7 Wonders of Illinois

Over on the sidebar, there's a link to the website of an organization that is conducting a revision of the Seven Wonders of the World. The 7 Wonders are evolving again; there have been the Wonders of the Ancient World, the Wonders of the Medieval World and now the Wonders of the Modern World.

The Wonders of the Medieval World are:
>Stonehenge (just a bunch of rocks)
>Colosseum (verrrry cool building in its day)
>Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa (tombs in Alexandria, Egypt)
>Great Wall of China (inspired George Bush to wall the Mexican border)
>Porcelain Tower of Nanjing (260 feet tall, built in the 15th century, destroyed in the 19th)
>Hagia Sophia (this is the mosque at Istanbul)
>Leaning Tower of Pisa (not the one in Niles, IL)

The Wonders of the Modern World are:
>Great Wall of China (still a big hit!)
>Petra (ancient city of Jordan)
>Christ the Redeemer (the 120 foot tall statue in Rio)
>Machu Picchu
>Chichen Itza
>Roman Colosseum (also, still a hit)
>Taj Mahal /Great Pyramid (I'd leave them both in and make it 8 wonders)

The new wonders, the ones upon which the voting is being conducted, are occurrences in nature. They are wondrous wonders, indeed. All this wonderment got me to wondering if we here in the tundra aren't selling ourselves short. We have wonders, too. So, here's my Seven Wonders of Illinois:

*The Grand Canyon of 294. I am referring, of course, to the quarries of Thornton that are bisected by the Illinois tollroad. There's no extra charge to the tens of thousands who traverse the big hole every.

*The Veterans Highway Bridge. This is the 355 tollroad bridge over the Des Plaines River Valley. I have seen this when it wasn't there, I rode my bicycle on it before it was open, I've driven my car across it and I've stood under it, marveling at the tallest support posts I have ever seen. I've even seen the Discovery Channel show about it. This is a really wonderous wonder.

*Springfield. This is a little different from the others, in that "I wonder if there really is a Springfield, and if so, why".

*The Chicago Skyway. This is the most excitement you can have for two bucks, riding over the Skyway Bridge, especially if it's windy, wet, snowy, all of the above or Mrs PFOS is in the car with you. She is generally unhappy when riding over bridges. She is terrified when riding over this one. Despite her dislike, it is a verrrry cool view from up there.

*Grant Park and Lincoln Park. These are two of the best free spaces anywhere. Buckingham Fountain, the Bean, Lincoln Park Zoo, wonderful.

*The Mississippi Palisades. Metro folk don't frequently venture out to the West Coast of Illinois, but it's worth a weekend. Extremely cool vistas. I like the word "vistas".

*Pot Hole Season in Chicago. Like crabgrass, potholes return en masse every year, and the TV talking heads get all worked up about them, including my favorite term "pot holes are sprouting up everywhere". Holes are sprouting up...ok. BTW, the only natural enemy of the hole is the pile.

That's seven. I'm a little heavy on bridges. Send in your own nominations, please, to make this a more representative list. Rod's hairdo is not eligible for nomination, though "The Office of Governor of the State of Illinois" merits consideration.