Loop

The Loop is what locals call the downtown neighborhood of Chicago. It is the second largest downtown business district in the United States, after Midtown, Manhattan. Bounded on the west and north by the Chicago River, on the east by Lake Michigan, and on the south by Roosevelt Road, the lack of space created the necessity of height for buildings. From the Home Insurance Building, considered the first skyscraper, to the Sears Tower, the tallest in the United States, the Loop has had a long history of verticality in buildings. Some of the historic buildings in this district were instrumental in the development of high-rises.

"The Loop", while more generally meaning the entire downtown neighborhood, also more specifically describes that smaller section of the neighborhood which is surrounded by the circuit formed by Chicago's elevated "L" trains. The circuit runs along Lake Street on the north, Wabash Avenue on the east, Van Buren Street on the south, and Wells Street on the west. The name, however, predates the elevated loop, coming from a streetcar loop in 1882.

This area has a wealth of shopping opportunities, although it competes with the more upscale Magnificent Mile area to the north, and with suburban shopping malls. It includes Chicago's famous Marshall Field's department store, a traditional favorite for viewing Christmas window displays, and the original Carson Pirie Scott store.

It is the location of a number of government buildings, including City Hall, the State of Illinois buildings, the Richard J. Daley Center, and multiple federal buildings. Chicago's Downtown Theatre District is also found within this area, along with numerous restaurants and hotels.

According to the 2000 census, 16,388 people live in the Loop. It contains a wealth of outdoor sculpture, including works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, and Alexander Calder. Chicago's cultural heavyweights, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Goodman Theatre, the Lyric Opera at the Civic Opera House building, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, are also in this area, as is the historic Palmer House Hilton hotel, found on East Monroe Street.

Chicago's lakefront, which is almost exclusively recreational park area from north to south, features Grant Park in this downtown area. Grant Park is the home of Buckingham Fountain, the Petrillo Bandshell, the Grant Park Symphony (where free concerts can be enjoyed throughout the summer), and Chicago's annual two-week food orgy, the Taste of Chicago, where more than 3 million people "pig out". A recent addition to Grant Park is the architecturally forward Millennium Park, which opened in the summer of 2004, featuring a Frank Gehry bandshell along with the Anish Kapoor "Cloud Gate" sculpture and spanning what were formerly open railyards on the city's lakefront.

The Chicago River, which delineates the area, also provides entertainment and recreational opportunities, including the annual dyeing of the river green in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Trips down the Chicago River, including architectural tours, by commercial boat are great favorites with both locals and tourists.