVERING
CLEAN DRINKING WATER

FROM LAKE MICHIGAN
TO FAUCETS IN CHICAGOLAND

IN JUST 8 HOURS.

♪

THIS FACILITY IS ONE OF
TWO LARGE PIECES OF LAND

THAT JUT OUT FROM CHICAGO
INTO THE LAKE.

THE OTHER LIES JUST SOUTHEAST
OF DOWNTOWN.

IT USED TO BE A BUSY AIRPORT
KNOWN AS MEIGS FIELD.

IT WAS BELOVED
BY LOCAL PRIVATE PILOTS

SINCE IT WAS SO CLOSE TO TOWN.

BUT IN 2003,
CHICAGO MAYOR RICHARD M. DALEY

DECIDED THAT HE WANTED
THE AIRPORT GONE

TO CREATE A NEW PUBLIC PARK.

ON MARCH 30th,
IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT,

HE ORDERED AN ARMY OF BULLDOZERS
TO GOUGE GIANT Xs

RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE
OF THE RUNWAY.

MORE THAN A DOZEN PLANES WERE
LEFT STRANDED ON THE TARMAC.

IT WAS THE END OF MEIGS FIELD...

AND THE BEGINNING
OF A NEW CHICAGO PARK

THAT’S KNOWN TODAY
AS NORTHERLY ISLAND.

NOW CHICAGOANS BIKE AND SUNBATHE

RIGHT WHERE JETS USED TO MAKE
THEIR FINAL APPROACHES

INTO CHICAGO.

♪

TODAY, NORTHERLY ISLAND
LOOKS NEARLY EMPTY,

BUT THAT MAY BE BECAUSE
IT’S ALMOST 1 P.M.,

AND THAT’S KICKOFF TIME
AT NEARBY SOLDIER FIELD,

THE LEGENDARY HOME
OF THE CHICAGO BEARS.

THE LAST TIME THE BEARS
WON THE SUPER BOWL WAS 1985,

BUT THAT HASN’T DENTED
THE ENTHUSIASM

THAT FOOTBALL FANS IN CHICAGO
HAVE FOR THEIR HOMETOWN TEAM.

FOR HOURS BEFORE THE GAME
GETS UNDERWAY,

THE PARKING LOTS THAT STRETCH
SOUTH FROM SOLDIER FIELD

FILL UP WITH TAILGATERS.

IT’S ONE GIANT
ORANGE AND BLUE PARTY.

WHEN AN ICY COLD WIND
BLOWS IN FROM THE LAKE,

BEARS FANS ARE KNOWN TO SIMPLY
BUTTON UP THEIR COATS,

PUT ON THEIR HATS AND GLOVES,

AND KEEP THE BEER FLOWING.

IT’S ALL PART OF THE RITUAL

OF GETTING READY TO WAGE BATTLE
AT SOLDIER FIELD.

♪

THERE ARE MAJOR STADIUMS
ALL OVER CHICAGO,

WHICH IS EVIDENCE
OF JUST HOW IMPORTANT

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS
ARE TO CHICAGOANS.

JUST SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN

LIES THE HOME FIELD
OF THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX.

IT GETS RENAMED EVERY TIME
A NEW CORPORATE SPONSOR

PAYS FOR NAMING RIGHTS.

MANY WHITE SOX FANS
STILL CALL IT COMISKEY PARK,

OR "THE CELL,"

FROM THE YEARS WHEN IT WAS
U.S. CELLULAR FIELD.

BUT CHICAGO’S OLDEST
AND MOST TREASURED STADIUM

LIES NORTH OF DOWNTOWN.

♪

IT’S BEEN HOME
TO THE CHICAGO CUBS SINCE 1914.

OVER THE YEARS,

CHICAGO HAS RACKED UP VICTORIES

IN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL,
BASKETBALL, AND EVEN HOCKEY,

BUT BASEBALL HAS BEEN
A VERY DIFFERENT STORY.

AFTER WINNING TWO WORLD SERIES
BACK TO BACK IN 1907 AND 1908,

THE CHICAGO CUBS CAME UP EMPTY

FOR THE REST
OF THE 20th CENTURY.

MANY FANS BELIEVED
THAT THEIR TEAM WAS CURSED

BY A MAN WITH A GOAT.

