By FRANCES CORREA
The UNITY News

Chicago’s heart is home to cultural landmarks and some of the best shopping in the city. From innovative art to breathtaking views from the city’s skyscrapers, a visit to the Magnificent Mile, a strip of Michigan Avenue, is a must.

Start in Millennium Park, home to Cloud Gate, which locals affectionately call “the Bean,” and Crown Fountain, two 50-foot glass towers at opposite ends of a shallow reflecting pool.

Head north toward Tribune Tower, which is home to the Chicago Tribune, and if you’re hungry, follow the signs to the Billy Goat Tavern, under Michigan Avenue to try the famous “cheezborger.”

Further down at Coach, Old Navy and Niketown, the final leg of the mile is the ultimate shopping destination.

If you leave the strip, head over to Gibson’s Bar & Steakhouse on Rush Street north of Oak Street, for one of the city’s best restaurants.

End your trip with panoramic views from the Hancock Center’s Signature Room or on a sweet note with free taste at the Hershey and Ghirardelli stores.

By YOLANNE ALMANZAR
The UNITY News

Changes have occurred throughout the years – some more noticeable than others. But Pilsen, on the Lower West Side of Chicago, is still a predominantly Mexican neighborhood where people are proud.

The aroma of Mexican food seeps into the air.

Copper Aztec calendars are embedded in the streets, and murals color the buildings. The Mexican coat of arms, an eagle with a snake in its beak, is a fixture on lamp posts and gates throughout the neighborhood.

“This is my first home,” said Daniel Gutierrez, owner of Nuevo Leon, one of the oldest restaurants on 18th Street.

Pilsen has been the first stop for many ethnic groups including Czechs, Germans and Polish. It became increasingly Mexican in the 1950s. Now, as citywide efforts to restore buildings have raised rent and property costs, there are new faces in the neighborhood. Some are worried. But not Gutierrez.

“This is a tradition here,” Gutierrez said. “We’re still here.”

By JACQUELINE LEE
The UNITY News

Chicago is one of four cities (along with Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo) officially bidding for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

The city plans to stand out by having the most centrally located games in the history of the Olympics – an option that is both environmentally and pocket friendly.

But the compactness of the games wouldn’t be unusual, officials say, because “this is how Chicago celebrates on a daily basis.”

Millennium Park, popular with locals and tourists, is also the home of the McDonald's Cycle Center.

By ARELIS HERNANDEZ
The UNITY News Online

Trading in their car keys for bike helmets, more Chicagoans are heading to McDonald’s Cycle Center, a one-stop shop for biking around the city.

The 300-bike parking facility, located in Millennium Park, comes complete with showers, lockers, a repair shop and a bike rental system.

“I commute 17 miles each way – there is no question about the money I save,” said local commuter Peter Mitchell, who was leaving the cycle center after a meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Bicycles have become an alternate mode of transportation for hundreds of health-conscious, economical “green” residents who say the solution to soaring gas costs revolves around two wheels.

“We are continuing to have a variety of pressures placed on our cities and communities due to gas prices and global climate change,” said Rob Sadowski, executive director of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. “The more we can move people from cars to bikes and walking, the better our city can be.”

The group, founded in 1985, promotes using bicycles as an energy-efficient and healthy mode of transportation. And Chicago boasts of a 315-mile bikeway network.

While not providing exact numbers, McDonald’s Cycle Center officials said they have seen a yearly increase in memberships. This summer the center has already filled to capacity.

Commuter Joe Behen said he used to take public transportation to work, but since the opening of the center in 2005 he now jumps on his 18-speed bike and rides 10 miles to downtown.

After the 20-minute ride, Behen hits the showers at the bike center –­ beads of sweat on his neck aren’t exactly office attire, he said.

The 17,000-square foot center opened with a grant from federal and local entities to help relieve congestion on city streets and promote healthier lifestyles, said Josh Squire, owner of Bike & Roll, the company operating the building.

McDonald’s Corporation bought naming rights and donated $5 million for building maintenance as part of a campaign to promote fitness, Squire said.

Chicago Mayor Daley has also been a big proponent for bicycling.

A bicycle enthusiast himself, Daley led a city-wide initiative to create a more bike-friendly community – devoting an entire city agency to promoting bicycle use, said Brian Steele, a spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation.

“Finding alternatives to the automobile has been a priority for Chicago for almost 20 years,” Steele said.

Reach Arelis Hernandez at americua21@comcast.net

Por Cindy Von Quednow
The UNITY News

El verano no sólo es sinónimo de playa y esparcimiento. También pude significar la muerte. Y hace 13 años, en Chicago, les costó la vida a 739 personas, quienes fallecieron cuando la temperatura ascendió a 105 grados Fahrenheit. En 1999 sucedió otra ola de calor. Esta vez la ciudad perdió 110 habitantes.

Desde entonces, funcionarios, bomberos y especialistas se han preparado para enfrentar este tipo de desastre natural que, en aquellos momentos los tomó completamente por sorpresa. Sin noción alguna de su dimensión ni mortalidad.

Por eso no hubo una respuesta inmediata. El mismo alcalde, Richard Daley, reconoció: “En vez de atacar el problema, los funcionarios disminuyeron la apreciación del impacto real del desastre, en un momento en que era evidente que Chicago no estaba preparada para lo que estaba viviendo”.

La ola comenzó a azotar el 13 de julio de 1995 y pasaron dos días antes de que las autoridades se percataran de que gente de bajos recursos y minorías, morían en sus casas por el calor.

Cifras oficiales señalan que más del 70 por ciento de las victimas eran ancianos mayores de 65 anos, y que la mortalidad de afroamericanos fue 1,5 veces mayor que la de anglos.

Para Eric Klinenberg, profesor de sociología en la Universidad de Nueva York, autor del estudio “Ola de Calor: Una autopsia social del desastre en Chicago”, la cifra de fallecidos estuvo relacionada con las diferencias étnicas y con el contexto social en que se mueven las diversas comunidades. Y es que muchos hispanos de Chicago viven en vecindarios densamente poblados y con una vibrante vida comercial, mientras que las comunidades afroamericanas habitan en áreas abandonadas.

Como suele suceder con todos los desastres naturales que atrapan a las autoridades y los especialistas por sorpresa, las dos olas de calor de Chicago han servido, por lo menos, para crear consciencia de que la preparación es crucial, un sentimiento que cobra mas intensidad en esta época en que la alarma por el calentamiento global está al orden del día.

En términos generales, entidades como el Instituto de Emergencia de Chicago y la Cruz Roja, establecieron redes de comunicaciones de alerta y auxilio en toda la ciudad, y ante una ola de calor los funcionarios locales llaman personalmente a todas las personas incluidas en un factor de riesgo, para asegurar que se encuentran fuera de peligro y en lugares frescos. Además, recomiendan a los habitantes mantenerse en casa y vestir ropa liviana.

DATOS:

• El 17 de junio de 1997, en Chicago se registró un récord de 105 grados Fahrenheit.
• En la ola calor de 1995 fallecieron 739 personas.
• Casi 50,000 residencias se quedaron sin electricidad.
• Si no se toman medidas, los analistas prevén que el número de muertos causados por calor puede aumentar un 85% en el año 2050.