Photo credit: Marie Rowley
Our “Badass Women of Chicago History” storytelling event on Friday, March 22 had good vibes all around and a packed house! We SOLD OUT with 132 guests. Incredible storytellers told us about Chicago heroines on the peripheries of history.
We had incredible storytellers. In case you didn’t make it, here’s our special event wrap-up:
Here is Hideout Inn Owner Tim Tuten sharing some history of the venue and most of all, the political situation around the Lincoln Yards development. Originally built in 1881 as a boarding house for nearby factory workers, The Hideout Chicago sits in a cozy wood-frame building encircled by a dump truck parking lot and old brick warehouses. This industrial district is no more, and private development firm Sterling Bay has purchased most of it and plans to build giant glass box buildings. The whole thing is speeding into the process versus having a more measured approach.
Photo credit: Amanda Scotese
Personally, it was really special for me to throw an event here. I’ve been coming to the Hideout for the past 15 years. As I reflected on my time at this one-of-a-kind place, I realized that it is one of few Chicago bars where you truly get a mix of people of different ages. In my late 20s, my friends and I went to the Saturday dance parties that started at midnight. In my 30s, I went to countless rock shows. Now in my 40s, I’m getting more intrigued by the talk shows and more political events that happen in the early evening. Speaking of…
Erika Wozniak of The Girl Talk co-emceed with me (Amanda). The Girl Talk is an activist talk show recorded live at The Hideout. Each month they tackle a new issue facing our city, state and country by having discussions with women who are at the forefront of doing some badass work to make the world a better place. While I do tours all the time, being an emcee is new territory for me so it was great to bounce off of the energy of a badass woman!
Photo credit: Kelli Taylor
Tim Samuelson is one badass dude. He’s the City of Chicago cultural historian. Thanks to him, now the tale of Nightclub entertainer Texas Guinan will now never be forgotten.
Photo credit: Kelli Taylor
Velma Gladney took on the persona of Bessie Coleman, an aviation pioneer. She told the story in the first person, proclaiming “And I didn’t take hell from nobody” when men told her she couldn’t make it as a pilot. Bessie Coleman was the first woman of African American and Native American descent to earn a pilot’s license. Velma got everyone pumped!
Photo credit: Kelli Taylor
We got to learn from Mary Lu Seidel of Preservation Chicago how badass Gale Cincotta was. This West Side community organizer didn’t take s–t from no one and political leaders started to pray she wouldn’t show up with her brazen strategies of activism. For example, when her alderman was not addressing the rat problem in her neighborhood of Austin, she and her buddies started catching and freezing dead rats. Then they delivered him a special present! Photo credit: Amanda Scotese
We ❤️ the Hideout. Thank you to all who came and helped make it a magical night celebrating Chicago women in history!
— Amanda Scotese, Executive Director
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Chicago Detours is boutique tour company that tells neighborhood and city stories through in-person tours, virtual tours, and custom content for private group events.
A very rare chance for a free virtual event with us! Invite anyone to join from afar. We are offering this as we support a special community project with the @designmuseumchi. Invite anyone to join you from afar! Tue, Apt 25 6pm-7pm CT. Register here: bit.my/day-at-the-1893. #ferriswheel #food #virtualevent #chicagohistory #freeevent #1893worldsfair #1893chicagoworldsfair #southside #turnofthecentury #historicimages
Chicago is so pretty at night! Taken from the @fairliechicago for a special fundraising event…congrats to @mediaburnarchive for 20 years of saving incredible Chicago stories recorded on various video formats over the decades. If you’ve ever come on one of our tours, you probably watched a video on an iPad on one of our walking tours, or on a screen on a bus tour - most of them were from Media Burn. If you haven’t ever checked out their incredible collection, do i5. There are so many videos that are tear-jerking, politically relevant, hilarious, deeply reflective and nostalgic. Take a break from YouTube and connect with the Chicago of the ‘90s and beyond with them!