IT ALL STARTED IN 1945,

WHEN A LOCAL BAR OWNER
NAMED WILLIAM SIANIS

SHOWED UP TO A GAME
AT WRIGLEY FIELD

WITH A LIVE GOAT,

WHICH WAS THE MASCOT
OF HIS BILLY GOAT TAVERN.

WHEN THE GOAT WAS DENIED ENTRY
INTO THE STADIUM,

SIANIS IS SAID
TO HAVE MUTTERED THE WORDS,

"THE CUBS
AIN’T GONNA WIN NO MORE."

THAT WAS THE BILLY GOAT CURSE.

SURE ENOUGH,
FOR YEARS AFTERWARDS,

THE CHICAGO CUBS
HAD ONE OF THE WORST RECORDS

IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL.

BUT THE CUBS’
MOST DEDICATED FANS

HUNG IN THERE,

GAME AFTER GAME,
DECADE AFTER DECADE,

TO CHEER ON THEIR FAVORITE TEAM.

THEIR SUPPORT
FINALLY PAID OFF IN 2016,

WHEN THE CHICAGO CUBS LAUNCHED
A SPECTACULAR COMEBACK

AND MANAGED TO WIN
THEIR FIRST WORLD SERIES

AFTER 108 YEARS.

♪

THERE MAY BE NO CITY IN AMERICA

THAT’S HAD GREATER COMEBACKS
THAN CHICAGO.

♪

ONE REASON CHICAGOANS
ARE PROUD OF THEIR CITY TODAY

IS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT
THE RICHNESS OF DAILY LIFE HERE

HAS BEEN HARD-EARNED,
EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

AND EVERY TIME THEY SEE

THE CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT
IN ACTION,

IT’S A REMINDER OF CHICAGO’S
BIGGEST COMEBACK EVER,

AFTER TERRIFYING EVENTS
THAT NEARLY DESTROYED IT

MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO.

WHEN YOU LOOK UP

AT THE GLIMMERING SKYLINE
OF CHICAGO TODAY,

IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE
THAT 150 YEARS AGO

THIS CITY LAY IN RUINS.

IT ALL BEGAN
ON OCTOBER 8, 1871.

SOMETIME AROUND 8 P.M.,

A SMALL FIRE
STARTED TO BURN NEAR A BARN

AT WHAT’S NOW
WEST DEKOVEN STREET.

HIGH WINDS FUELED THE FLAMES,

AND FLYING EMBERS
SPARKED NEW FIRES

THAT QUICKLY GOT OUT OF CONTROL.

WITH THOUSANDS
OF STRUCTURES BURNING,

THE FLAMES LEAPT
THE CHICAGO RIVER

AND FORCED RESIDENTS
TO SEEK REFUGE

ON THE SHORES OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

IT WAS ONLY BECAUSE OF RAIN,
TWO DAYS LATER,

THAT THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE
CAME TO AN END.

BUT BY THEN, 4 SQUARE MILES
IN THE HEART OF THE CITY

HAD BEEN BURNED TO THE GROUND.

NEARLY 100,000 RESIDENTS
HAD LOST THEIR HOMES,

AND ALMOST 300 WERE DEAD.

THE DEVASTATION
WAS CATASTROPHIC,

AND MANY ACROSS THE COUNTRY

THOUGHT CHICAGO
WOULD NEVER RECOVER.

BUT EVEN AS THE ASHES
OF THEIR HOUSES SMOLDERED,

CHICAGOANS WERE
ALREADY BACK AT WORK,

VOWING TO RESTORE
WHAT THEY HAD LOST

AND FORGING A NEW VISION
FOR THEIR CITY

THAT WOULD MAKE IT TALLER
AND GRANDER THAN EVER BEFORE.

TODAY,

CHICAGO HAS SOME OF THE TOUGHEST
FIRE CODES IN THE NATION

AND A FIRE DEPARTMENT
THAT IS SECOND TO NONE.

THEY TRAIN EVERY DAY

TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE READY
FOR THE CITY’S NEXT MAJOR BLAZE.

THIS PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECT

SLATED FOR DEMOLITION
ON THE SOUTH SIDE

IS OFTEN USED
AS THEIR TRAINING GROUND.

