Boat Ride on the River, Chicago

The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of 156 miles  that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center. Though not especially long, the river is notable for being a reason why Chicago became an important location, with the related Chicago Portage being a link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi Valley waterways and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. The river is also noted for the local custom of dyeing it green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. The river is memorialized, in part, by two horizontal blue stripes on the Municipal Flag of Chicago.  Source