Toastmasters Speech #2- Organize Your Speech
Chicago, My Kind of Town
Where will your next vacation be? Have you dreamed of going to a tropical island? To Europe? Maybe the orient? What about to….. Chicago? “Chicago?” you say. But, I live in Chicago. What would I vacation there? But yes- to Chicago! I recently spent a day in the city with my husband and it felt as if we’d taken a vacation- it was so different from our daily life! My friends, Chicago so has much to experience- including culture, history and sights. As I take you through my day, I hope that you, too, might consider taking advantage of all that Chicago has to offer.
First, let me speak to culture. What most people think of with culture are the museums and institutes which Chicago certainly has: You can watch a panel debate at the Harold Washington Library, contemplate masterpieces by Renoir and Picasso at the Art Institute, step back in time by visiting the Chicago Historical Society, stop by the Aquarium or Oceanarium to see whales and dolphins and gaze at the constellations at the museum of Science and Industry- all in one day! Though all these demonstrate Chicago’s culture, to me, a good way to experience culture is through FOOD. I love trying new restaurants in Chicago! I can eat Japanese at Ron of Japan, have American steaks at the Chop House or feel like I’m being transported to Italy by going to Spiaggia for authentic pasta. And I would venture to say that any type of cuisine you have a taste for, in fancy or casual atmosphere, can be found in Chicago. On our lovely day to the city, we visited North Pond- a French restaurant (specializing in locally grown organic produce). Not only did I step into a gourmet world while eating teeny tiny smoked salmon with crisp French bread and goat cheese, I observed the world of Lincoln Park- walkers, dog walkers, bicyclists, roller-bladers and dogs pulling their owners ON their roller-blades- no kidding! It was an immersion in a different culture. Chicago’s neighborhoods, museums and variety of food all contribute to the diversity and culture of the city.
Next, my vacation day in Chicago involved some history- history and architecture. We took an architecture walking tour from an organization called the Chicago Architecture Foundation. They have volunteers who give different types of tours around the city, walking and boat tours. I have been on three of their tours and I have learned the most amazing things about Chicago that I would never have known or even noticed. Did you know that the largest stained glass mosaic made by Tiffany is in, of all places, the ceiling of the State Street Marshall Fields? And anyone can go and see it… if they just know to look up. :) Did you know that all the buildings along the Chicago river were originally architected with no or few windows facing the river? No one wanted to see the dirty river! Did you know that the tallest building in Chicago before the invention of steel skyscrapers was the Monadnock building? It stood the tallest in 1893 at a mere 16 stories tall and its walls at the base are 16ft thick. Chicago has so much history to share, from the Chicago Fire to the creation of skyscrapers to the famous architects who have helped shape the skyline we see today.
After all the culture and history, we moved onto what I call the sights of the city. To see these sights, we took a horse and carriage tour. The lazy ride brought us by the Sears Tower, for a long time known as the tallest building in the world with 108 stories. In the distance, I could see the Hancock building. The ride went along the lakeshore- to see Lake Michigan’s beaches and harbors with all the sailboats (I tried to pick out my friend’s sailboat)! , Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain, Navy Pier… and I could go on. There are so many things to just see if only one takes the time to look around the busy city.
The culture, history and sights of Chicago were summed up beautifully for us as we stopped by Millennium Park at the end of our day. We saw culture- people of all races and cultures taking their children for a splash in the two fountains in the park that spout every 8 minutes. We saw history- the park, although named Millennium Park, was not finished in the year 2000- yet, it promises to be a big part of Chicagoans lives in the next millennium. And we saw sights- the new “bean” sculpture (properly named Cloud Gate) is a 66 foot wide by 33 foot high elliptical sculpture made of polished stainless steel that reflects the beautiful Chicago skyline, the people walking underneath a hundred times over and the clouds in the sky above. My father once told me of a man he met from India who now lived in the US as an adult. The man had lived within 100 miles of the Taj Mahal his entire life and had never been to see it. Don’t let that be you! Enjoy the culture, history and sights that Chicago, your hometown, has to offer!
