Choosing Boat Tours in Chicago
As summer winds to a close this Labor Day weekend, we can still take advantage of the many boat tours of Chicago. Chicago is bursting with boat tour options, all that can be a fun way to experience Chicago architecture. To help you out as you plan a boat tour with family and friends, I […]
Four Ideas for Corporate Team Building in Chicago
Team building events can be a great time or a chore, depending on what your group decides to do. As someone who has worked for both a massive company and a small local business, I can tell you that getting to know my co-workers outside of the office is always worthwhile. Heading to the closest bar […]
Exploring the Chicago French Market
A few weeks back the Chicago Detours staff had a night out at the Chicago French Market. It’s a European-inspired market located near the Ogilve Transit Center in the West Loop, just a few blocks from where our Fulton Market Food Tour runs. We were invited as part of a VIP event to celebrate the unveiling […]
The History of Four Chicago Lighthouses
When one thinks of architecture in Chicago, lighthouses might not come to mind. But Chicago, long a preeminent American port, has an extended history with these vital, vertical structures. We research stories from Chicago history, architecture and culture like this while developing our live virtual tours, in-person private tours, and custom content for corporate events. You can join […]
Chicago at Night and History of the Planetarium
In Chicago at night, reference to the sky is most often for the architecture of the skyline and the lights. I must confess, the skyline of Chicago at night is one of my favorite sights in all the world. Chicago’s skyline, however, overshadows the sky itself. So let’s set the buildings aside a moment to […]
Chicago Native American History for Thanksgiving
Our national holiday, Thanksgiving, reminds me of the Native American history in Chicago. Native Americans, of course, were the first settlers in this region. In school we don’t learn much about Native American history beyond Thanksgiving. But in Chicago there is much more to Native American influence on the city, beginning with its name. What’s in a Name? […]
The Story Behind the Chicago-Style Hot Dog
The Chicago-style hot dog…there are plenty of places in Chicago to grab one, and we each have our favorite. Before I share a little tour of our Chicago dog options, let’s dig into some history of Chicago’s special spot in the world of encased meats. Chicago’s Meaty History It has a lot to do with […]
The Evolution of the Merchandise Mart
While on the green line last week I rode past the hefty, block-long Merchandise Mart and began to wonder about its history. As I learned from Amanda‘s talk at the Union League Club this past week, the structure of older buildings usually aren’t very flexible and so they struggle to provide functioning spaces like modern […]
Best Chicago Architecture Tours Pt. 2: Depth
In choosing a Chicago architecture tour, you have so many choices that I decided to split the post into two parts. Part One considers the idea of “breadth” in a tour. We can choose to cover a lot of geographical ground and see a lot in an architectural tour, but not delve so much into […]
Chicago Loves New Picasso Exhibit
You might think that we’ve had our fill of Picasso here at Chicago Detours with our discussion of the Chicago sculpture on our Loop Interior Architecture Tour. This is definitely not the case, even for a Paris-ophile like me. Paris is practically exploding with his work. When I was at grad school at the Sorbonne, aka […]
