It's a shame that many cities see hosting the Olympics as their big chance to score federal dollars for
infrastructure projects.
BEIJING—On his first full day here, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley headed not for the famously sculptural sporting arenas, but rather for the bowels of the metropolis, taking a ride on a state-of-the-art subway that would turn Chicago commuters green with envy.
His tour of a spanking-new subway line, one of four built since 2002 at a total cost of $7.7 billion, signaled just how badly he wants to polish Chicago's transit system, with federal help, as part of its bid for the 2016 Summer Games.
