Chicago's scenic Millennium Park (shown during last year's Chicago Marathon) would make an ideal Olympic venue. AP

After New York failed to capture the 2012 Olympic Games, no one made too much noise in the Big Apple. People were bummed, but the average pedestrian on the street shrugged his shoulders and went about his day.

Parisians were crushed, as were the people of Madrid. Oddly enough, the crowd in Red Square continued to cheer nearly an hour after Moscow had been eliminated. It seems no one informed them of the International Olympic Committee's decision.

So where does the U.S. Olympic Committee go from here? What city should represent America's bid for the 2016 Games?

While it is common for cities to rebid, the USOC made it clear the 2016 decision would be a "very open process," meaning New York City is not a lock to represent America the next time around.

The USOC should forget about NYC. An Olympics where few major events are held in Manhattan is ridiculous. To the world, Manhattan is New York City, not Queens or Brooklyn. New Yorkers flee the city when crowds descend, and the Olympic city and its people should not only welcome the Games, they should join in the celebration.

Since so much of the Olympic experience is tied to the physical environment, I'll explain my vision for Chicago 2016.

In recent years, the IOC has stressed a more compact and centralized games. This reduces transportation nightmares and creates a true celebratory environment by connecting the Olympic Park, the venues and the athletes. Chicago's layout allows for such an Olympic experience.

Every bid for the 2012 games had a strategic layout. For New York, it was the Olympic "X" plan, extending from the Bronx in the north to Staten Island in the south, New Jersey to the west and Queens to the east. Chicago similarly could utilize its extended lakefront along Lake Michigan. All of the neighborhoods along the shore would be an important part of the games, from Jackson Park in the south to Northwestern University in the northern suburb of Evanston. Not only would this encompass geographical diversity, but racial diversity as well, reconnecting all of Chicago's inhabitants.

The Second City's beaches, museums, zoos, aquariums, parks and harbors could be mixed with Olympic venues such as beach volleyball, track and swimming. Massive Grant Park, which sits in between the iconic Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan, could serve as the center of the Olympic celebration.

Grant Park, along with the newly unveiled Millennium Park, could be transformed into an Olympic Park where visitors congregate for concerts (the Petrillo Band Shell and the Frank Gehry-designed Pritzker Pavilion), food, kids' games and evening parties (perhaps the famed Holland House that was the center of the Athens 2004 nightlife can set up shop here as well). Just east of Soldier Field, Northerly Island could serve as the site for the Aquatic Center, placing one of the game's premier events at a central location. The Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum and Navy Pier also will serve as attractions during the Games.