BUT FIREFIGHTERS IN CHICAGO

AREN’T JUST REQUIRED
TO PLAN FOR DISASTERS ON LAND;

THEY ALSO SERVE
AS FIRST RESPONDERS

ON LAKE MICHIGAN.

SPECIAL UNITS ON THE WATER

TRAIN FOR EVERYTHING FROM
MAJOR FIRES ON CARGO SHIPS,

TO BOAT COLLISIONS,

TO DROWNING VICTIMS.

AND THEY OFTEN COORDINATE
WITH UNITS ON LAND.

IN 2016 ALONE, AT LEAST
20 PEOPLE DROWNED IN CHICAGO.

AND "THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE" HAS
REPORTED THAT LAKE MICHIGAN

IS THE DEADLIEST
OF THE GREAT LAKES,

WITH AS MANY DROWNINGS
AND WATER RESCUES

AS THE FOUR OTHER
GREAT LAKES COMBINED,

SINCE 2010.

THAT’S WHY FIREFIGHTERS

HAVE TO BE PREPARED
TO PLUNGE INTO THE LAKE,

EVEN IN THE DEAD OF WINTER.

OFTEN, LIFE AND DEATH
IN CHICAGO’S WATERS

IS DECIDED
IN A MATTER OF SECONDS,

AND BY WHETHER THE PATIENT
CAN BE REACHED IN TIME

AND PULLED TO SHORE
BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.

♪

WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES NOON
IN CHICAGO,

THE CITY OFTEN LOOKS LIKE THIS--

A CROWDED FOREST OF SKYSCRAPERS
THAT SEEM TO TOUCH THE CLOUDS.

BUT WHEN YOU GET UP CLOSE,

YOU REALIZE THAT A VAST AREA OF
PRIME REAL ESTATE IN CHICAGO

HAS BARELY BEEN BUILT ON AT ALL.

THIS IS GRANT PARK,

OR WHAT MANY HAVE CALLED
"CHICAGO’S FRONT YARD."

WHEN CHICAGO WAS INCORPORATED
AS A CITY IN 1837,

A STRIP OF LAND
ALONG LAKE MICHIGAN

WAS PRESERVED AS PUBLIC GROUND.

THAT GROUND WAS THE ORIGIN
OF GRANT PARK.

AFTER THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE
IN 1871,

LARGE AMOUNTS OF DEBRIS
FROM THE FIRE

WERE USED TO EXPAND THE PARK,

AND OVER THE DECADES
THAT FOLLOWED,

MASSIVE ENGINEERING PROJECTS

EXTENDED
THE CHICAGO SHORELINE FURTHER,

OUT INTO THE LAKE.

BUT MUCH OF THE MATERIAL

THAT WAS USED TO DEVELOP
CHICAGO’S GRANT PARK

ACTUALLY CAME FROM
BENEATH THE CITY ITSELF.

♪

CHICAGO IS WELL KNOWN
FOR THE TRAINS

THAT RUN ON ELEVATED TRACKS
ABOVE ITS STREETS.

BUT WHAT MANY PEOPLE DON’T KNOW
IS THAT THERE IS

AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT
NETWORK OF RAILWAY LINES

HIDDEN DEEP UNDER THE CITY.

IF YOU COULD X-RAY CHICAGO,

YOU’D REVEAL THE BONES
OF A 60-MILE TUNNEL SYSTEM

THAT LIES 40 FEET UNDER
MUCH OF DOWNTOWN.

IT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT
AT THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY

FOR TELEPHONE CABLES,

BUT WAS SOON TRANSFORMED

INTO A COMPLEX
UNDERGROUND RAIL SYSTEM

FOR TINY FREIGHT TRAINS.

THEY WERE OFTEN USED TO REMOVE
CLAY AND OTHER DEBRIS

DURING THE CONSTRUCTION
OF NEW CHICAGO BUILDINGS.

ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE
OF THE CITY,

THE TRACKS RAN
ALMOST UP TO THE LAKEFRONT.

OVER DECADES,

THIS FREIGHT TUNNEL SYSTEM
WAS USED TO CARRY LANDFILL

TO THE CITY’S LAKESHORE.

THE FIELD MUSEUM,
SOLDIER FIELD, AND GRANT PARK

WERE ALL BUILT ON SOIL

THAT ONCE LAY UNDER
DOWNTOWN CHICAGO.

