A small Devil’s Food chocolate cake lined with strawberries is cut up and distributed on napkins. The room is bare, stripped of all furniture except a thick rug in the center patterned with flowers and an overturned plastic basin in the corner. On top of the rug is a paper plate smeared with a chunk of brie beside a knife, surrounded by a loose circle of plastic wine glasses and paper cups filled with cheap Bourdeaux. A chorus of “Happy Birthday” is sung for the apartment’s new resident, Stephen Rettger, who has just turned 22, which means he’s three years away from being able to rent a car; then he’ll really be an adult.
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Tomorrow the IOC votes in Copenhagen to award the 2016 Summer Olympics to one of four final bids: Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo, or Rio de Janeiro. For several years, bid teams have worked tirelessly to bring the games to their city. Now, the reckoning. Chicago’s bid is solid, but not exceptional. Still, heading into tomorrow’s final vote, it has solidly positioned itself for an opportunity to win the 2016 games. Here’s why.
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