I'm David Plotz. During a recent trip to Chicago to record a live Gab Fest, Emily Bazlon and I set off to explore the city in a new 2015 Accura TLX.

We headed toward the Chicago River. You'll find down the lakefront on Lakeshore Drive,

and then we'll turn onto Wacker, and we'll drive up along the Chicago River. So here's the thing that I love about Chicago is, first of all, I've been extraordinary lucky, because every time I've been to Chicago, the weather has been beautiful. And it's even beautiful today, even though it's cold. You know, the wrap on Chicago is, oh, it's so unpleasant to be here because the weather is terrible. I always get beautiful weather, so I feel spoiled by that.

But the other part is that there's something about the light, the width of the streets and the way the light hits the streets.

And just the kind of like the feng shui of the whole joint is so much better than any other city.

I don't, I can't explain it.

I'm sure we need some great architect to explain why that is,

but there's something about the way buildings are set back from the street,

the width of the sidewalks, the kind of broadness of everything.

So you're talking about urban design and planning,

and I wonder if there is actually something

distinctive about how Chicago is put together in that way.

Well, it is, I mean, because it had the luxury of having this great disaster in the late

19th century of a fire, which burned down most of it was there, at a time when, A, there was a huge amount

of wealth being created here because it was this crossroad city.

It was a hub. It was where the industrial parts of the country came together, the agricultural

parts of the country shipped through. I mean, your husband, there's a great book, Natural Metropolis.

Nature's Metropolis, which is why it is that

Chicago becomes the hub. That's not a book by my husband. Less just to speak clear about my husband's in

that field. Just less people think I am married to Bill Cronin. Yeah, I love that book. And so one of the

things that book is about is all of the trade that took place here, right?

So there's the pork trade comes here, and this becomes a major center for that industry.

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