View of Chicago in 1837 by artist George Catlin. Photo: Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images
On March 4th, 1837, Chicago was incorporated into a city. Today is its 185th birthday.
Why it matters: As much as we focus on our city's problems, we also love it fiercely and want to celebrate it.
- So today we offer a few gifts to present to our fine city — besides equality, prosperity, and affordable housing, of course.
🏔 Higher ground: We would literally move mountains to Chicago. Any time we venture out of town, we can't help but be envious of the natural elevation on the horizon. So a couple of well-placed mountains, or even hills, would help our flat city.
🏈 A new football team: We aren't saying replace the Bears, but we would wrap up a second NFL franchise and deliver it to Chicago's doorstep. Both LA and NYC have two teams, so why not us?
🚦 Removal of the stoplight at Chicago Ave. and North Lake Shore Drive: Turning off the light permanently (and not just before 10am) could improve tens of thousands of lives immediately and end the mile-long backups every afternoon on DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
🍎 Legalized fruit carts: If New York and Los Angeles can license folks who make fruit salad on the street, Chicago can too. What a great gift for small businesses and our health.
🎂 What would you get Chicago for its birthday? Write to us at Chi[email protected] and we'll put together a list for next week.
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