Chicago, IL

**The City of Chicago** is the third-most populous city in the United States. With over 2.7 million residents, it's the most populous city in the midwestern United States. Often referred to as Chicagoland, the greater Chicago Metropolitan area has more than 10 million people and has been called a global architecture capitol. In terms of wealth and economy, Chicago is considered one of the most important business centers in the world.

Positioned along Lake Michigan, the city is an international hub for finance, commerce, industry, technology, telecommunications and transportation. O'Hare Airport is the second-busiest airport in the world when measured by aircraft traffic.

## Overview

Chicago is located in the Midwest. It is the third largest city in the United States with a population approaching 3 million. Chicago is a huge vibrant city and a metropolitan area that sprawls over 10,874km².

It's proud city, well known for house music, blues, jazz, comedy, shopping, dining, architecture, and cultural attractions.

### Crime

Chicago is sometimes portrayed as an active war zone, under the moniker of "Chi-raq" and is one of the ten most dangerous cities in the United States. This is compounded by protests against a police force who have various public scandals of their own.

Crime tends to be most concentrated in the South Side and a few particular hotspots around the city. Many supervillains call Chicago home; some of the most violent and influential villains in the country call Chicago home.

Organized crime is a dominant force throughout the city, despite the best efforts of local police and vigilante activities. The most influential crime lord is known as **Big Napolean**, though this is only alleged by the Chicago's former protector, **Cascade** (see below).

### Infrastructure

Chicago is a major transportation hub in the United States. It is an important component in global distribution, as it is the third-largest inter-modal port in the world after Hong Kong and Singapore.

The **Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)** handles public transportation in the City of Chicago and a few adjacent suburbs outside of the Chicago city limits. The CTA operates an extensive network of buses and a rapid transit elevated and subway system known as the 'L' (for "elevated"), with lines designated by colors. These rapid transit lines also serve both Midway and O'Hare Airports. The CTA's rail lines consist of the Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Brown, Purple, Pink, and Yellow lines. Both the Red and Blue lines offer 24‑hour service which makes Chicago one of a handful of cities around the world (and one of two in the United States, the other being New York City) to offer rail service 24 hours a day, every day of the year, within the city's limits.

Chicago's Department of Transportation oversees operation of Divvy, North America's largest bicycle-sharing system (by geography), allowing residents and visitors the ability to check out public bikes from any of hundreds of automated stations located over a large area of the city, take them for short rides, and return them to any station of their choosing.

### Geography

Chicago is located in northeastern Illinois on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan. It is the principal city in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, situated in the Midwestern United States and the Great Lakes region. Chicago rests on a continental divide at the site of the Chicago Portage, connecting the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes watersheds. The city lies beside huge freshwater Lake Michigan, and two rivers—the Chicago River in downtown and the Calumet River in the industrial far South Side—flow entirely or partially through Chicago. Chicago's history and economy are closely tied to its proximity to Lake Michigan.

## Culture

The city's waterfront location and nightlife has attracted residents and tourists alike. Over a third of the city population is concentrated in the lakefront neighborhoods from Rogers Park in the north to South Shore in the south

Downtown is the center of Chicago's financial, cultural, governmental and commercial institutions and the site of Grant Park and many of the city's skyscrapers. Many of the city's financial institutions, such as the CBOT and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, are located within a section of downtown called "The Loop", which is an eight-block by five-block area of city streets that is encircled by elevated rail tracks.

The term "The Loop" is largely used by locals to refer to the entire downtown area as well. The central area includes the Near North Side, the Near South Side, and the Near West Side, as well as the Loop. These areas contribute famous skyscrapers, abundant restaurants, shopping, museums, a stadium for the Chicago Bears, convention facilities, parkland, and beaches.

The South Side neighborhood of Hyde Park is the home of former US President Barack Obama. It also contains the University of Chicago (U of C), ranked one of the world's top ten universities.

