Chicago Visit

When it was decided to visit Chicago, our son-in-law rented a Dodge car, an eight seater and started our journey by road to Chicago on 8th May at 6.00 AM. The High way was so nice that we did not feel any tired ness though the car was going at a speed of 140 Kms per hour. It was 5 hours drive to Chicago. First we have planned to visit the famous Balaji Temple of Aurora (a far west suburb of Chicago),


As a result of philanthropy of nine families who donated 20 acres of land with a farm house in Aurora as a site for the Balaji temple, a beginning was made in the realization of a dream of many. Since Sri Venkateswara swami (Balaji) temple is an institution that has to serve innumerable generations to come, plans were drawn on a magnificent scale related to the means available and the needs of the moment. No pains were spared in making its designs meet the agamic space requirements when at the same time ensuring that it also meets the local building codes, structural safety standards and the needs of the community.

Padmasri M.Muthiah Sthapathy, a noted expert on temple construction in India collaborated with Sri Subhash Nadkarni, a reputed architect of Chicago and a devotee of Balaji, and together they designed the temple. This design is an excellent blend of ancient Shilpa shastra and modern architectural technology. This design also served as a model for other temples that were built later in the United States. A unique feature of the temple is provision for circumambulation (pradakshina) inside the temple not only around the presiding deity, but around all the major shrines inside the temple

In addition to the Lord Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) shrine, there are other shrines in the temple to different deities. On either side of the main shrine are shrines for Sri Devi (Lakshmi) and Bhudevi (Andal). In the two corners in front of the main shrine are shrines for Sri Kanyaka Parameshwari and Sri Ayyappa. In the two corners further away are shrines for Sri Anjaneya and Sri Satyanarayana. Closer to the entrance are shrines to Ganapati, Subrahmanya, Siva and Parvati.

After darshan of all the dieties,we have taken photos there and started for another famous temple of Swaminarayana at other place about 30 miles away from there.

On August 8, 2004, the BAPS organization, a sect of Hinduism, opened BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Chicago, Covering 30 acres .It is largest traditional Hindu mandir, of stone and marble, constructed in the United States. The mandir took 16 months to build and was constructed with Turkish limestone, Italian marble, and Indian makrana marble. The adjoining cultural center, known as the Haveli was opened in October 2000. The large complex contains large rooms with intricately carved walls of stone and wood. The temple is surrounded by large lawns and beautiful statues. We had nice Indian food in the temple canteen, Then we went to Chcago and checked in Hotel Holiday Inn. It was already 5.00 PM and after some leasure, we went to see Chicago city. Since it is already night, we went to Gandhi Marg where most of the Indian society is settled in Chicago. A road is fully occupied by Indian shops and it was not like US but some place in India.

Chicago is the largest city in both Illinois and the Midwest, and the third most populous city in the United States, with over 2.8 million people living within the city limits. Its metropolitan area, commonly named "Chicagoland", is the 26th most populous in the world, home to an estimated 9.7 million people spread across the U.S. states of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. Chicago is primarily located within Cook County, with the exception of a small northwestern portion of the city at O'Hare International Airport that is located within DuPage County.

Chicago was founded in 1833, near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. The city became a major transportation and telecommunications hub in North America. Today, the city retains its status as a major hub, both for industry and infrastructure, with O'Hare International Airport being the second busiest airport in the world. In 2008[update], the city hosted 45.6 million domestic and overseas visitors.

In modern times, the city has taken on an additional dimension as a center for business and finance and is listed as one of the world's top ten Global Financial Centers. Chicago is a stronghold of the Democratic Party and has been home to many influential politicians, including the current President of the United States, Barack Obama. The World Cities Study Group at Loughborough University rated Chicago as an "alpha world city" due to Chicago's important role in the global economic system.

The outcome of the Great Chicago Fire led to the largest building boom in the history of the nation. Perhaps the most outstanding of these events was the relocation of many of the nation's most prominent architects from New England to the city for construction of the 1893 World Columbian Exposition.

In 1885, the first steel-framed high-rise building, the Home Insurance Building, rose in Chicago, ushering in the skyscraper era.Today, Chicago's skyline is among the world's tallest and most dense.The nation's two tallest buildings are both located in Chicago; Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), and Trump International Hotel and Tower. The Loop's historic buildings include the Chicago Board of Trade Building, the Fine Arts Building, 35 East Wacker, and the Chicago Building, 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments by Mies van der Rohe, along with many others. The Merchandise Mart, once first on the list of largest buildings in the world, and still listed as twentieth with its own ZIP code, stands near the junction of the North and South branches of the Chicago River. Presently, the four tallest buildings in the city are Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower, the Aon Center (previously the Standard Oil Building), and the John Hancock Center. Industrial districts, such as on the South Side, the areas along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Chicago Southland, and Northwest Indiana are clustered. Future skyline plans include, amongst others, the supertall Chicago Spire.

Multiple kinds and scales of houses, townhouses, condominiums, and apartment buildings can be found in Chicago. Large swaths of Chicago's residential areas away from the lake are characterized by bungalows built from the early 20th century through the end of World War II. Chicago is also a prominent center of the Polish Cathedral style of church architecture. One of Chicago's suburbs, Oak Park, was home to the architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Next Day we strted for visit of Chicago Down Town which famous for Sky Scrappers. We have parked our car at Navy Pier After break fast we have taken a Water Taxi ( a river boat in which we have travelled in the river passing through the downtown. It was a wonderful experience. We have thoroughoy enjoyed our drive watching the sky scrappers on the banks of the river. Then we visited the Willis tower. Visitors are allowed up to 108 th floor of the tower and from there we can watch the Chicago city. A glass enclosure is arranged on the balcony which is very safe from there visitors can see the city down and photos can be taken.

Willis Tower, formerly named Sears Tower, is a 108-story 1,451 feet (442 m) skyscraper.At the time of its completion in 1974, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York. Currently, Willis Tower is the tallest building in the United States and the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world as well as the fifth tallest building in the world to the roof.



Although Sears' naming rights expired in 2003, the building continued to be called Sears Tower for several years. In March 2009 London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings, Ltd., agreed to lease a portion of the building and obtained the building's naming rights as part of the agreement. On July 16, 2009, at 10:00 am Central Time, the building was officially renamed Willis Tower.

After visiting Willies tower, we have walked through roads of down town of Chicago for some time and came back to the parkihg place by water taxi. We had some food in a Maxican restuarent and started for St.Louis and reached home by 12.00 AM