♪

SINCE ITS HUMBLE ORIGINS,

GRANT PARK HAS GROWN TO COVER
MORE THAN 300 ACRES.

IT’S NOW ONE OF THE MOST
VISITED SITES IN THE MIDWEST.

EVERY YEAR, MILLIONS COME HERE,
TO MILLENNIUM PARK,

WHICH LIES INSIDE GRANT PARK,

TO VISIT THIS.

IT’S A GIANT SCULPTURE

THAT WAS INSPIRED
BY THE SHAPE AND SURFACE

OF A DROP OF MERCURY.

IT WAS CREATED IN 2006

BY AN INDIAN-BORN BRITISH ARTIST
NAMED ANISH KAPOOR.

HE NAMED HIS WORK "CLOUD GATE"

SINCE ITS SHAPE AND SURFACE
CONNECTS PEOPLE WITH THE SKY.

INSIDE CLOUD GATE

IS AN ELABORATE
STEEL AND WOODEN STRUCTURE

THAT GIVES IT ITS SHAPE.

BUT ON THE SURFACE,

168 STAINLESS STEEL PANELS
HAVE ALL BEEN WELDED TOGETHER

INTO A SEAMLESS SKIN.

WHAT MAKES IT SO POPULAR WITH
TOURISTS AND CHICAGOANS ALIKE

IS THE CHANCE TO SEE
THEMSELVES, AND CHICAGO,

MIRRORED ON ITS
FRESHLY POLISHED SURFACE.

♪

WHEN THE MID-DAY SUN SHINES DOWN

ON THE STREETS AND ELEVATED
TRAIN TRACKS OF CHICAGO,

WORKERS AND OTHERS FLOOD OUT
OF THE CITY’S SKYSCRAPERS

FOR THEIR LUNCH BREAKS.

BUT WHEN IT COMES
TO LUNCH ITSELF,

NOTHING UNITES CHICAGOANS
LIKE THE HUMBLE HOT DOG.

APPRECIATION
FOR THIS FAST FOOD HERE

CAN REACH
AN ALMOST RELIGIOUS FERVOR,

WHICH EXPLAINS WHY THERE ARE
1,800 HOT DOG VENDORS

IN THE CITY ALONE.

ONE OF THE MOST LEGENDARY
IS BYRON’S.

FOR MANY,
THIS IS LIKE A HOT DOG SHRINE.

IT’S BEEN HERE ON THE NORTH SIDE
SINCE 1975.

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS
TO SERVE HOT DOGS IN CHICAGO,

BUT BYRON’S IS FAMOUS
FOR THEIR "CHICAGO DOG."

IT’S PREPARED SIMPLY,

WITH INGREDIENTS THAT INCLUDE
ONIONS, HOT PEPPERS, RELISH,

CELERY SALT,
TOMATOES, AND MUSTARD.

SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT IF YOU
PUT KETCHUP ON A CHICAGO DOG,

THEN YOU’RE NOT
A TRUE CHICAGOAN.

♪

TO UNDERSTAND HOW HOT DOGS

GOT THEIR LEGENDARY STATUS
IN CHICAGO,

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO

IS JOURNEY BACK TO A DAY
IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY

ON THE CITY’S SOUTHWEST SIDE.

STARTING IN 1865,

THE AIR HERE WAS FILLED
WITH THE STENCH, DUST, AND HAZE

OF STOCKYARDS, SLAUGHTERHOUSES,
AND MEAT PACKERS.

AT ONE TIME,
MORE THAN 80% OF AMERICA’S MEAT

WAS PROCESSED IN CHICAGO.

POET CARL SANDBURG
FAMOUSLY CALLED THE CITY

"HOG BUTCHER FOR THE WORLD."

BUT CATTLE WERE ALSO
SLAUGHTERED HERE

IN STAGGERING NUMBERS.

THIS FORMER
UNION STOCK YARDS GATE

IS ONE OF THE ONLY ORIGINAL
STRUCTURES STILL STANDING.

IT WAS GERMAN IMMIGRANTS

WHO ORIGINALLY GAVE CHICAGO
THE FRANKFURTER,

BUT IT WAS CHICAGOANS
WHO TURNED HOT DOGS

INTO THE NOW LEGENDARY
ALL-BEEF "CHICAGO DOG."