### Entertainment and the Arts

Renowned Chicago theater companies include the Goodman Theatre in the Loop; the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Victory Gardens Theater in Lincoln Park; and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier. Broadway In Chicago offers Broadway-style entertainment at five theaters: the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre, Bank of America Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, Auditorium Building of Roosevelt University, and Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) performs at Symphony Center, and is recognized as one of the best orchestras in the world. In the summer, many outdoor concerts are given in Grant Park and Millennium Park. Ravinia Festival, located 25 miles (40 km) north of Chicago, is the summer home of the CSO, and is a favorite destination for many Chicagoans. The Civic Opera House is home to the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Other live-music genre which are part of the city's cultural heritage include Chicago blues, Chicago soul, jazz, and gospel. The city is the birthplace of house music, a very popular form of Electronic Dance Music, and industrial music and is the site of an influential hip-hop scene.

In the 1980s and 90s, the city was the global center for house and industrial music, two forms of music created in Chicago, as well as being popular for alternative rock, punk, and new wave. The city has been an epicenter for rave culture, since the 1980s. A flourishing independent rock music culture brought forth Chicago indie.

Annual festivals feature various acts, such as Lollapalooza and the Pitchfork Music Festival. A 2007 report on the Chicago music industry by the University of Chicago Cultural Policy Centerranked Chicago third among metropolitan U.S. areas in "size of music industry" and fourth among all U.S. cities in "number of concerts and performances".

### Cuisine

Chicago lays claim to a large number of regional specialties that reflect the city's ethnic and working-class roots. Included among these are its nationally renowned deep-dish pizza; this style is said to have originated at Pizzeria Uno. The Chicago-style thin crust is also popular in the city

The Chicago-style hot dog, typically an all-beef hot dog, is loaded with an array of toppings that often includes pickle relish, yellow mustard, pickled sport peppers, tomato wedges, dill pickle spear and topped off with celery salton a poppy seed bun. Enthusiasts of the Chicago-style dog frown upon the use of ketchup as a garnish, but may prefer to add giardiniera.

There are several distinctly Chicago sandwiches, among them the Italian beef sandwich, which is thinly sliced beef simmered in au jus and served on an Italian roll with sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera. A popular modification is the Combo—an Italian beef sandwich with the addition of an Italian sausage. Another is the Maxwell Street Polish, a grilled or deep-fried kielbasa — on a hot dog roll, topped with grilled onions, yellow mustard, and hot sport peppers.

Ethnically originated creations include chicken Vesuvio, with roasted bone-in chicken cooked in oil and garlic next to garlicky oven-roasted potato wedges and a sprinkling of green peas. Another is the Puerto Rican-influenced jibarito, a sandwich made with flattened, fried green plantains instead of bread. There is also the mother-in-law, a tamale topped with chili and served on a hot dog bun.

The tradition of serving the Greek dish, saganaki while aflame, has its origins in Chicago's Greek community. The appetizer, which consists of a square of fried cheese, is doused with Metaxa and flambéed table-side.

### Literature

Chicago literature finds its roots in the city's tradition of lucid, direct journalism, lending to a strong tradition of social realism. In the *Encyclopedia of Chicago*, Northwestern University Professor Bill Savage describes Chicago fiction as prose which tries to "*capture the essence of the city, its spaces and its people*". Much notable Chicago fiction focuses on the city itself, with social criticism keeping exultation in check.

## Climate

The winter months from December to March will see cold temperatures with cold wind chill factors. Snow is usually limited to a handful of heavy storms per season, with a few light dustings in-between and a little more along the lakefront —in the local parlance, that's "lake effect snow". Chicago is a city that's well-accustomed to winter season, so city services and public transportation are highly unlikely to ever shut down.

Chicago's summer days can feel as warm as Honolulu or as humid and sticky as Miami. During any random summer, temperatures in July or August may go above the normal average of 83°F and become hot and humid with dewpoints that can be similar to those found closer to the Gulf of Mexico. However, these heatwaves are not for the entire duration of the summer, but usually in patches of days. Summer nights are usually reasonable and you'll get a few degrees' respite along the lakefront — in the local parlance again, that's "cooler by the lake."

Chicago does have several months of nice weather. June and September are very pleasant; April and May are quite fine, although thunderstorms can occur suddenly. July and August are okay as long as a heatwave hasn't hit the entire country. Although there may be a slight chill in the air, October rarely calls for more than a light coat and some days that's not even necessary. And in some years, prolonged mild summer-like temperatures overlap into November.

