Illinois, USA: Chicago architecture overload in the Chicago Architecture Cruise

One of the best ways to see Chicago is by getting on board the Chicago Architecture Cruise. The architecture of Chicago is said to have influenced and reflected the history of American architecture. You'll find a lot of prominent buildings in various architectural styles, designed by eminent architects of each period.

Many of these buildings, over 200, have been designated as Chicago Landmarks, an honor bestowed by the City Mayor and the Chicago City Council for historic buildings and sites in the city. Landmarks are chosen based on various criteria which include historical, economic, architectural, artistic, cultural, and social values. There are also 38 historic districts designated as landmarks. I wonder when Manila will do that.

The good thing about Chicago is that they protect their heritage since one a historic building is designated as a Chicago Landmark, it is subject to the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance. This requires owners who want to have any alterations beyond routine maintenance, up to and including demolition, to have their permit reviewed by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Among these are the Michigan Avenue Bridge (1920), London Guarantee Building (360 North Michigan - 1923), Tribune Tower (1925), North American Life Insurance Building (35 East Wacker - 1927), 333 North Michigan (1928), and the Carbide & Carbon Building (1929).

But Chicago is also a showcase of contemporary architecture where structures designed by some of the world's best architects can be found. Some of the interesting buildings include Marina City (the two towers which look like corn cobs - 1964), Lake Point Tower (1968), Sears Tower (once the tallest building in the world - 1974), and NBC Tower (1982). Under construction is the Trump Tower and the supertall skyscraper known as the Chicago Spire designed by Santiago Calatrava which will be taller than Sears Tower when completed in 2012.

Architecture lovers will have a blast on the Chicago Architecture Cruise. In great cities, the best architecture is built by the river! This 60-minute cruise costs US$24 per person and departs from Navy Pier every 45 minutes.

Illinois, USA: Springfield, Illinois and Abraham Lincoln

Springfield, Illinois is the hometown of President Abraham Lincoln. All over this state capital are images, symbols and historical landmarks that remind us of Lincoln, his life and his times.

I found out that the Lincoln Tomb was in the Oak Ridge Cemetery in front of our hotel. So I made sure to wake up early to visit before we left for our tour of Springfield. The burial room was closed when I got there since it opened later in the morning.

After breakfast at the hotel, we proceeded to the grand and elegant Illinois State Capitol for a guided tour. The Illinois State Congress was in recess so there was not much activity when we got there. We got to see the assembly halls of both the Senate (where Barack Obama once sat as a state senator) and the House. We were also shown the governor's office as well as the hall which used to house the Illinois Supreme Court before it transferred to another building next door.

Our next stop was the Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library where we got to enjoy the interactive exhibits, film showings and presentations on Lincoln. In the main hall are life-size wax figures of President Lincoln and his family as they were about to move to Washington, D.C. Don't miss the "Ghosts of the Library" and "The Union Theater" presentations.

We had a lot of time to go around the museum so I decided to sneak out and explore Springfield. On top of my list of things to see was the Lincoln Home which was five blocks from the museum. The neighborhood around the home of the Lincoln Family was preserved and recreated giving you a feel of how life was during Lincoln's time.

From the home, I walked back to the museum. But I made sure to pass by the Lincoln Law Office which is right beside the Old State Capitol. It was the seat of government from 1839 to 1876 where Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas and Ulysses S. Grant used to work. Right in front of the museum is the Union Station but it is no longer in use since the railroad tracks have been transferred elsewhere.

Missouri, USA: St. Louis Gateway Arch in Missouri

After two weeks in Illinois, we were finally crossing state borders to neighboring Missouri to visit an iconic landmark of St. Louis, the Gateway Arch at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. At 630 feet (192 meters), it is the tallest monument in the U.S.

We had some obstacles getting there since the usual riverfront roads to the arch were flooded as a result of the heavy rains that hit the region during the week. Flooding was all over the news the past week with towns along the Mississippi working to save their homes by building temporary levies with sandbags. Anyway, we finally got there and went around the museum under the arch.

From the base of the monument, you can take a tram to the observation deck at the top of the arch where, on a clear day, you can see as far as 48 kilometers. The tram ride costs US$10 per person. From the top, we could see the old courthouse and the baseball stadium where the St. Louis Cardinals were currently playing. I was toying around with the zoom of my camera and was able to take a shot of the batter on base and the pitcher!

You can also opt to take a riverboat ride for US$12 or a dinner cruise for US$40. But since the Gateway Arch Riverfront was flooded, that was out of the question.

After dinner at Union Station, a heritage structure adaptively-reused as a tourist mall (with restaurants, bars, shops and even a hotel), we drove back to Springfield, Illinois where we were to stay for the night.

Illinois, USA: Cahokia Mounds and prehistoric native American culture

The first thing I did when I found out I was flying to the U.S. was to find the nearest UNESCO World Heritage Site to Chicago. It was a good thing there was one in Illinois, the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. It excited me more when I found out that we were visiting it as part of our program itinerary since the only convenient way to get there was by renting a car.

According to UNESCO, Cahokia is the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico and was occupied primarily during the Mississippian period (800–1400), when it covered nearly 1,600 hectares and included some 120 mounds. The main mound in the complex is called Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas, covering over 5 hectares and standing 30 meters high.

After watching a video at the Interpretative Center, we walked around the park and got to climb up Monks Mound where you can see nearby St. Louis, Illinois. If you don't want to rent a car, public transportation to the place is possible but a bit complicated. Directions are available in the Cahokia website. Take note that the Cahokia Mounds are in Collinsville, Illinois and not in the city of Cahokia.

Illinois, USA: Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition

As part of our program, we visited several not-for-profit organizations or NPOs in the Chicago area. Among these is the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, an NPO formed as a merger of two non-profit organizations — Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) and the National Rainbow Coalition — founded by Jesse Jackson. The organizations pursue social justice, civil rights and political activism.

We were lucky to meet the Rev. Jesse Jackson himself, an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister who was closely associated with Dr. Martin Luther King. Before Barack Obama, there were four black candidates for president namely Shirley Chisholm, Senator Carol Moseley Braun, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton. Jackson was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.