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What Chicago Looks Like at Night, From 36,000 Feet

flickr.com — Beautiful aerial view of Chicago's grid-style geography at night.

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  • shadowblade989, on 03/17/2008, -1/+116I wish I could get good pictures out of a plane window.
    • cha5e, on 03/17/2008, -0/+36Seriously. That's way better than my version:
      http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/4383/chicagoyb2 ...
    • coheedcollapse, on 03/17/2008, -0/+8I agree. When I take shots out of plane windows it's either obscured by the wing, scratches in the window, or layers of random finger grease.
      • Coffeedemon, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1I've been travelling a fair bit with work and have decided to get the wing incorporated into as many different pictures over cities as I can (makes the trip less tedious too). The wing adds context I think. Maybe I'm just trying to rationalize how I seem to always get the seat near the engines.
    • osage, on 03/17/2008, -1/+3 Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself...
    • TypeEE, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2You haven't seen the Hong Kong version, it's so much prettier.
    • someone173406, on 03/17/2008, -0/+3I remember seeing a really beautiful night sky somewhere over the arctic when I was on a flight to HK. I tried to take a picture of it. Unfortunately, the camera was a crappy one, and the glass was not making it any better.
    • kss42, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1There's something on the wing!
  • wtfersk8s, on 03/17/2008, -25/+3holy *****
  • Darrelc, on 03/17/2008, -3/+208That is a freaking awesome photo, helps me (non american) to understand what the 'Block' system is actually like.
    • pianomahnn, on 03/17/2008, -6/+85That's actually considered a "grid" system. Blocks are more the unit of measurement. ;-)
      • techweenie1, on 03/17/2008, -0/+28indeed, I love the grid system.
        • pianomahnn, on 03/17/2008, -0/+19It may not be the most efficient, but damn is it easy to navigate. 2400 N 1300 W? Sure, I know exactly where it is. I really wish all the streets were named with numbers, though. It's sometimes a pain to try and recall what block a certain street is at. Oh well.
        • wild, on 03/17/2008, -2/+5Living in Chicago, I can tell you that numbers would be a pain in the ass.

          Plus, its pretty boring.
          • sasper, on 03/17/2008, -0/+9Agreed. If you know the major streets, you can pretty much get any where.
          • cldershem, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2chicago is based on a number system. and thats what makes this city so easy to get around in.
          • pianomahnn, on 03/17/2008, -0/+3Nonsense! Numbers are a logical method of direction and distance in a grid system. The south side is a perfect example of this, where the streets are all named by their N/S block number. The north side, sadly, is not. It's much more obvious to know how many blocks are between 35th and 43rd as opposed to Fullerton and Irving Park. One requires a previous knowledge of the street names and their location, the other requires only a generic understanding of numbers and their ordering.
          • jon30041, on 03/17/2008, -0/+3South Side RULES!

            Go Sox!
        • iiBeLiEvE, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2I live in Boston =( we don't have grids, we have insanely narrow 19th century alleys and one way streets.
      • dalos, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Malta's capital city uses it too, on a smaller scale, but built in the 16th century :P
        http://www.guidetomalta.net/img/valletta.jpg
    • ImpulseControl, on 03/17/2008, -1/+28It's exactly as you would imagine the location of something on a grid. Every street has a corresponding number going out from 1,1 (State & Madison) in increments of 100. In most cases, every 8 blocks (800) is one mile. This doesn't exactly hold true downtown, but it is a good general rule to approximate distances when your in the city.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streets_and_highways_ ...
    • sladek, on 03/17/2008, -14/+4Did you really not understand it before this picture?
      • NoCt1, on 03/17/2008, -0/+5If you have never seen it I would think you wouldn't understand. Although you may have an idea of it.
        • t1n0m3n, on 03/17/2008, -0/+5Now apply this grid to entire states. I live in a grid state... I also ride motorcycles... It is not uncommon for me to ride several hours to find one set of curvy roads.
          • sasper, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1That's the worst thing about Chicago -- it takes 2 hours, in traffic, to get to a road with any kind of twisties on it. Then 2 hours back (in even more traffic)
          • pianomahnn, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Your comment doesn't speak to the grid system directly, more about the gross abundance of cars and the very old, beyond capacity, infrastructure. That's the worst thing. Besides, windy roads are inefficient and a poor use of space. The suburbs are a perfect example of this. Ever been lost in suburbia? The road start off going north, then west, south, some south east angle, maybe north again. It's crazy.
      • commenter01, on 03/17/2008, -0/+6He never said he didn't understand it. He said the picture helps understand it. Humans learn by different means, and visualizing something is sometimes the best method of understanding, especially if it is a spatial issue.
        • rafiss, on 03/17/2008, -0/+3When I first read your comment, I thought you were saying that you were an alien or something.
      • jakobahman, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Because all non americans should know your "Grid system" by now? Im sorry, but your attempt of world domination hasn't reached beyond 3rd world countries yet.
    • Zipko, on 03/17/2008, -6/+11The Grid is a great way to organize a city. Avenues going one way and Streets going the other numbered sequentially. Somehow I still managed to get lost in NYC though when I forgot which direction the numbers counted and couldn't find my way back to the Lincoln Tunnel.