## Districts

### Downtown

*The* center of Chicago and the entire Midwest for work and play with major corporate headquarters, skyscrapers, shopping, big theaters, parks, beaches, museums and the city's most famous travel sights.

* **The Loop:** One of the three downtown community areas in Chicago, bounded by the Chicago River to the north and west, Harrison Street to the south, and Lake Michigan to the east. It contains the tallest members of Chicago's skyline and much of the city's finest architecture, holding within them much of the city's working stiffs; for visitors, it also has the glitzy downtown theater district, and the biggest annual music festivals.
* **Near North:** The **Near North** is the shop-and-awe center of Chicago. It's bounded by North Avenue to the north, the Chicago River to the west and south, and Lake Michigan to the east. Know for its department stores, restaurants and luxurious hotels along the celebrated **Magnificent Mile**.
* **Near South:** The **Near South** is the home of several of Chicago's main attractions: the splendid **Museum Campus**, with three world-class (and fun!) natural science museums on the lakefront; **Soldier Field**, home of the NFL's Chicago Bears; and **McCormick Place**, the city's massive convention center. There's more to be found at the street level, though, which includes the fascinating and eerie **Prairie Avenue**, the eclectic **Printer's Row**, and the condo towers of the **South Loop**. Also, there are a couple of major **jazz** and **blues** landmarks in the area.

### North Side

Upscale neighborhoods with entertainment aplenty in storefront theaters and the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, along with a *ton* of bars and clubs, and one of the largest LGBT communities in the nation.

* **Lakeview:** Has the lion's share of Chicago nightlife, starting with **Wrigleyville**, home of the Chicago Cubs and major players in the city's theater and music scenes, and **Boystown**, one of the largest and most vibrant LGBT communities in the United States. Down the street from both is the Belmont strip, where teen punks flock to shop and show off in the Dunkin' Donuts parking lot.
* **Boystown:** The nightlife in Boystown may be the best in Chicago. It's wild and uninhibited, regardless of sexual orientation. Most of the action is on Halsted/Broadway between Addison and Belmont.
* **Lincoln Park:** In Lincoln Park, collegians mix with freshly-minted lawyers, barrel-chested brokers, and the young families created by this mix and mingle on the north side of Chicago, a short walk from miles of beautiful parks and the fabulous **Lincoln Park Zoo.**
* **Old Town:** A striking collision of rich and poor, and home of Chicago's two most celebrated theaters, **Steppenwolf** and **Second City**.

### South Side

The historic Black Metropolis, Hyde Park and the University of Chicago, Chinatown, the White Sox, soul food, and the real Chicago blues.

* **Hyde Park:** One of Chicago's most famous neighborhoods, most certainly so on the South Side, located along the south lakefront. Having played host to the White City, the University of Chicago, President Obama, the setting for Richard Wright's Native Son, and a host of eccentric residents from Saul Bellow to Clarence Darrow to Muhammad Ali, this part of town has more than its fair share of Chicago history.
* **Bronzeville:** Also called the Black Metropolis, is a mecca of African-American History on Chicago's South Side, just miles south of downtown; it was the site of Chicago's Harlem Renaissance. Gwendolyn Brooks published poetry in the Chicago Defender, Andrew Rube Foster created Negro League Baseball, and Louis Armstrong kept his trumpet singing at the Sunset Cafe to keep Al Capone off his back. Long in disrepair, the neighborhood is still in the grasp of local gangs and a few minor supervillains.
* **Bridgeport-Chinatown:** The South Side at its most dynamic, as the old South Side Irish neighborhood of the Daleys increasingly blends with the old Chinese immigrant community to the north. Enormous cathedrals now stand next to Buddhist temples, and Old Style washes down lo mein.
* **Chatham-South Shore:** A district at the heart of Chicago's South Side, home to the *real* Chicago blues and some mind-blowing BBQ. Has the highest violent crime rate in the city.

### West Side

Ethnic enclaves, dive bars, and hipsters abound on the fashionably rough side of town.

