Chicago, IL

I received this postcard from Sunny through the New Different Countries RR 120.  She writes that Chicago, or the "Windy City" is the 3rd largest city in the US.  The text on the postcard reads: "From shopping 'The Magnificent Mile' to a quiet stroll along the lake front, Chicago has something to offer everyone.

Chicago is home to the largest population of Poles outside of Warsaw

Chicago River, IL

Again, another postcard I received from my godmother in the States.

On most days, one would see this river to be murky green in color, but once a year, the Chicago River is dyed the perfect shade of Irish green during St. Patrick's Day.  The river dyes the Illinois, which in turn dyes the Mississippi, continuing to the Gulf of Mexico, running upstream across the North Atlantic, and finally the sea of green gets to greet the Irishmen of the Emerald Isle in the Irish Sea.  This has been a tradition since 1962.  You can read more about the history on this website.

The river has played a central role in the history of Chicago 

During the 19th century, the Chicago River was crucial to the city's development as a major center of the lumber and meatpacking industries.  Cool, but of course, the dying the whole river green is cooler.

John Hancock Center, Chicago, IL

I got this postcard from my godmother in the States.  After going to Hawaii, she and her family visited Illinois.  

The text on the postcard reads, "The sleek black lines on the John Hancock Center dominates Michigan Ave. and the Chicago skyline."

Completed in 1970, the John Hancock Center is home to large spiders and the observatory with the only open-air viewing deck in Chicago.  Read more about the building in its website here.

The building has 1632 steps from the lobby to the observatory in the 94th floor

My godmother sent this postcard when they got home to California.  It came with this stamp:

America's icon for freedom and independence, the Liberty Bell, is on America's first Forever stamp