      What I hate driving in are cities where the roads are in rings like DC. You see them a lot in harbors where major roads form rings expanding out from the main port (and from pictures I've seen isn't Paris laid out like this?). They're usually given random names rather than numbers so it's a lot easier to get lost.
    • senatorpjt, on 03/17/2008, -9/+30Unfortunately, it doesn't show what streets you're likely to get shot at while walking down.
      • sasper, on 03/17/2008, -3/+8West of Western, South of Roosevelt, North of Irving Park =)
        • palmer, on 03/17/2008, -0/+6North of Irving Park? When was the last time you were in Chicago?
        • stark2051, on 03/17/2008, -0/+5Ditto...and South of Roosevelt? Have you seen the south loop lately, it's beautiful from Congress to 22nd or so.
          • techweenie1, on 03/17/2008, -1/+1Yeah South of Roosevelt is no longer so true...I live on 15th and S. State.
        • destro713, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2Yeah... I live north of Irving and most of my friends live west of Western. I do not recall getting shot. (Knock on wood.)
        • GliTCH82, on 03/17/2008, -1/+2Wait, are you guys actually saying that Chicago has been getting better? Doesn't that sort of go against the whole "recession" thing we're supposed to be dealing with?
          • quiksliver, on 03/17/2008, -1/+1rich getting richer etc etc
          • displaced1, on 03/18/2008, -0/+0Not in Chicago, one of the only major cities where the housing market is still decent. Most if not all the projects have been knocked down and turned into middle-upper class homes.
      • skinny01, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1From Chinatown to Garfield is kinda grey. Any further south than 55th you'd better know exactly where you're going and get there quick. Just a few weekends ago 5 school kids were shot. 3 dead, 2 wounded. A couple of months before that 13 shot in one weekend.
    • ceris, on 03/17/2008, -0/+12It's great. I grew up in Cicero (very much a grid city You can see it in the picture).. You can get to ANY address just from hearing it... For instance, 2243 58th ave will be on the intersection of 22nd street and 58th ave.
      Good stuff. I'm in Germany right now and it's %100 the opposite. Of course, these cities were laid out a few hundred years before the car.
      • Nickbc87, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1Yeah Cicero is pretty easy. I live in Oak Park, where they change the names of half of the streets!
      • GliTCH82, on 03/17/2008, -0/+12Yeah, Europe was pretty much laid out so that your invading army has the ***** time figuring out where everything is.
    • niwaje, on 03/17/2008, -0/+7now i just need a picture of what the opposite looks like... i can't really imagine what it's like
    • palmer, on 03/17/2008, -2/+11As if a "grid" is some breakthrough. How else would you "organize" a city? Look at the mess that is L.A. to see how NOT to build a city.

      The problem is that Chicago has squandered the benefits of this grid by destroying many of its streets (at taxpayer expense) by installing speedbumps. These are giant mounds of asphalt that can wreck your car, prevent emergency vehicles from moving about efficiently, and hamper snow removal. All built to placate whiners who moved into the city from the suburbs and then complained about cars driving down their street.
      • DeQuinceysDiet, on 03/17/2008, -1/+3Preach it brother. I thought some very specific violent thoughts about my alderman when I saw that these had reached my neighborhood. What's the point of this? This ain't Mexico City, we've got actual cops who will ticket speeders - once in a while anyway. Which is precisely the way a municipality should be run - ticket a couple of egregious offenders every so often, so we don't feel that we're living lawlessly. Everyone one else will slow down to 12mph over (when traffic allows) - but spare us the goddamn bumps humps and lumps!
      • ggacid, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2What part of L.A. are you referring to? I've lived here my entire life and it's pretty much a grid city if you ask me... Look at a map? Some streets have a bend, but all streets parallel streets bend at the same time.. It's not nearly as perfect as Chicago, but way better than most cities I've been to. You must be looking at a map of the freeways or something? But it's better that the Freeways go diagnal so it's quicker to get through the city instead of going through sqaure blocks..
      • bpoteat, on 03/17/2008, -1/+2You would think the grid would be obvious, but look at how recent planners have designed suburban neighborhoods all over America with one road in and out and that road is a snake weaving all over the place, sometimes doubling back on itself. Really stupid.
        And then you've got old port cities that weren't planned, they just grew like a weed so there was no big picture.
        Anyway.
        • subliminalurge, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1It's not stupid at all. The grid is a perfect layout for the business district of a city, but for a residential neighborhood, winding roads and cul-de-sacs are awesome since they discourage anyone who doesn't actually live there from driving through the neighborhood. Makes for a much quieter and more peaceful existence during your leisure time.