* **Wicker Park:** The vanguard of music, nightlife, and fashion in Chicago. Includes the Ukrainian Village, immediately south, and pieces of the greater West Town area.
* **Logan Square:** An expansive neighborhood with sweeping boulevards on Chicago's West Side. It shares a wealth of dive bars and cheap rock venues with **Bucktown**, which becomes a high-fashion destination when close to Wicker Park.
* **Near West Side:** Many of Chicago's most beloved cultural landmarks were created on the Near West Side. The Chicago-style hot dog, the deep dish pizza, the immigrant port of entry, the blues, the Blues Brothers, the labor movement, "Cheat You Fair," Jane Addams and the modern concept of social justice — all were born or have roots here. Not that you can tell from the place today.
* **Pilsen:** Murals of Mexican cowboys notwithstanding, **Pilsen** is a lot like the Wild West: only a few minutes from the center of Chicago by train, this working-class neighborhood is thick with history and occupied by a community that's fiercely proud of where they live. Smash and grab robberies are common here.

### Far North Side

Ultra-hip and laid-back, with miles of beaches and some of the most vibrant immigrant communities in the country.

* **Uptown:** A scruffy, jazz-inflected neighborhood on the north side of Chicago. Within its boundaries are the residential areas of Sheridan Park and Buena Park, and the Southeast Asian community based around Argyle Street.
* **Lincoln Square:** Much better known to residents than tourists, but anyone will feel welcome here. To paraphrase Lionel Richie, this is where Chicago is easy like a Sunday morning, all week long. Lincoln Square has some of the city's best shopping (even for people who don't like shopping), and some terrific restaurants and bars; more than anything else, though, Chicago doesn't get any more pleasant than Lincoln Square for brunch on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
* **Rogers Park:**The northern border of Chicago — the wild-eyed inheritor of uninhibited lakefront, swamps become beaches, and the beauty of Chicago bricks. The diversity, too, is unrivaled in a notoriously segregated city. Has several large parks.

### Far West Side

So far off the beaten tourist track you might not find your way back, but that's OK given all the great food, a couple of top blues clubs and enormous parks

* **Little Village:** The heart of Chicago's enormous Mexican community.
* **Garfield Park:** The Far West Side's most notorious neighborhood for violent crime and visitors with low tolerance for urban grit should probably keep their distance. But on the other hand, the park from which the neighborhood derives its name is one of the city's best laid out and it contains a major attraction in the form of the Garfield Park Conservatory.
* **Humboldt Park:** sits between gentrifying Logan Square and blighted Garfield Park and, somehow, here the twain do meet. The neighborhood has for some time been a cultural stronghold of Chicago's Puerto Rican community, centered around the long commercial strip on Division Street.
* **Austin:** It is the largest single Chicago community area in terms of area and population, but it sits at the extreme periphery of Chicago life along the western border of the city. The jewel in this neighborhood's crown is Columbus Park.

### Southwest Side

Former home to the massive meatpacking district of the Union Stockyards, huge Polish and Mexican neighborhoods, and Midway Airport.

* **Back of the Yards:** A loose term encompassing the community areas of McKinley Park, Brighton Park, and New City, referring to the area's history as the home to the vast hordes of immigrant laborers in the Union Stock Yards of Upton Sinclair's *The Jungle*. Though the stock yards are long gone, the blue-collar character remains.
* **Marquette Park:** An ethnically mixed neighborhood divided between mostly African-Americans east of the park and Mexican-Americans immediately west of the park, along with some Polish and Lithuanian-Americans.
* **Midway:** This section of town is home to a large, established Polish community, as well as more recently arrived Mexican communities. The neighborhoods of Archer Heights, Garfield Ridge, and Clearing are important centers of Polish culture in the United States; you are likely to hear as much Polish as English while walking around these neighborhoods.

### Far Northwest Side

Polish Village, historic homes and theaters, and some undiscovered gems in the neighborhoods near O'Hare International Airport. The Far Northwest Side is, for many travelers, nothing more than a blur of drab buildings seen from the expressway or the Blue Line on their way to O'Hare.

* **Polish Village**
* **Irving Park**
* **Avondale**
* **Edgebrook**
* **Dunning**

### Far Southeast Side

The giant, industrial underbelly of Chicago, home to one large tourist draw: the historic Pullman District.

