City Officially Opens Expansion To Chicago Riverwalk
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The city officially opened the still-under-construction $100-million Chicago Riverwalk Saturday afternoon as people strolled, ate, drank, paddled and fished along the city's newest downtown attraction that's been drawing tourists and locals alike.
Politicians, including the mayor and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spoke from a stage where the Million Dollar Quarter was entertaining crowds.
Margaret Frisbie, of Friends of the Chicago River said the river has come a long way.
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"We can see for ourselves that the river's alive: there's seventy species of fish, multiple species of birds, beavers, muskrats, turtles, even river otters are coming back to the river."
Mayor Rahm Emanuel noted there were fewer than a dozen species of fish 20 years ago.
"Of all of us who grew up in Chicago, we've always had a beautiful lakefront, but the river was always something you biked over, drove over or threw something on. Let's be honest. It was never something you would ever envision that you would take your family to walk along or enjoy."
The mayor thanked former for squeezing money out of the federal government and LaHood said the Riverwalk is a wonderful attraction.
It was the first Mayor Daley who first envisioned people going to the river on their lunch breaks, where they could fish and eat lunch. He famously said, "There's nothing more wholesome than a fish."