          While my neighborhood is reasonably quiet, it is close to a school and even my tiny little street gets pretty busy in the morning and afternoon. My next house will definitely be on a cul-de-sac.
      • skinny01, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Not in neighborhoods with kids. We just got them installed on our street because we have lots of kids and the cars come whipping down our street going 50. In a 2 month period there were 3 different accidents where somebody speeding down our residential side street crashed and totaled a couple of cars. This is with a one block distance, stops signs on both ends of our block.
      • zoom1928, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1As always, follow the money. In the city where I'm from the two largest muffler/suspension shops lobbied the city council to add those piles of asphalt to the streets. One of the owners is on the city council so he has the largest piles on the streets near his shop to create more business for his shop. As usual, when the government decides to damage or take your property, almost always the person that profits from the abuse is the one pushing it.
      • psa21, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1umm try driving around Europe.. you'll probably end up taking the train for the rest of the time you're there
    • fokov, on 03/17/2008, -0/+6I love the grid system. It is amazing how badly places in the south like Atlanta are designed. They decided that proven structural design does not matter. Therefore when you look at the streets of ATL it looks like a plate of spaghetti. Then when one street is closed you can skip it, go to the next round, however, that one will probably end up going 90 degrees the wrong way after the first block, getting you lost and screwing up traffic more. It is pathetic and lazy.
    • BedPost, on 03/17/2008, -0/+4Thank you Northwest Ordinance for giving our states logical layouts.
    • HigherLogic, on 03/17/2008, -0/+3I like the way China is building their highway system though, it goes out in a circles from smaller (around downtown) to larger (the further you go out) and all of these have intersecting roads that go through them. And yes, the grid system is great, they did a good job of it out here in the Phoenix-metro area.
      • sammypai, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1Yeah, I know what you're talking about. I went to China over the summer. awesome trip.
      • pianomahnn, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1I agree. The streets of Phoenix are quite easy to navigate, with block numbers extending far out from the downtown area. I've had to navigate my way to Surprise from the airport and it was very easy. I love block numbers and grids.
  • UltraMegaFilms, on 03/17/2008, -5/+123Thats the last thing I see before I have to ***** land in Milwaukee. *****.
    • anillop, on 03/17/2008, -1/+35Its ok it is only going to be another decade or so before Milwaukee is part of the Chicago Metro area anyway.
    • centran, on 03/17/2008, -5/+3Milwaukee... oh that sucks. Unless you where going there for summerfest ;)
      Can't you just tell the pilot. This is fine. Can we land here?
      • Silentnite85, on 03/17/2008, -1/+9I work in the airline industry. We don't like Chicago.
        There's an old joke of a pilot talking to dispatch and the weather is getting quickly worse. Dispatch informs the pilot that "We've lost Runway A, please reroute to Runway B. Oh, just lost Runway B. Reroute for C." The pilot responds "Can't we just lose Chicago?"
        • centran, on 03/17/2008, -1/+3Well if you worked at O'Hare.... you would hate Chicago even more.
          It isn't that bad. Closing down due to weather is very rare. That is because if O'Hare is experiencing delays it effects almost every other airport. Because of the effect on other airports is probably why the airline industry does not like Chicago.
    • allengeer, on 03/17/2008, -1/+33"If that's Milwaukee's best, I'd hate to taste millwaukee's worst."
      • slayerab, on 03/17/2008, -0/+6If thats Milwalkees best... well at least its really cheap
      • centran, on 03/17/2008, -0/+6PBR?
        But in all seriousness pabst blue ribbon kicks the crap out of Milwaukee's Best
        • subliminalurge, on 03/17/2008, -0/+5That puddle my puppy made on the kitchen floor kicks the crap out of Milwaukee's Best.
    • osage, on 03/17/2008, -2/+6 Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself...
  • blackmoth, on 03/17/2008, -33/+3Deep in the heart of Texas ain't got nothing on you.
    • meandmia, on 03/17/2008, -6/+4the land of really fat and really stupid people!
      • Robopath, on 03/17/2008, -5/+3I see what you did there...