* **Historic Pullman:** An important to American history for its early planned industrial/railroad community and subsequent strikes and socialist activism, as well as its attractive and unique architecture.
* **East Side:** A once prosperous industrial region around the mouth of the Calumet River ("The Port of Chicago") that imploded along with Chicago's steel industry. Today it is one of the least populous areas of Chicago and ranges from industrial to failed-post-industrial in character.
* **Far** **South Chicago:** Low income, high crime communities with very few attractions.
* **Hegewisch:** Cut off from the rest of the city by Calumet Lake and huge manufacturing districts. As a result, the neighborhood feels almost like an independent, small, Midwestern industrial town.

### Far Southwest Side

Rarely does a neighborhood have such beauty as this in an urban setting.

* **Beverly:** The most distinctive of the Far Southwest neighborhoods. Beverly is the only neighborhood in Chicago with hills, lending it the odd-sounding nickname Beverly Hills. Along with Morgan Park to the south, Beverly is one of Chicago's few racially integrated neighborhoods, with a sizable African-American minority living side-by-side with the neighborhood's large Irish-American community.
* **Mount Greenwood:** A large middle class area of Chicago, home to many of the city's Irish-American firefighters and police officers and to St Xavier University. For those in search of an authentic Irish-American neighborhood, look no further. *No* tourists make it out here and the pubs will transport you straight back to the Emerald Isle.

## Landmarks

* **Adler Planetarium**
* **Art Institute of Chicago**
* **Chicago Children's Museum**
* **Chicago Riverwalk**
* **Chicago Stock Exchange**
* **Cloud Gate**
* **Field Museum of Natural History**
* **John Hancock Center**
* **Lincoln Park**
* **Magnificent Mile**
* **Millennium Park**
* **Museum of Science and Industry**
* **Navy Pier**
* **Shedd Aquarium**
* **Willis Tower** (also known as the Sears Tower)
* **Wrigley Field**

## Points of Interest

* **Acme Chemical Processing Plant**
* **Chez Apocalype:** An underground club that caters to supervillains and criminals.
* **Danger International:** A foundation started in the mid-1930's by explorer and adventurer **"Victory"** before his disappearance. They operated as "explorers and adventurers for hire". While their building is still under Victory's ownership, the business has been defunct since 1949.
* **Drake Hotel:** A once-luxury hotel that opened in 2004. It was notable for its superhero theme and quite popular for a few years. Since 2011, however, the owner was arrested for embezzlement (caught by Cascade) and it has since fallen on some very hard times.
* **Glacier Lounge:** An ice-themed lounge/club run by the alleged criminal Big Napolean.
* **Horizon Telecomm:** The largest telecommunications company in the midwest.
* **The Lincoln Youth Center:** A community center for Chicago youth, it was established fifteen years ago by charitable donations and has always been run by Wilson Jeffers, a Lincoln Park native. The LYC offers afternoon sports and activities aimed at keeping kids off the streets and out of gangs. It also provides kids to go when their parents have to be at work. It's a known "Switzerland" location and was closely protected by the superhero Cascade, before his death.
* **Paradise Casino:** This Atlantean-owned hotel and casino just off the coast of Chicago tries to emulate a tropical resort with only modest success. Still, the hotel is luxurious and features enough indoor activities (including an indoor pool) to attract tourists.
* **Pop's Gym:** A run-down gym owned by the gruff former boxer "Pops". He's a relatively well-known name in South Chicago.
* **Speakeasy's Pub:** A sleazy bar owned by a former paragon hitman.
* **Witching Hour:** A nightclub popular with the superhero scene.

## Paragons

Chicago's paragon population is quite high, but the majority of paragons possess abilities coined as "Minor Powers". Thus, there are relatively few superheroes. Another reason for this is that Chicago's high crime rate means many paragons are killed or quit due to injury or disillusionment.

Supervillains, since the death of Cascade, have started appearing in higher numbers. However, it should be remembered that Chicago has many supervillains that call it home, many of whom were former members of Cascade's rogue's gallery. Since Cascade's death, these well-known rogues have started staking claims in various districts or neighborhoods around Chicago, and the fighting between themselves continues to escalate.

There are no "major" superhero teams in Chicago.

