Places meltingknight Wants to Go

The faint remains of a Polish news empire still linger.

One of the few remaining relics of the meatpacking hub that made Chicago the "hog butcher to the world."

Landmark Chicago building narrowly avoided destruction.

Now nearly abandoned, Kaskaskia was once the capital of Illinois and one of the most important towns on the upper Mississippi.

This odd stone memorial remembers a loyal dog who offended the rail barons with his speed and saved his master with his pee.

This simple gravestone remembers a pig who single-hoofedly raised $19,000,000 for the Navy.

Parking lot where a Chicago mayor was inaugurated under very sketchy circumstances.

An early Portuguese serial killer's head is alarmingly well preserved in a jar at the University of Lisbon.

A mini Wrigley Field for mini baseball players.

An Art Deco gem that held together the artistic heart of an agricultural community for 92 years.

Odd, decrepit fountain honors Chicago author who had mixed feelings about his hometown.

A tribute to one granddaughter's old apartment which now represents the whims of each visitor.

Huge abstract sculptures of the Puerto Rican Flag.

Built in 1869, this now-retired structure looks more like a medieval fortress than a county lock-up.

One of the most powerful computers in the world can be visited by anyone who wants to experience more computing than they can handle.

People escaping slavery passed through the oldest house in Lombard, Illinois on their northbound journey to freedom.

A 30-foot man on a penny-farthing bicycle rides along the banks of the Mississippi.

Fresh wooden posts have been added to ancient holes to recreate a primitive henge clock.

Once at the center of U.S. finance, the historic Trading Room was meticulously recreated piece by piece and rebuilt in the Art Institute.

This family driveway also serves as the highest point in Illinois.

A strange rock in Chicago marks the spot where a tree once stood in honor of the 18th President.

Theater has had many different incarnations but has survived the ravages of time.

This abstract sculpture is rumored to cast a hammer-and-sickle shadow once a year.

A Chicago Movie Palace Lost to Time.