        Very clever. Now please leave the internet.
  • crazybugger, on 03/17/2008, -14/+6Image of the Day!
  • bobbysarcletti, on 03/17/2008, -2/+16nice, really lets you see the grid system used in property/population distribution.
  • foxhaze, on 03/17/2008, -33/+6Fantastic. It's a picture of a city at night. Awe-inspiring. Almost like being there. A "freaking awesome photo," if you will.
    I wish people would post quality photos on Digg.
    • legendxx, on 03/17/2008, -1/+27Do you remember when you lost your love for living?
    • scarysnow, on 03/17/2008, -0/+7everything doesn't have to be a giant HDR photo of Romania to provoke a bit of interest...
    • Soave, on 03/17/2008, -1/+2Hahahaha "I wish people would post quality photos on Digg."

      It's like you're an elitist that wants the old Digg back, but you actually still want pictures.
      • meandmia, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2foxhaze your post made me laugh, you seem like a cantankerous character
  • db0255, on 03/17/2008, -7/+60looks like....chicago.
    • poopz, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2sweet, I can see navy pier, the dan ryan, etc etc. great city
      and it actually doesn't look too different from this from the sears tower skydeck, just a lil' bit closer to the ground :)
  • davidwasman, on 03/17/2008, -17/+6The geek in me can only think of how much of that could be supplanted by the use of turbines. I mean come on...it's the Windy City.
    • wiggles, on 03/17/2008, -2/+46Trivia: Chicago is called 'The Windy City' not because of the amount of wind it sees, but because of its long winded politicians.

      http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_Chicago_called_th ...

      http://www.enotes.com/science-fact-finder/weather- ...
      In 1990, Chicago ranked twenty-first in the list of 68 windy cities, with an average wind speed of 10.3 miles (16.6 kilometers) per hour. Cheyenne, Wyoming, with an average wind speed of 12.9 miles ( 20.8 kilometers) per hour, ranks number one. It is closely followed by Great Falls, Montana, which has an average wind speed of 12.8 miles (20.6 kilometers) per hour.

      The highest surface wind speed ever recorded was on Mount Washington, New Hampshire, at an elevation of 6,288 feet (1.9 kilometers). On April 12, 1934, its wind was 231 miles (371.7 kilometers) per hour and its average wind speed was 35 miles (56.3 kilometers) per hour.

