Much of Streeterville was once Lake Michigan. The neighborhood was named for one of Chicago's great eccentrics, George Wellington "Cap" Streeter. In 1886, Streeter ran his schooner aground on a sandbar near Michigan Avenue. Unable to dislodge the vessel, he turned it into a home. Slowly, landfill turned the lake into land and Streeter laid claim to 168 acres of land. After some clashes with the local police and battles in court, he was finally evicted. But he continued to lay claim to the area known as Streeterville until his death in 1921. (The case was just recently settled within the last few years.)
Streeterville is the very heart of North Michigan Avenue. There you will find Chicago's high-end shopping district, featuring Water Tower Place (Marshall Field's, Lord & Taylor), 900 North Michigan Avenue (Bloomingdale's, Gucci), as well as Neiman Marcus, Nordstroms, Saks Fifth Avenue, Crate & Barrel, Virgin Records, The Apple Store, and many, many more. In addition to restaurants and movie theaters, Streeterville also holds Northwestern University's Chicago campus, which includes both law and medical schools. Also the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business calls Streeterville home. In fact you can find almost here, except a parking space. The parking in Streeterville is next to impossible and you could spend the whole afternoon looking for a spot, unless you rent a space.
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