CHICAGO’S MEAT PACKERS
WERE FAMOUS

FOR LEAVING ALMOST NO PART
OF AN ANIMAL WASTED,

WHICH IS HOW THEY CAME TO BE
KNOWN AS "DISASSEMBLY LINES."

LEGEND HAS IT

THAT HENRY FORD OBSERVED
THIS PROCESS HERE IN CHICAGO

AND GOT THE IDEA TO REVERSE IT,

TO MAKE CARS.

HE PUT THE IDEA TO WORK
IN CHICAGO IN 1924

WHEN FORD OPENED
A NEW ASSEMBLY PLANT HERE

ON TORRANCE AVENUE.

WHEN IT STARTED OPERATIONS,

IT WAS THE SECOND
BIGGEST PRODUCER

OF FORD’S LEGENDARY MODEL-T.

TODAY, MORE THAN
4,000 WORKERS IN THE PLANT

CRANK OUT THE COMPANY’S
LATEST MODELS.

EVERY HOUR,
ABOUT 58 NEW CARS EMERGE

FROM THIS HISTORIC FACILITY.

MOST ARE EXPLORERS,

THE COMPANY’S
BLOCKBUSTER-SELLING S.U.V.

NEW FORD VEHICLES AWAITING
TRANSPORT ACROSS THE NATION

ARE PARKED IN LOTS
ALL AROUND THE PLANT.

BUT A LITTLE FURTHER
TO THE EAST,

AT CHICAGO’S PORT,

IS ANOTHER VAST FIELD OF CARS

THAT’S BEEN HIDDEN ON PURPOSE
FROM PUBLIC VIEW.

♪

THEY ARE EVIDENCE OF ONE OF
THE BIGGEST CORPORATE FRAUDS

IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

IN 2016,

VOLKSWAGEN ADMITTED TO
INSTALLING HIDDEN SOFTWARE

ON CLOSE TO A HALF A MILLION
CARS IN AMERICA

IN ORDER TO DEFEAT
EMISSIONS TESTS

AND SELL MORE VEHICLES.

WHEN THE COMPANY WAS FORCED TO
BUY BACK THESE DEFECTIVE CARS

FROM CONSUMERS ACROSS
CHICAGOLAND,

THOUSANDS OF THOSE VEHICLES
ENDED UP HERE,

IN THIS HARD-TO-SPOT LOT.

THERE’S A CHANCE
THAT SOME OF THESE CARS

WILL BE FIXED AND RE-SOLD,

BUT MANY WILL LIKELY END UP
IN THE SCRAPYARD.

♪

IT’S 4 P.M.,

AND A LUFTHANSA CARGO JET
IS MAKING ITS FINAL APPROACH

TO RUNWAY 10-LEFT

AT CHICAGO’S O’HARE
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

THIS IS THE THIRD
LARGEST AIRPORT IN THE U.S.,

AND IT HAS ONE OF THE BUSIEST
CARGO TERMINALS IN THE WORLD.

BUT TODAY IS NOT A USUAL DAY
AT THIS CHICAGO HUB.

A TEAM OF BIOLOGISTS
IS SUITED UP

AND WAITING FOR
A VERY SPECIAL SHIPMENT.

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER ORANGUTANS

ARE ABOUT TO ARRIVE FROM A ZOO
IN HANNOVER, GERMANY.

HERE AT O’HARE,

CARGO PLANES USE THE AIRPORT’S
LONGEST RUNWAYS,

ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE FIELD.

[TIRES SCREECH]

LUFTHANSA’S
CARGO OPERATIONS IN CHICAGO

HANDLE SOME OF THE MOST
EXPENSIVE AND EXOTIC SHIPMENTS

ON EARTH.

WHENEVER THEY FLY,

LIVE ANIMALS ARE USUALLY
OFFLOADED FIRST.

[BEEPING]

AS SOON AS THE FORWARD
CARGO HATCH OPENS,

THE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER
ORANGUTANS GET ROLLED OUTSIDE.

A CARGO LIFT WILL DELIVER THEM
DOWN TO THE TEAM BELOW.

THESE TWO GREAT APES
MADE THEIR JOURNEY TO CHICAGO

IN SEPARATE
SPECIALLY ENGINEERED CRATES.