      Sources: Krantz, Les. The Best and Worst of Everything, pp. 102-3; Williams, Jack. The Weather Book, p. 43.
      • pianomahnn, on 03/17/2008, -0/+14True, true. But living in Chicago, one can understand why most visitors think it's due to the weather. It's windy here!!
        • davidwasman, on 03/17/2008, -0/+6Of the many times I have been to Chicago, my most memorable was when i ventured near the lake for the first time. I was walking through the city feeling a few gusts between buildings...Nothing too drastic. The lake is an entirely different reality. I could barely stand.
      • zydeco, on 03/17/2008, -1/+10Man, way to let all the secrets out. Next thing, you're gonna tell them that Chicagoans don't really eat deep dish pizza. We just make it to scalp the tourists.
      • steelystan, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1Damnit smarty pants.
      • petrodollar, on 03/17/2008, -7/+1None of the places you listed are cities.
  • turbojugend23, on 03/17/2008, -3/+21Looks like something out of Tron.
    • h3lx, on 03/17/2008, -1/+2saw the bit about TI in Dallas doing the silicon microlithography plates for chip manufacturing, my first thought as well.
    • assbeard, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2TROOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • SeaweedWater, on 03/17/2008, -21/+4I will forever hate this town for harboring my boot camp.
    • lhbaker, on 03/17/2008, -1/+3San Diego was really, really nice.
    • zydeco, on 03/17/2008, -1/+6Great Lakes Naval isn't in Chicago.
      • anillop, on 03/17/2008, -1/+5Yeah hate on Waukegan and North Chicago if you want but don't blame Chicago.
        • boombye, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1Not to mention that's near Wisconsin and no where near Chicago.
        • zydeco, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1Swabbies from Great Lakes usually are spotted at the tourist traps in Chicago, so we can understand his resentment of the city. If I had to sit around the Rainforest Cafe in my new-recruit whites, I'd be hating on the city too.
  • burstaneurysm, on 03/17/2008, -2/+9Gorgeous.
  • gonzomarte, on 03/17/2008, -5/+187I live riiiiiiight ......there...
  • bcclist, on 06/11/2008, -33/+2Should read - "What Chicago's Northside Looks Like at Night, From 36,000 Feet." Photo would be even better if it included downtown.
    • ebob9, on 03/17/2008, -1/+11Um, it actually does include the downtown. The little jet of light sticking out into the lake is Navy Pier, which is even with the North branch of the river.
    • slvrbullet87, on 03/17/2008, -1/+6find the pier, look left about an inch, that is Michigan Ave, you dont get more downtown than that.
    • Kbennett, on 03/17/2008, -1/+5It does. It is the especially light patch just the left of Navy Pier. That shot appears to include the entire city (South Side included). That is Jackson Park in the lower right hand corner.
    • DeadFox1, on 03/17/2008, -1/+6It includes the southside, downtown, midway AND northside. Pretty much most of chicago proper.
    • omeomi, on 03/17/2008, -1/+4Yes, this picture very definitely includes downtown. It's the somewhat denser spot near Navy Pier.
    • ImpulseControl, on 03/17/2008, -2/+2Uhmm, isn't that Navy Pier jutting out into the lake towards the center of the photo?
    • bcclist, on 06/11/2008, -1/+4wow - wish i could take that one back. i thought the diagonal line in the bottom right hand corner was lincoln ave and navy pier was montrose beach harbor. my bad.
      • legendxx, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2Thanks for re-nigging your statement. Too many people on digg make false statements then never take the time to thank the people who corrected them. You're alright in my book.
    • BECoole, on 03/17/2008, -2/+4It's still missing Gary.
      Isn't that the best part? ;)
    • boombye, on 03/17/2008, -1/+1Dude must be from the fukin south suburbs that nobody cares about. This actually includes the whole city... Wow, haven't you ever seen a map of Chicago? Damn suburbanites who claim to be from the city, they do that ***** all the time and then they don't know how to parallel park or even know their way around our neighborhoods.
  • cleanideas, on 03/17/2008, -3/+21Oh! I can see my house from here!
    • anillop, on 03/17/2008, -0/+7I can see mine too.
    • groverblue, on 03/17/2008, -0/+13I can see both of your houses. ;)
    • aparatoc, on 03/17/2008, -0/+16I can see my dog taking a ***** from here!
    • chijim70, on 03/17/2008, -0/+6I can see the 6 different places I've lived north, west, and south sides. Pretty neat picture.
  • planckstudios, on 03/17/2008, -19/+7What Chicago looks like at day, from 3000 feet:
    http://planckstudios.com/photos/2006/nov/21/chicag ...

    44" x 44" prints available.
    • petrodollar, on 03/17/2008, -5/+8Why would anyone want a 44" x 44" print of that ***** ass photo?
    • toxicshok, on 03/17/2008, -3/+4stop spamming your *****
  • darkism, on 03/17/2008, -2/+11On the full-res I can see my building. The giant light on top helps.
  • jjpertusch, on 03/17/2008, -4/+8hey i can see my house from here.
  • EssPii, on 03/17/2008, -20/+9Looks like a disease spreading across the earth... oh wait...
    • boombye, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2Well to an Alien, that's probably what it looks like..
  • chubbymidget, on 03/17/2008, -3/+14Nice grid system.
    • anillop, on 03/17/2008, -3/+1Its always easy to find your way around. I love the Grid.
    • jaydoj, on 03/17/2008, -0/+3Hey, you watch your language buddy :)
  • juniorb, on 03/17/2008, -4/+58That's my kind of town.
    • Aokitsune, on 03/18/2008, -1/+0Mine too. I'm liable to be down there somewhere, relaxing after class.
  • scarysnow, on 03/17/2008, -1/+11it would have been green last saturday.
  • jacekpoplawski, on 03/17/2008, -19/+6It looks flat and boring.
  • elbonito665, on 03/17/2008, -3/+8wallpaper!
  • xero7, on 03/17/2008, -3/+6Reminds me of graph paper... stunning nonetheless.
  • happywaffle, on 03/17/2008, -4/+8Last month I stopped over in O'Hare (my first-ever visit to Chicago) and flew out through some pretty heavy, low clouds. As we hit about 10,000 feet, we broke through the cloud layer, and below us I could see essentially a blurry version of that exact same picture - major highways marked by splotchy lines across the clouds, etc. It was darn pretty. My attempts to photograph it were epic fail.
  • strictnein, on 03/17/2008, -14/+12First person to complain about "Light Pollution" gets a free hit with a shovel to the back of their head!
  • superkickstart, on 03/17/2008, -4/+18cool! a monkey hive.
  • elig, on 03/17/2008, -22/+3What a shame that American cities are so ugly that -- to find beauty in them -- we often have to look at them from a distance, and in the dark!

