Chicago River
Windy City's waterway
The Chicago River is a waterway flowing through downtown Chicago, notable for being permanently reversed in 1900 to flow away from Lake Michigan rather than into it—an engineering feat that redirected the city's sewage.
Every St.
Patrick's Day, the river is dyed bright green.
We took an architecture tour on the Chicago River.
Chicago's famous moniker
- IllinoisMidwestern state, sixth-largest
- MidwestNorth-central American region
- Lake MichiganThird-largest Great Lake
- downtownCentral business district
Navy Pier · Michigan Avenue · skyline · bridges · water taxi · architecture tour · boat tour · Willis Tower
Complete change of direction
- sanitationCleanliness for public health
- engineering featImpressive designed accomplishment
- fur tradeCommercial exchange of animal skins
- portageOverland boat hauling
exploration · industrialization · meatpacking · pollution · shipping · railroads · World's Fair · settlement
Irish cultural holiday in March
- greenColor of vegetation
- emeraldGreen precious beryl
- orange dyeColoring agent, warm hue
- traditionCustom passed through generations
annual · spectacle · celebration · parade · downtown · boats · crowds · March
Complete change of direction
- Lake MichiganThird-largest Great Lake
- tributariesStreams joining larger rivers
- canalDug water passage
- locksSecurity fastening devices
watershed · freshwater · channel · navigable · sediment · flood control · TARP · water quality
Hinged movable bridges
- art decoGeometric interwar design movement
- neo-gothicRomanticized medieval style return
- modernismFavoring contemporary approaches
- skyscrapersExtremely tall urban buildings
high-rise · facade · steel · glass · landmark · riverfront · balcony · setbacks
Windy City
Chicago's famous moniker
- IllinoisMidwestern state, sixth-largest
- MidwestNorth-central American region
- Lake MichiganThird-largest Great Lake
downtown · Navy Pier · Michigan Avenue · skyline · bridges · water taxi · architecture tour · boat tour · Willis Tower · Trump Tower
reversal
Complete change of direction
- sanitationCleanliness for public health
- engineering featImpressive designed accomplishment
- fur tradeCommercial exchange of animal skins
portage · exploration · industrialization · meatpacking · pollution · shipping · railroads · World's Fair · settlement · trading post
St. Patrick's Day
Irish cultural holiday in March
- greenColor of vegetation
- emeraldGreen precious beryl
- orange dyeColoring agent, warm hue
tradition · annual · spectacle · celebration · parade · downtown · boats · crowds · March · Irish
reversal
Complete change of direction
- Lake MichiganThird-largest Great Lake
- tributariesStreams joining larger rivers
- canalDug water passage
locks · watershed · freshwater · channel · navigable · sediment · flood control · TARP · water quality · fish
drawbridges
Hinged movable bridges
- art decoGeometric interwar design movement
- neo-gothicRomanticized medieval style return
- modernismFavoring contemporary approaches
skyscrapers · high-rise · facade · steel · glass · landmark · riverfront · balcony · setbacks · cantilever
- Chicagothe Loop, Lake Michigan, Wrigley Field, Navy Pier, the Bean
- IllinoisSpringfield, Land of Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, downstate, Lincoln
- Urban RiversThames, Seine, Danube, Hudson, Tiber
- Chicago infrastructureCTA, the L, L train, elevated trains, O'Hare
- Inland Waterwayswaterway, canal, navigable waters, barge, channel marker
- Chicago landmarksWillis Tower, Sears Tower, Bean, Navy Pier, Soldier Field