BUT HOLES IN THE SIDES
ALLOW THE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER
DURING THEIR FLIGHT.

TODAY, ORANGUTANS ARE ONLY FOUND
IN THE WILD IN INDONESIA,

AND THEY ARE HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE
TO HUMAN DISEASES.

THAT’S WHY EVERYONE
ON THIS CARGO TEAM

HAS TO WEAR A BIO-HAZARD SUIT.

JUST LIKE MILLIONS
OF OTHER PASSENGERS

WHO LAND AT O’HARE EVERY YEAR,

THESE TWO GREAT APES ARE JUST
TRANSITING THROUGH CHICAGO.

BUT THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY TO
THE FORT WORTH ZOO IN TEXAS,

WHICH IS PART OF A SPECIAL
INTERNATIONAL BREEDING PROGRAM

FOR ORANGUTANS.

NOW THAT THE MOTHER
IS SAFELY IN THE VAN,

HER DAUGHTER WILL JOIN HER.

FROM O’HARE,

THEIR FIRST STOP WILL BE
THE MILWAUKEE COUNTY ZOO,

WHERE THEY’LL REMAIN IN
QUARANTINE FOR AT LEAST 45 DAYS,

WHILE VETS MAKE SURE
THEY ARE HEALTHY ENOUGH

TO CONTINUE ON TO TEXAS.

IT’S ALL JUST PART
OF A DAY IN THE LIFE

OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

♪

BACK IN TOWN,
IT’S ALMOST 6 P.M.,

AND A UNIQUE GROUP
OF URBAN GARDENERS

IS HEADING OUT ON THE NORTH
BRANCH OF THE CHICAGO RIVER

BEFORE THE SUN SETS.

THIS HAS LONG BEEN
ONE OF THE MOST INDUSTRIALIZED

AND POLLUTED WATERWAYS
IN CHICAGO.

BUT THESE KAYAKERS
ARE HOPING TO CHANGE THAT

BY USING THE POWER OF PLANTS.

♪

THEY’RE BUILDING
A SERIES OF FLOATING GARDENS

ALONG A TWO-MILE
STRETCH OF SHORE,

JUST EAST OF GOOSE ISLAND.

THEY USE ONLY
NATIVE ILLINOIS SPECIES

THAT THRIVE IN WET ENVIRONMENTS.

THE IDEA IS THAT, OVER TIME,

AS THE PLANTS ABSORB
RIVER WATER THROUGH THEIR ROOTS,

THEY WILL HELP
CLEANSE THE RIVER OF TOXINS.

THEY’RE ALSO HOPING
THAT THE GARDENS

WILL LURE BIRDS, FISH,
AND OTHER CREATURES

TO CREATE
A NEW, HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM

ALONG THIS STRETCH
OF RIVERFRONT.

♪

TODAY, THEY’RE INSTALLING
A NEW BRIDGE

TO HELP TURTLES CLIMB UP
INTO THE GARDEN FROM THE WATER.

THIS PART OF CHICAGO
IS CHANGING RAPIDLY.

OLD INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS
ARE BEING REBORN.

NOT LONG AGO,
PEOPLE AT THIS CAFE

LOOKED OUT ON A RIVERBANK
OF RUSTED STEEL.

NOW THEY PEER DOWN OVER
A TIDY GREEN FLOATING GARDEN.

IF THIS PILOT PROJECT
IS A SUCCESS,

THESE GARDENERS HOPE TO CREATE
MORE GREEN SPACE

ALONG THIS INDUSTRIAL WATERWAY

AND TO TAKE
THEIR CHICAGO EXPERIMENT

TO OTHER CITIES
AROUND THE WORLD.

♪

THE WATERS IN AND AROUND CHICAGO

CAN TELL MANY RICH TALES
ABOUT DAILY LIFE IN THIS CITY,

ESPECIALLY THE WATERS
OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

ON THE BED OF THIS LAKE,
JUST OFFSHORE,

LIE AT LEAST 100 AIRCRAFT
FROM THE DAYS OF WORLD WAR II.

THEY’RE HERE BECAUSE OF THIS--

CHICAGO’S NAVY PIER.