    "My wife is really beautiful from 40,000 feet at in pitch black..."
    • danlowlite, on 03/17/2008, -1/+1Hmm. Like all places, there are beautiful parts and ugly parts... Even in Rockford, IL, where I live, it looks like a dump most everywhere, but when you get in a reasonably tall building, you can't even see the houses for the trees.
      Of course, you can see the abandoned factories everywhere else. But...you take what you can. Right?
      • artliquide, on 03/17/2008, -2/+1I wish we had abandoned factories everywhere in Phoenix.
      • boombye, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1Rockford sucks, there's no defending how boring it is there.

        Chicago looks great during the day while you're on the ground unlike Rockford.
    • RadicalEdward, on 03/17/2008, -0/+8Are you f'ing retarded? They're not saying the architecture is bueatiful 40,000 feet away, they're saying the lights all aligned and concentrated into blocks looks cool on a large scale. you don't look at a Ferrari from two inches away do you? no you stand a few feet back to admire it. same with a city.
      • boombye, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2Not to mention when you are on the ground, the architecture is amazing, not to mention how beautiful our city is during the day, i had a friend from out of town who loved it and said it was like being in the matrix
    • DeQuinceysDiet, on 03/17/2008, -1/+2Sure, many cities, American or not, are ugly. Indeed, many parts of Chicago are ugly. But if you can't see the beauty of much of that town, I question either your experience of Chicago or your perceptive skills.
      • boombye, on 03/17/2008, -1/+1It's easily one of the best looking cities in america, there aren't much to compare it to..
      • elig, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2Actually, I was just trolling. Thwap!

        I agree with you that Chicago is beautiful (at least compared to American facsimiles of cities.)
    • displaced1, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1This guy has never been driving on Lake Shore Driver during a warm summer night,
  • bagofbeef, on 03/17/2008, -6/+31I was flying into Chicago at night
    Watching the lake turn the sky into blue-green smoke
    The sun was setting to the left of the plane
    And the cabin was filled with an unearthly glow
    In 27-D, I was behind the wing
    Watching landscape roll out like credits on a screen

    The earth looked like it was lit from within
    Like a poorly assembled electrical ball
    As we moved out of the farmlands into the grid
    The plan of a city was all that you saw
    And all of these people sitting totally still
    As the ground raced beneath them, thirty-thousand feet down
    • eschatonik, on 03/17/2008, -0/+9Heh. First thing that came to my mind too.
    • clockworkavj, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1Nice one -- first thing I thought of too. I logged in just to digg these up.
    • harrygibus, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Every time I fly in I think of this song.
  • Kamikid, on 03/17/2008, -20/+8Any time I see one of these type of pictures I think to myself: "We are a ***** cancer on this earth"
  • Khast, on 03/17/2008, -8/+0I think I can see my house from here!
  • Obsession88, on 03/17/2008, -6/+15I can see my house getting broke into from here!
  • xsquirrel378x, on 03/17/2008, -7/+93*****. i live in chicago and the only thing i ever get to see is homeless people
    • RadicalEdward, on 03/17/2008, -3/+8have you ever considered jumping them professionally?
    • cldershem, on 03/17/2008, -1/+6move out of lincoln park or the crotch and you wont have to worry about seeing those unsightly homeless people all the time.

      or you could just move into my old apartment next to a shelter in uptown and drink beers with them on your porch.
      • MODernMxcn, on 03/17/2008, -0/+3Nice were in uptown do you live? i use to live by Sheridan and Wilson, but my family decided west suburbs is the place to be.
        • cldershem, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2i live in lincoln square now. but i lived at lawrence and sheridan for about 3 and half years. right next to the peoples church halfway house/homeless shelter. but man gentrification is a bitch...so i had to move.
        • boombye, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1Yeah I remember that shelter right there on Sheridan about a block away from that Ha Mien restaurant.. What a ***** neighborhood.
    • HibikiRush, on 03/17/2008, -0/+7That's actually what the lit-up, bright parts represent on the map.
    • bcclist, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3Where do you live? It must be next to a pretty touristy spot if all you get to see is homeless people.
      • xsquirrel378x, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2worked downtown at night and slept during the day.
        • xsquirrel378x, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2hence i used past tense. im actually living back in my parents basement in the north suburbs.
          nice north shore breathable air ftw, unaffordable living ftl
    • johnmatias, on 03/17/2008, -2/+1Not during the winter.... then we get to see corpse-sickles.

