The International Communication Association heads off the Windy City, Chicago, for the 59th Annual ICA Conference from May 21-25, 2009. ICA's last Chicago conference was in 1996, in which time the city has seen substantial changes in both its landscape and its demographics. One thing that has not changed, however, is Chicago's unique melange of neighborhoods and ethnic and cultural communities - a key focus of the 2009 conference. With this issue, the ICA Newsletter begins an exploration of the city that complements the scholarly explorations that will take place at the Marriott Magnificent Mile in May. Appropriately, we start with the Magnificent Mile itself.
The Mile is actually a one-mile stretch of North Michigan Avenue (one of the most important thoroughfares in Chicago), beginning at the Chicago River to the south and terminating at Oak Street in the city's Gold Coast district. The corridor is among the most prestigious addresses in town, renowned for its high-end commercial and residential buildings as well as numerous well-known landmarks.
It came to life in 1920, when the opening of a the Michigan Avenue Bridge across the river created a new connection between the business district and Chicago's North Side. The development that took place on the Mile at that time was mostly commercial and industrial, planned around the Old Chicago Water Tower-one of the last buildings in the area left standing after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. With the onset of the Great Depression, however, many of the resident businesses failed; real estate magnates were able to procure the properties at greatly reduced prices and after World War II redeveloped them as luxury high-rise apartments, upscale department stores, restaurants, and retailers. The promotional campaign for the opulent district was "Chicago's Magnificent Mile," and the name has stuck for 6 decades.
Today, the Mile enjoys a reputation as something of a playground for tourists and affluent Chicagoans. The shops on the strip bear some of the most prestigious names in retail: Tiffany, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Neiman Marcus. An equal share of glamour goes to the local hotels: only three in the Midwestern United States have 5-star ratings, and all of them-Four Seasons Chicago, Ritz-Carlton Chicago, and Peninsula Chicago-are situated along the Magnificent Mile.
In addition, many of Chicago's most prominent architectural landmarks lie on the Mile. Most prominent among these are the neo-gothic Chicago Water Tower at 806 N. Michigan-now a symbol of both the Magnificent Mile and of Chicago's perseverance after the Fire-and, two blocks down at 875 N. Michigan, the John Hancock Center, the third tallest building in the city and highest apartment building in the world. (The Hancock is also one of the most distinctive on the Chicago skyline: black, trapezoidal, and capped with tall white antennae.) Also on the Mile are two majestic 1920s skyscrapers that sit directly across the street from each other: the Wrigley Building, with its famous clock tower, and the cathedral-like Tribune Building, home of the daily Chicago Tribune newspaper.
Because it's a favorite haunt of tourists in Chicago, city officials give great care to its ambiance and appearance. Seasonal events mark the changes in the Mile's outdoor motifs. Because the ICA conference takes place at the end of May, it will coincide with the closing of Tulip Days, the Mile's spring event, during which literally hundreds of thousands of tulips bloom in planters lining the sidewalks and medians. The effect they create is one of brilliantly colored lines stretching for blocks and blocks.
Finally, for those who are less interested in the shopping and tourist attractions along the Magnificent Mile, the corridor is also a convenient access point to important neighborhoods in the heart of the city of Chicago. The downtown "Loop" district, the business center and home of sites such as the Sears Tower, is south of the Mile, just across the Michigan Avenue Bridge. The Gold Coast, the city's wealthiest neighborhood with its mansions and rowhouses, is just north of the Mile. And Streeterville, another upscale neighborhood and the location of parts of several universities (including Northwestern University's medical and law schools, the University of Chicago business school, and Loyola University's "Water Tower" campus), lies directly to the east. Streeterville also includes Navy Pier, a public park on the Lake Michigan Shore that features theaters, museums, a concert stage, and a ferris wheel-the most visited site in Chicago. Thus, while it may not be strictly true that you can find anything you want on the Magnificent Mile, it does serve as the portal to just about anything you could want.