STRETCHING 3,300 FEET OUT
FROM DOWNTOWN,

THIS ICONIC CHICAGO STRUCTURE
WAS BUILT IN 1914

AS PART OF A MASTER PLAN
FOR THE CITY’S WATERFRONT.

IT WAS ORIGINALLY USED
AS A DOCK FOR FREIGHTERS,

AND EVEN HAS A GRAND BALLROOM
ON ITS TIP.

BY THE 1940s,
NAVY AIRMEN WERE USING THE PIER

AND AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
THAT DOCKED HERE

TO TRAIN FOR WORLD WAR II.

BUT DURING TRAINING,

100 NAVY PLANES
CRASHED INTO THE LAKE,

WHERE THEY STILL LIE TODAY.

BY THE 1970s,

THIS MORE THAN
HALF-MILE-LONG STRUCTURE

WAS FALLING INTO DISREPAIR

AND WAS READY FOR
A CHICAGO-STYLE COMEBACK.

IT WAS REBORN

AS AN ENTERTAINMENT VENUE
AND PUBLIC PARK

THAT’S NOW THE MOST VISITED SITE
IN THE CITY.

♪

AND WHEN THE SUN
STARTS TO SET OVER ILLINOIS,

NAVY PIER TRANSFORMS
INTO ONE OF CHICAGO’S

MOST DAZZLING
NIGHTTIME SPECTACLES.

♪

AFTER DARK, FROM ABOVE,

CHICAGO IS A FEAST OF LIGHT.

WHETHER YOU’RE SOARING
PAST STADIUMS

THAT ROCK INTO THE NIGHT,

VAST RAIL YARDS
THAT NEVER GO TO SLEEP,

OR ITS AIRPORTS,

WHERE THE LIGHTS
OF PASSENGER JETS ON APPROACH

LOOK LIKE STARS
DESCENDING OUT OF THE SKY.

BUT WHEN YOU PEER DOWN
ON THE CITY ITSELF,

ALL YOU SEE
IS A CAREFULLY DIVIDED GRID

OF RECTANGLES AND SQUARES.

ONE MAPMAKER CALLED CHICAGO

A CITY THAT LOOKS LIKE
A SHEET OF GRAPH PAPER.

UP UNTIL THE EARLY 20th CENTURY,

THIS GRID
WAS ANYTHING BUT ORDERLY

IF YOU WERE ON THE STREET BELOW.

THERE HAD NEVER BEEN
A SYSTEM IN PLACE

FOR GIVING STREETS
NAMES OR NUMBERS,

WHICH LED TO CHAOS.

IT WAS EASY TO WALK THE CITY
AND GET COMPLETELY LOST.

BUT IN 1909,
THE CITY OF CHICAGO

APPROVED A COMPLETE MAKEOVER
OF ITS STREETS.

TO DO IT, PLANNERS
FIRST PICKED AN INTERSECTION

AT STATE AND MADISON,
IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN.

THEN, STARTING FROM THIS POINT,

THEY GAVE ALL THE STREETS
NEW PREFIXES,

BASED ON THEIR DIRECTION
OF TRAVEL--

EAST, WEST, NORTH, OR SOUTH.

FINALLY, ALL THE HOUSES
ON THESE STREETS

GOT NEW NUMBERS:

ODD NUMBERS FOR BUILDINGS
ON THE SOUTH AND EAST SIDES;

EVEN NUMBERS FOR ONES
ON THE NORTH AND WEST.

TODAY, THANKS TO THIS
URBAN MAKEOVER,

CHICAGO IS OF THE MOST EASILY
NAVIGABLE CITIES IN THE WORLD.

♪

WHEN YOU SPEND A DAY
IN THE SKIES OVER CHICAGO,

THIS MIDWESTERN METROPOLIS
COMES ALIVE IN SURPRISING WAYS.

WHETHER IT’S THE ROBOTS
THAT POLISH ITS TALLEST TOWERS,

THE WORKERS
WHO RISK THEIR LIVES UP HIGH,

OR THOSE WHO BRAVE
THE FREEZING WATERS

OF THE GREAT LAKES

TO KEEP THEIR
FELLOW CHICAGOANS ALIVE...

THERE’S SIMPLY
NO PLACE IN AMERICA

LIKE THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

♪

[BLUES MUSIC PLAYING]

♪

♪