      mmm... hobo flavor...
  • britblogger, on 03/17/2008, -2/+3looks like the opening to Tron.
  • dpjames, on 03/17/2008, -3/+25God damn, i thought ppl were just complaining, but now that I've been reading Reddit on a regular basis, frontpage Digg is SERIOUSLY frontpage Reddit from the day before... Almost to a freaky precision
    • quiksliver, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1I agree, I saw the thumbnail and thought "wait didn't I see this somewhere before?"
    • displaced1, on 03/18/2008, -1/+0If this is true, how can I fix it? If I am always a day behind on Digg, and always a day ahead on Reddit, how do I get to.....right now?
  • freshyill, on 03/17/2008, -1/+12Wow, nice grid. Puts Washington, D.C. to shame.
    • PhildoVT, on 03/17/2008, -6/+2no, it doesn't. DC is well known as an extremely well-planned city. There's more to it than just a simple grid shape
      • Wartz, on 03/17/2008, -0/+13I never got lost in Chicago, I got lost in 2 seconds when I went to DC. Some planners are too genius for the public good.
      • michnuc, on 03/17/2008, -1/+7I've lived in both cities, and DC has the worst signage I've ever seen in a metropolitan area. Who puts the sign for an exit past where the exit lane has already left the road? Where are the maps and signs in a Metro station, oh, I know, let's put them in tiny letters on brown poles placed randomly throughout the station!
      • theshizzler, on 03/17/2008, -0/+9It supposedly well planned, but the circles (which were put there for defense against armies) and diagonal streets kill me.
  • Totz83, on 03/17/2008, -8/+3Looks wonderful, but also looks like cancer spreading =(
    • toxicshok, on 03/17/2008, -2/+1I wasn't aware cancer was so bright
  • cmad, on 03/17/2008, -13/+13No wonder why oil is over $100 a barrel
    • catalysis, on 03/17/2008, -1/+27Chicago gets 75% of its energy from nuclear power.
      • jon30041, on 03/17/2008, -1/+2... Really? Huh... Awesome.

        That the Zion Plant?
        • displaced1, on 03/18/2008, -1/+1The Nuclear plants are too far from the city to ever cause any damage. I love this city.
        • Futurejunior, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1I think Zion is shut down. It's a split between Lasalle, Dresden, Bryon and Braidwood
  • captric, on 03/17/2008, -9/+1See all of the yellow lights? Thats is the boundries of the High Crime Rate Zone!
    • fairbakl, on 03/17/2008, -1/+5Typical comment from someone who lives in the suburbs.
    • captric, on 03/17/2008, -7/+2I am FROM Chicago. I work in Chicago. I have relatives and friends there still. I stayed with a friend just last week at her condo in Wrigley ville. The wisest decision my parents ever made was to move away from Chicago. The only people who live there are poor people who cant afford NOT to.
      • Bearskin, on 03/17/2008, -1/+4Ummmmmm...... I think the average property value in areas such as Lakeview and Lincoln Park are much much higher than most suburbs, save some on the North Shore. Get your faxts straight.....
        • captric, on 03/17/2008, -4/+1Crime rates have not much to do with property values. Every large city has nice suburbs surrounding it. Chicago, the city, you will be killed for having blue eyes and white skin if you walk around there after dark.
        • thekatearmy, on 03/17/2008, -1/+2wow, guess i should be dead then, huh?
          • captric, on 03/17/2008, -3/+1No - you just have a better chance of dying or being robbed when you live in a place like Chicago. I have NEVER met anyone form Chicago who has NOT been the victim of a crime.
          • centran, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2@captric
            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_ ...

            If you hate the city so much then why don't you move somewhere else. Money wise, Chicago is not a city you should be living in if you are unhappy with it. We are not one of the most expensive cities to live in but we aren't cheap either!
          • captric, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1I don't live in Chicago - I live in Tampa Florida and Vancouver BC. I am FROM Chicago and I work there but I would NEVER live there.
        • boombye, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1First of all, the female you stayed with lives in a nice neighborhood, where all the yuppies hang out.

