A History of Hugh Hefner in Chicago
Most locals remember that, like Hugh Hefner himself, the myth and image of Playboy was born here in Chicago. But standard trivia like that is never enough for us! So let’s take a moment to talk a little more about the story behind the man and his club. You can learn a bit more by […]
Exploring a Downtown Chicago Religious Buildings
Earlier this summer, I had the joy of being guided around the Chicago Temple by our director Amanda Scotese. Those of you who have joined us for the Loop Interior Architecture Walking Tour have caught just a glimpse of what this marvelous skyscraper affords in history and architectural gems. Now we’re getting ready for our […]
Windy City in Theaters: The Chicago Film Industry
Transformers 3 and The Dark Knight were both recently filmed in Chicago. Indeed, the former’s epic car chase on Lower Wacker Drive is already iconic. Granted these are huge, expensive productions that closed some of the city’s busiest streets, but I always wonder – why aren’t there more movies filmed in Chicago? How big is the Chicago […]
Brainstorm: Promoting Chicago as a Travel Destination – Part 2
In Part 1 to this two-part post, I dug into how we should be promoting Chicago to visitors via the O’Hare Airport. By making the airport cool to the many people who stop-over without ever knowing what a world-class city Chicago is, we could make quite an impression to potential visitors in order to bring […]
Biking In Chicago: A Long History of a Strong Community
I’ve been a proud to be biking in Chicago for almost two years now. Biking, to me, conjures feelings of childhood bliss. Memories of summers riding my purple Huffy, bedecked with psychedelic flowers. I’d ride it in a continuous loop in my parents’ driveway and, if I was daring, a neighbor’s sidewalk. Unfortunately, suburban sprawl […]
Historic Michigan Avenue: The Chicago Bridgehouse Museum
I’ve been intrigued ever since I learned of the Bridgehouse Museum on Michigan Avenue. It was awesome to discover that you can actually go inside of the Michigan Avenue Bridge. The McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum has exhibits inside and gives a glimpse of the machinery behind this engineering wonder. I had the opportunity […]
Chicago Tourism Industry Improvements at O’Hare
At the Choose Chicago Annual Meeting in April, Chairman of the Board Bruce Rauner encouraged feedback on our ideas for promoting Chicago tourism. We all want the city to be a top destination for business and leisure travelers. Here is one person’s two cents on how to make it happen. Promote Chicago Tourism Through Marketing […]
Chicago’s Forgotten Underground Freight Tunnels
Beneath the skyscrapers of Chicago there is an unseen world that many Chicagoans are unaware of. Hidden deep below the skyscrapers of Chicago’s Loop are underground freight tunnels. I always assumed them to be a myth, but they are quite important to the history of the city of Chicago. The extent of these tunnels might […]
Chicago’s Freight Tunnels: the Forgotten Underground
Beneath the skyscrapers of Chicago there is an unseen world that many Chicagoans are unaware of. Hidden deep below the skyscrapers of Chicago are underground freight tunnels. I always assumed them to be a myth, but they are quite important to the history of the city of Chicago. The extent of these tunnels is something […]
Through the Side Door: Women and Drinking in Early Chicago
On July 1, 1872, the Chicago Tribune published a story titled “A Man Chains His Wife in a Heavy Weight, and Burns Her Mouth With a Poker to Prevent her Drinking.” Woah, right? Discovering that led to me becoming intrigued by the topic of women and drinking in Chicago’s early history. Eliza Martin’s husband punished her for […]