12 years ago Chicago Detours started as a tour company for curious people. At that point, Chicago tourism didn’t look much beyond downtown. We wanted to show people true and genuine stories of Chicago people, both famous in history books and beloved community and family members who have contributed to make this city great. We have sought to open awareness to design and ingenuity in architecture, art, engineering, and businesses across history. We want to promote appreciation of our neighborhoods, like with this paradise of a yard at a home in Pilsen. I never cease to be amazed now how what some people saw as a “quirky” approach to tourism back in 2010 (but we saw as fundamental) has now become so much more sought after and mainstream. Thank you to our followers for 12 years of business. For helping us thrive in 2020 while our industry crumbled around us. For wanting to join us on this journey of learning from the buildings, spaces, and stories of Chicago in order to become responsible citizens of the world. #chidetours#12thanniversary #smallbusiness #quietcelebration
Twinsies! When I see two buildings like this I wonder, was it parents living next door to a married child and their family? Two siblings? Or were there more of these on the block now gone? What if the neighbors despise each other? What if each thinks their taste in having updated the building is superior? #buildingstories #placebasededucation #tourism #bronzeville #southside #vernaculararchitecture
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Ellen
Private Tour Coordinator and Tour Guide
There is no shortage of things to discover in Chicago—I love being an urban explorer and uncovering its hidden places. I have an MA in Public History from Loyola University Chicago, and I have worked as a museum educator and kindergarten teacher. My desire to learn new things fuels my passion for educating others, which I get to experience every day as a Chicago tour guide. I live in the northern neighborhood of Rogers Park.
“Our guide Ellen was exceptional and gifted with a great personal touch.”
Robert
GetYourGuide
Jen
Tour Guide
Whether you are a first-time visitor or a lifelong resident, the vibrant history and modern majesty of Chicago never ceases to amaze. I’m a graduate of Columbia College with an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Art. I’ve worked for many years as an educator at City Colleges of Chicago. As tour guide at Chicago Detours, I integrate my enthusiasm for culture and architecture with my passion as an educator. West Town/Noble Square area is home for me.
“Jen was a perfect storyteller and kept us spellbound for hours.”
Heather
TripAdvisor
Elyse
Tour Guide
With our Chicago neighborhoods, vibrant cultural institutions and nearly two centuries of larger-than-life stories, there’s never a dull moment here! I’m a fifth generation Chicagoan and a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to guiding tours, I’m a creative writer and amateur genealogist. I also enjoy the city’s dynamic theater scene. You can also read overlooked stories from 19th-century newspapers on my “Second Glance History” blog. I live in River North.
Anthony
Tour Guide
Chicago is unique as it always evolves into the future while holding on to the past. I’m fascinated by how people latch on to old architecture but happily pave over others. My background is in theater and performance and I’ve been a tour guide here for more than 10 years. Currently I’m finishing my Master’s in Public History at Loyola University because I love to teach the history of this scrappy city. I’m in the Edgewater neighborhood.
Marie
Operations Coordinator and Tour Guide
Chicago’s history is so fascinating, you could spend a lifetime uncovering its secrets…I’m willing to give it a try! I have an M.A. in US History from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and then pursued doctoral studies in Urban History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I love to learn new aspects of Chicago’s rich history and then share my knowledge as a tour guide with Chicago Detours. I live in Ravenswood.
“Marie was a bubbling fountain of information and contagious enthusiasm.”
Lorit
TripAdvisor
Sonny
Operations Coordinator and Tour Guide
As a fourth generation Chicagoan, I have been living and loving Chicago by bike, on foot, public transit or automobile. I am a graduate of UIC where through the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, began my eagerness to understand the nature, history and impacts of urban planning and development. It is incredibly rewarding to give back to this wonderful city by helping out in the office of Chicago Detours. I live in the incredibly diverse neighborhood of Albany Park.
“Sonny was extremely knowledgeable about all things Chi-town.”
Wade K
TripAdvisor
Alex
Content Manager and Tour Guide
Chicago has so many neighborhoods, buildings, and by-ways that it’s hard to go long without seeing something new, or something familiar from a new angle. I studied Cinema History for my M.A. from the University of Chicago. I’ve worked as a culture writer for various publications and as an educator of the humanities at the City Colleges of Chicago. I’m thrilled to share my love of this city’s busy past and unique architectural spaces with Chicago Detours. I live in the Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park.
“Alex was fascinating to listen to. He clearly knows his history and it shows.”
Katie K
Yelp
Amanda Scotese
Executive Director and Tour Guide
I’m an interpreter of personal stories from the past and the city’s landscape. I love to imagine what originally happened inside old unmarked buildings, and what forces have shaped their design. I studied Chicago history, architectural history, and anything Chicago-related through my M.A. in the Humanities at the University of Chicago. My love for stories was enriched by my B.A. in Literature from the University of Michigan. I’ve written travel articles for publications like Rick Steves’ Italy best-selling travel guides, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and The Chicago Food Encyclopedia. I live in the Chicago neighborhood of West Avondale.
“You can TELL Amanda is hyper-passionate about doing the research and getting the story that nobody’s heard before.”