          Secondly you make the city out to be racist, when a majority of people here are white like the polish or irish community, and you only have to worry about walking around late at night if you're dressed like some gang banger.. I walk around at night in banana republic clothing in what you would consider a bad neighborhood..seriously now.
          • captric, on 03/18/2008, -1/+1If you think Wrigley ville is a nice neighborhood than I fell sorry for you. Its a dump but there are a variety of restaurants and bars there. The place is filthy dirty from automobile pollution, the taxes are high, you can buy an 80 year old refurbished condo with substandard plumbing and a creaky floor for a mere $400,000. That's ridiculous - when you can have an ocean front condo on Clearwater beach in Florida for the same price and with lower taxes. And that includes no crime.
      • centran, on 03/17/2008, -1/+2The city has been changing dramatically over the last 10 years as people start moving back in from the suburbs.
        It all depends on where you live. Some area are worse some are not. Bearskin is correct about Lakeview and Lincoln Park. LP has houses that cost more then suburban Park Ridge houses and is one of the hottest spots in the city to raise a family.
        Roger's Park is a very diverse area ranging from poor crime ridden to middle class to rich. Buck Town is a fast changing area as well as a vast area of West Town. Uptown which used to be a great area in our grandparents age but now a slum is seeing many apartment to condo conversions.
        • boombye, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1Rogers Park, you could be sitting in a nice middle class home in a decent neighborhood, then you walk like 3 blocks away and you're in the hood all of a sudden..
      • petrodollar, on 03/17/2008, -1/+3You're an idiot. Did your parents live in Garfield Park or something?
    • ninaluna85, on 03/19/2008, -0/+0actually where you see the blue blinding flashing lights from those cameras are where the high crime rates are..
  • mogebier, on 03/17/2008, -2/+7Go over about an inch from the lake and up about 4 inches from the center and that's where my apartment was.
    I can almost see it.
    *squints*
  • nirav72, on 03/17/2008, -1/+9You can easily tell were the city ends and the boonies start.
    • mdoerr, on 03/17/2008, -1/+4Those "boonies" are called suburbs....equally barren of souls.
  • mwmccullough, on 03/17/2008, -1/+22Which one's Oprah?
    • boombye, on 03/17/2008, -1/+2It's more than likely that she works here but lives in a suburb like Highland Park or something...
  • veriix, on 03/17/2008, -2/+6How odd, I saw this exact scene on my way back from my honeymoon last week.
    • GvnMcCld, on 03/17/2008, -0/+6That is pretty odd...I mean there probably aren't too many night flights over Chicago.
  • dpierce, on 03/17/2008, -11/+2Los Angeles is better, way better.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/myelectricsheep/34370 ...
    • saikyan, on 03/17/2008, -1/+4LA is overrated. Chicago is a working mans town- moderate cost of living and good recognition of hard work.
    • HenvY, on 03/17/2008, -0/+10That's the same photo you douche.
    • palmer, on 03/17/2008, -1/+4Right. L.A., where no street goes more than four blocks before dead-ending into a house or building of some kind. Where scarcely a single road goes north, south, east, or west.

      L.A., which unlike Chicago, allowed claptrap dwellings to line its coast, obscuring the view of the water from PCH. Compare that to Chicago, which ruled by law that no buildings will be built between Lake Shore Drive and the beach (except Lakepoint Tower).

      L.A. is an ugly, messy, urban fiasco.
      • kwirk, on 03/17/2008, -1/+1"Right. L.A., where no street goes more than four blocks before dead-ending into a house or building of some kind. Where scarcely a single road goes north, south, east, or west."

        Wow, have you actually ever been to LA, or looked at a map of it, ever?
    • meandmia, on 03/17/2008, -4/+2LA is the biggest ***** in america, if you love CA move to a real city...SF
  • seldon21, on 03/17/2008, -1/+3I have seen this many times and haven't been able to get a picture yet. Good catch. It always reminds me of a circuit board and the inter-connected layout appears to be moving. If you get a chance and are flying from Detroit to Minneapolis during the day, you can see the skyline and realize how big the city really is. Something you don't get back east because of the trees, and layout.
    • Jergens, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1I've seen this view once or twice flying from Detroit to Kansas City. We're usually a bit farther north, so the grid is a little bit off in the distance. But nonetheless, very very cool.
  • heavystone, on 03/17/2008, -18/+5"beautiful"? Oh common! It looks like *****. Its just a chessboard of roads and lights. You should look at the European city's from up high. THAT'S beautiful. This is just depressing.
    • palmer, on 03/17/2008, -0/+11The European city's what?
      • boombye, on 03/17/2008, -0/+3They're sometimes jealous and injecting themselves into conservations like this in the same way all the time.
  • dodgejon, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2If you look carefully...You can see me waving from my apartment in Lincoln Park!
  • mdovalina, on 03/17/2008, -6/+2Joliet ftw
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