[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 143 (Tuesday, October 6, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H10492]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          CELEBRATING CHICAGO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, George Will once said, ``Chicago Cub fans 
are 90 percent scar tissue.''
  So as we stand here 4 days after the city of Chicago, and all of the 
United States, were disappointed by the IOC's decision, I can assure 
you that there is no city better equipped to handle a little 
disappointment.
  And despite the tremendous efforts of President and Mrs. Obama, Mayor 
Daley, Pat Ryan, and thousands of volunteers, that is exactly what we 
felt in my hometown last week: disappointment.
  But the city of Chicago has already shaken it off and is waiting with 
open arms for the world to visit. Because as I have said before, 
Chicago was a world-class city before the Olympic decision and will be 
a world-class city tomorrow.
  My hometown is often referred to as ``The Second City,'' but most 
people don't realize that the nickname has nothing to do with our 
relationship to other cities. The name refers to a city which was 
rebuilt in the years following the Great Chicago Fire, a city where we 
pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, dust off our shoulders, and get 
back to work.

  So with congratulations to Rio, I would like to offer a list of the 
top 10 reasons the world should stop by for a slice of deep dish in 
Chicago, the greatest city in the world.
  Number ten: The architecture. One of Chicago's great residents, 
Daniel Burnham, was known for saying: ``Make no little plans; they have 
no magic to stir men's blood.'' From the Louis Sullivan buildings 
downtown to Mies van der Rohe's collection at IIT to the neighborhood 
bungalows to the Sears Tower that scrapes the sky, Chicago's 
architecture is distinct and historic.
  The schools. I am a proud graduate of Roosevelt University, the 
University of Chicago, and Loyola University, and had the honor of 
teaching young Chicagoans as well. Chicago is a place that inspires 
great ideas, but the Windy City is also a destination for the world's 
greatest minds. Close to 90 Nobel laureates have passed through the 
halls of the University of Chicago and Northwestern University.
  Green space. My district is home to one of the country's largest 
urban parks, Lincoln Park, which is also home to the oldest public zoo 
in the country, still free admission. Want to play 16-inch softball? We 
have 552 parks to choose from. No glove needed. And the forest preserve 
system is home to 68,000 acres of open space.
  The lake. Chicago has one of the most beautiful shorelines in the 
world, 26 miles of lakefront with 15 miles of beaches. It is a front 
row seat to one of the largest freshwater sources in the world, and a 
reminder of our responsibility to conserve it.
  The museums. The Art Institute of Chicago, just one of our museums, 
displays some of the most famous pieces of previous centuries and 
trains artists to produce the finest works of this century.
  The arts. Chicago's music is played all around the world wherever 
people love the blues, gospel, jazz, or rock. And we are home to the 
preeminent Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera. Most of the 
great comedians on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock came through 
Chicago, home of The Second City troupe.
  I guarantee you, Mr. Speaker, that no one in Copenhagen has ever had 
a proper hot dog or slice of pizza unless they have spent a little time 
in Chicago. From breakfast at Ann Sather's to chicken dinner at 
MacArthur's, to a midnight snack at the Wiener's Circle and all the 
pierogies, tacos, and steaks in between, it is the finest eating on 
Earth.
  Sports. All of our teams are among the oldest in their leagues, and 
all of them played right in the city. They have all won championships. 
Some more recently than others, but everyone is entitled to a bad 
century.
  Number two, the neighborhoods. Chicago has a beautiful downtown. 
Nothing is more majestic than coming northbound or southbound on Lake 
Shore Drive, but it is the diverse neighborhoods that make us world 
class. In one sense, the world doesn't need to come to Chicago; it 
already has. From Bowmanville to Bronzeville, Portage Park to Albany 
Park, Pilsen to Pullman, take the ``L'' around Chicago, and you have 
visited dozens of countries without ever leaving the city limits.
  Finally, the number one reason the world should come to Chicago is 
the same reason I never left: the people. The Second City has always 
been second to none. Why? Because the people of Chicago look not at 
what we lost last week in Copenhagen but at what we now have the 
opportunity to accomplish. We know that our organizing efforts were not 
wasted. We can build better schools on safer streets. We can build 
better transit with greener technology. And beyond our bid plans lay 
big plans for our future.
  In the words of Superdawg, one of Chicago's iconic hot dog stands, I 
look forward to welcoming you by saying, ``Hiya, from the bottom of my 
pure beef heart.''
  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to coming back next summer with Chicago's 
Stanley Cup.

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