### Superheroes

* **Cascade:** The former "Sentinel of Chicago", Cascade was a courageous man and an expert combatant. He was a powerful hydrokinetic and was the most powerful and capable vigilante living in Chicago. He fought hard against Chicago's criminal element for nearly twenty years before he was killed by an unknown supervillain.
* **Longshot:** Longshot is a crossbow-wielding vigilante who may or may not have any powers. Known for his wide-array of "trick bolts". He was quite active in the early years after The Event but over the last six or seven years, Longshot has been spotted less and less.
* **The Porcupine:** A hero with the power to shoot bony spines from his arms. Not terribly popular.

### Supervillains

* **Ash:** A pyrokinetic who can turn to smoke.
* **Big Napolean:** The alleged "Crime King of Chicago", he has been allegedly linked to organized crime for years. A vocal critic of Cascade. When asked if he knew who had killed Cascade, Big Napolean simply shrugged and said, "I don't know who killed the son of a bitch but I know I'd buy him a beer".
* **Enigma:** A reclusive criminal known for his death-trap-like puzzles that require obscure trivia knowledge to disarm or escape. Known to be psychotic, unstable and dangerous. Not a paragon.
* **Maggot:** A serial-killer with the power to control flies--and even turn into a swarm of them, however that works. Known to live in the sewers. Refers to flies as "his children".
* **Monolith:** Standing over seven feet tall, Monolith has the power to transform his skin into a concrete-like armored shell. Known to be possess extreme superhuman strength and is almost invulnerable to physical damage (though not suffocation or psychic attack, according to reports).
* **Nightstalker:** Allegedly a vampire who has started a "coven" in the industrial wasteland of Hegewisch.
* **The Owl:** One of Cascade's most notorious villains, the Owl is a masked killer with the power of flight and regeneration. An unpredictable, violent, brilliant maniac.
* **Scarface:** A former alderman who was mutilated in an attack by the owl. His face butchered and body burned, his mind snapped and he became a criminal lord in his own right. A contender for control of the city.
* **Wildcard:** A paragon with a cane that can "displace and manipulate probability fields" and trick playing cards. Originally a "gentleman thief" type of person, he's become something of a ganglord in recent years. A contender for control of the city.

### Groups

#### The Working Class

A group of paragons who don't identify as "superheroes"; they just wear masks and protect their neighborhood. Mostly blue-collar, working class people, most of whom don't have any major powers to speak of. They all have each other's back and tend to identify by their occupation. They mostly stick to gang activity and drug dealers.

* **Butcher:** Works at a butcher's shop. Notably kind of stupid. Doesn't use weapons; is a decent boxer. Has the minor power to produce any smell from his sweat glands.
* **Construction Guy:** The "leader" of the group. Really big dude, wears a kevlar vest and fights using a sledgehammer. Has the minor power to hear radio signals.
* **Cashier:** A teenager who works as a cashier from a gas station. Fights using a baseball bat. Kind of useless, but he has a lot of heart.
* **Deli:** Works at a deli; may or may not be the same store as Butcher, but they definitely know each other IRL. Deli fights with a baseball bat and is known to be a quiet guy.
* **Garbage Man:** Loud-mouthed, skinny, mustache. Tends to smell, though he's sensitive about it. Has telekinesis, but it isn't strong telekinesis (he can move maybe 30 lbs. max).
* **Mechanic:** The second-in-command to Construction guy. Very acrobatic and dual-wields wrenches.
* **Plumber I:** Uncle of Plumber II. A portly military vet. Fights with a tonfa/billy club sort of weapon.
* **Plumber II:** The nephew of Plumber I. Strong and tough; fights using a pipe.
* **Teacher:** A high-school English teacher, he's the "brains of the group". Isn't terribly physically fit, so he uses a tranquilizer pistol.

#### The Boy Wonderz

The biggest pop phenomenon of the day, this boy band hails from Chicago. The quintet has recently started a national tour, playing sold out shows at stadiums across America. They all have paragon codenames and costumes, though it's unclear what their powers are.

#### Kings in Yellow

An alternative goth-rock band, their style of dark, brooding music is popular with the Goth and alternative crowds. Their lead singer, known only as **Dismay**, can absorb light into his self; he dims the immediate area and glows a weird, purple color. He can shape this light into a variety of shapes; usually demonic visages or flocks of ravens.