My wife and I recently visited your city to attend the centennial celebration of Rotary International; there were 50,000 people from 161 nations present for this convention. It has been 20 years since either of us has been to Chicago.
During our stay I read an article that listed Chicago as one of the dirtiest cities in America, I couldn’t believe it. We stayed seven days at the Hotel Monaco in downtown and walked to McCormick Place, the pier, the aquarium and nearly everywhere we went.
Being from Florida, I noticed the water and could not believe how clean the water was in the river and at the pier.
We rode the elevated train, the buses, Amtrak, the boats and your taxicabs.
The one thing we kept commenting on was how clean the city was. We did not stay in the Loop the whole time either; we visited U.S. Cellular Field via Chinatown, and several other areas.
The hospitality of Chicago was a pleasant surprise, from the cab drivers to the people on the streets. My wife lost her cell phone and a lady from 87th Street on the South Side called my number and said she had found the phone. We offered to catch a cab, but she offered to drive and meet us to give the phone back.
What provoked this letter was the article about how dirty Chicago is; I disagree and cannot believe this report. The city workers and vehicles were out in force every morning cleaning the streets and watering the plants. You have made a great impression, and my wife and I look forward to coming back. It was a great experience.
