Where’s the Historic Marker for the Infamous 1968 DNC?
The 1968 DNC (Democratic National Convention) is among the most infamous and miserable events in Chicago’s history. Cops beating protestors. “The whole world is watching!” Mayor Daley sweating bullets and cussing out politicians. The DNC felt, still feels, like the culmination of an era. Post-war America ended in a sweaty convention hall and the contentious […]
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. […]
A History of Gay Pride in Chicago
The 48th Annual Chicago Pride Parade will take place on June 25th. In anticipation of one of the city’s most joyful events, I wanted to take a look back at the long and vibrant history of gay pride in Chicago. Whether they know it or not, the million or so revelers who will descend on […]
Chicago’s Innovation with Corten Steel
Let’s focus on a seemingly mundane material for a moment – corten steel. A guy named Mark Kurlansky has gotten really into telling history through a mundane commodity, food, or event. He wrote Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World in 1997 and Salt: A World History in 2002. So why not […]
What To Do in Chicago at Christmas
Chicago at Christmas has a magical atmosphere with the holiday lights and people bustling by on the sidewalks. There is no lack of fun holiday events and activities that are great for family visiting from out of town. Here are a few ideas of things to do from Christmas through the end of December. The […]
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 […]
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 […]
Not One but Two Christkindlmarkets! (Part 1)
With so much to say about Chicago’s not one but two Christkindl Markets, we are going to make this into two posts. The Christkindlmarket has officially opened in Daley Plaza, and as one of my favorite holiday activities in Chicago, I of course paid it a visit. We pass by it on our “Loop Interior […]
Tour Questions Answered!
The curious people who come on our interactive, guided tours of history, culture and architecture sometimes have questions. Since Chicago Detours guides don’t make up answers for our architectural tours, we mark them down and then research the answers for them. Said research is done, so consider these tour questions answered! If you’ve come on […]
Whats and Whys of Chicago Sister Cities
This week, Daley Plaza is unveiling something quite different. It’s definitely less enigmatic than our ink-blot-test-of-a-sculpture, The Chicago Picasso. The Chicago Sister Cities International Festival! (We have a tantalizing view on the Loop Interior Architecture Walking Tour, btw.) Origin of Sister Cities The idea of sister cities began when Toledo, Ohio committed to a partnership […]