Chicago 2017 Holiday Season in Photos
These are our Chicago 2017 holiday season photos that we tour guides have taken on our explorations of Chicago. The past month has been magical. Lights, crowds, and festivities always make this a special time of year. It’ll be neat to look back on these years from now and see how the city has changed. […]
Chicago History Books for Your Holiday Gift List
It’s hard for me to imagine a better holiday gift than good Chicago history books. They hold the promise of gripping narratives, undiscovered facts, and greater perspective and understanding. It’s like manna from heaven for big ol’ history and architecture nerds, like yours truly. But which Chicago history books are worth gifting? To help you […]
Underground Chicago: Exploring The Hidden Layers of the City
The term ‘Chicago architecture’ usually evokes images of soaring skyscrapers, but the architecture of underground Chicago is fascinating and essential in its own right. Virtually unknown layers of tunnels, passages, sewers, pipes, and other infrastructure crisscross below the city. We research stories from Chicago history, architecture and culture like this while developing our live virtual tours, in-person […]
Big Ideas Behind the Little Chicago Alleys
What’s in Chicago alleys? That which we might call an alleyway actually makes our city smell so sweet. That line is some mock Shakespeare, of course, but it’s still true. Chicago alleys are one of the instrumental parts of our cityscape. They predate the city itself. They’re an invaluable part of the city’s infrastructure. They even […]
Why the Chicago Architectural Boat Tour is So Popular
Earlier this summer, TripAdvisor named the Chicago architectural boat tour the single most popular tour in America. That got me to wondering, what is it that makes it so popular? Sometimes our walking tour guides are hired out to lead a Chicago River boat tour, often on a private yacht charter via Anita Dee Yacht Charters. […]
Three New Museums in Chicago
The announcement and opening of three new museums in Chicago is shaking up the downtown cultural scene. After years of false starts, it seems that the Chicago Blues Museum will soon become a reality. Officially titled the Chicago Blues Experience, the new museum will open in 2019. Just this month, the American Writers Museum was […]
Escape Rooms for Teambuilding in Chicago
Recently, the Chicago Detours squad got together for a room escape experience in downtown. Every couple of months we get together on one of those rare afternoons and evenings which don’t have a tour. Sometimes we just hang out or we’ll try out something fun like a Segway tour. In a blog post from a […]
Today is the 25th Anniversary of the Chicago Flood
April 13, 1992 was a deeply strange day in Chicago history. By mid-morning the city center was emptied of people, something likely not seen since the Great Fire of 1871. Hundreds of thousands of workers were sent home. Venerable institutions like the Board of Trade shuttered. The city lost billions in productivity. All because, below […]
Four Engineering Secrets that Help You Survive Winter in Chicago
It can be a real challenge to survive winter in Chicago. The bone-chilling cold, pothole-strewn roads, battering blizzards, and endless slate grey skies make for a brutal experience. From the first chills of October to the lingering muck of May, most locals can only focus on how to simply make it through winter in Chicago. […]
Should We Trash or Save the Thompson Center?
The James R. Thompson Center is only thirty years old, but Governor Bruce Rauner announced in the fall of 2015 that he wants it sold and demolished. Just this month, in January of 2017, he floated the idea of a 115-story skyscraper taking its place. That raises a question for us Chicagoans to consider: should we trash or […]
