WGN with Nick Digilio and the Tribune at Midnight
Yesterday I had the pleasure of talking on live radio with Nick Digilio in WGN at the Tribune Tower. It was a little eerie being down there at midnight on a Thursday. Everything was pretty dark and quiet, and even the lights inside the lobby were dimmed. Producer Dan took me up to their new […]
Gifts for Curious People: Gift Cards Now Available
Our blog is primarily for giving our dear readers new insights into Chicago architecture, history and culture. But every once in a while we will indeed use it to toot our own horn. Consider this some tooting. We now have gift cards for people you love who love Chicago! You can buy these gift cards […]
Things to Do in Chicago Thanksgiving Weekend
Around the holidays in Chicago, a lot of the transplants head out and an influx of families come in. While things to do in the neighborhoods may shut down, downtown lots is left for fun activities. A few great things to do this Chicago Thanksgiving weekend: 1. Avoid Macy’s at all costs. It will be […]
We’ve Got Answers to Chicago History Questions
As promised, we’ve done the research to answer some Chicago history questions we’ve encountered on our architectural walking tours. I’ll admit, we haven’t posted these in a while. Operating a small business is lots of work! So here we are. Thanks to all of our inquisitive guests, this will be part one of answers. Why […]
A Hidden Piece of Mies in Chicago
Many of us are familiar with at least the name of Mies van der Rohe. His iconic modernist buildings in Chicago include IIT’s campus, including the sublime Crown Hall, 860-880 Lake Shore Drive, and the Federal Center. (For a brief, but excellent overview of Mies, see Geoffrey Baer’s summary or join us for a custom private […]
A Suburban Detour: Museums at Lisle Station Park
I have lived in Lisle my whole life and so I have grown up knowing the suburbs better than Chicago. But I did not know about the museums at Lisle Station Park until a neighbor invited me. I liked it so much that I decided to become a museum volunteer. This was six years ago. […]
Learn About the Public Spaces of Chicago Women’s History
During the 1800s Chicago women participated in few social activities outside of the home. Most activities required women to be escorted at all times as they were not to be left alone in public. On our Loop Interior Architecture Walking Tour, we go into the former Marshall Field’s department store and discuss how the store […]
The Chicago Picasso: Beginnings of Public Art in Chicago
It hard to walk past Daley Plaza and not catch a glimpse of Chicago Picasso. The colossal three dimension sculpture towers 50 feet into the sky above plaza. Some say it is a woman, a horse, or even a baboon. To locals of Chicago however, this sculpture is just the Picasso. (By the way, you […]
Illinois Governors Conference on Tourism
Last week, I attended the Illinois Governors Conference on Tourism, a three-day meeting for tourism professionals who work at hotels, restaurants, tour companies, transportation companies, and convention and visitors bureaus. We get updates on anything and everything in Illinois Tourism, and speakers often try to stress that we must not forget what’s outside of Chicago. […]
Lost Chicago Drinking Poems
We lose things for all kinds of reasons – we’re absent minded, we drop them, or we just plain forget about them. One could make many cases for why drinking poems might get lost over time: 1. People were drunk when they wrote them, so they aren’t worth being remembered. 2. People got drunk after […]