Where will your next vacation be? Have you dreamed of going to a tropical island? To Europe? Maybe the orient? What about to….. Chicago? “Chicago?” you say. But, I live in Chicago. What would I vacation there? But yes- to Chicago! I recently spent a day in the city with my husband and it felt as if we’d taken a vacation- it was so different from our daily life! My friends, Chicago so has much to experience- including culture, history and sights. As I take you through my day, I hope that you, too, might consider taking advantage of all that Chicago has to offer.
First, let me speak to culture. What most people think of with culture are the museums and institutes which Chicago certainly has: You can watch a panel debate at the Harold Washington Library, contemplate masterpieces by Renoir and Picasso at the Art Institute, step back in time by visiting the Chicago Historical Society, stop by the Aquarium or Oceanarium to see whales and dolphins and gaze at the constellations at the museum of Science and Industry- all in one day! Though all these demonstrate Chicago’s culture, to me, a good way to experience culture is through FOOD. I love trying new restaurants in Chicago! I can eat Japanese at Ron of Japan, have American steaks at the Chop House or feel like I’m being transported to Italy by going to Spiaggia for authentic pasta. And I would venture to say that any type of cuisine you have a taste for, in fancy or casual atmosphere, can be found in Chicago. On our lovely day to the city, we visited North Pond- a French restaurant (specializing in locally grown organic produce). Not only did I step into a gourmet world while eating teeny tiny smoked salmon with crisp French bread and goat cheese, I observed the world of Lincoln Park- walkers, dog walkers, bicyclists, roller-bladers and dogs pulling their owners ON their roller-blades- no kidding! It was an immersion in a different culture. Chicago’s neighborhoods, museums and variety of food all contribute to the diversity and culture of the city.
Next, my vacation day in Chicago involved some history- history and architecture. We took an architecture walking tour from an organization called the Chicago Architecture Foundation. They have volunteers who give different types of tours around the city, walking and boat tours. I have been on three of their tours and I have learned the most amazing things about Chicago that I would never have known or even noticed. Did you know that the largest stained glass mosaic made by Tiffany is in, of all places, the ceiling of the State Street Marshall Fields? And anyone can go and see it… if they just know to look up. :) Did you know that all the buildings along the Chicago river were originally architected with no or few windows facing the river? No one wanted to see the dirty river! Did you know that the tallest building in Chicago before the invention of steel skyscrapers was the Monadnock building? It stood the tallest in 1893 at a mere 16 stories tall and its walls at the base are 16ft thick. Chicago has so much history to share, from the Chicago Fire to the creation of skyscrapers to the famous architects who have helped shape the skyline we see today.
After all the culture and history, we moved onto what I call the sights of the city. To see these sights, we took a horse and carriage tour. The lazy ride brought us by the Sears Tower, for a long time known as the tallest building in the world with 108 stories. In the distance, I could see the Hancock building. The ride went along the lakeshore- to see Lake Michigan’s beaches and harbors with all the sailboats (I tried to pick out my friend’s sailboat)! , Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain, Navy Pier… and I could go on. There are so many things to just see if only one takes the time to look around the busy city.
The culture, history and sights of Chicago were summed up beautifully for us as we stopped by Millennium Park at the end of our day. We saw culture- people of all races and cultures taking their children for a splash in the two fountains in the park that spout every 8 minutes. We saw history- the park, although named Millennium Park, was not finished in the year 2000- yet, it promises to be a big part of Chicagoans lives in the next millennium. And we saw sights- the new “bean” sculpture (properly named Cloud Gate) is a 66 foot wide by 33 foot high elliptical sculpture made of polished stainless steel that reflects the beautiful Chicago skyline, the people walking underneath a hundred times over and the clouds in the sky above. My father once told me of a man he met from India who now lived in the US as an adult. The man had lived within 100 miles of the Taj Mahal his entire life and had never been to see it. Don’t let that be you! Enjoy the culture, history and sights that Chicago, your hometown, has to offer!
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