Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Although you can see the same 50 or so buildings that the cruise covers on your
own by foot, traveling by water lets you enjoy the buildings from a unique per-
spective. The excellent docents also provide interesting historical details, as well
as some fun facts (For example: David Letterman once called the busts of the
nation's retailing legends that face the Merchandise Mart the “Pez Hall of
Fame”). The cruise points out both landmark buildings, such as the Gothic
1925 Tribune Tower, and contemporary ones, including the late-1980s NBC
Tower, constructed in wedding-cake style in homage to the city's old zoning
codes mandating that sunlight reach down to the street.
The docents generally do a good job of making the cruise enjoyable for visitors
with all levels of architectural knowledge. In addition to pointing out famous build-
ings—Marina City, the Civic Opera House, the Sears Tower, to name a few—they
approach the sites thematically, explaining, for example, how Chicagoans' use of
and attitudes toward the river have changed in the past 2 centuries.
Tickets are $23 per person weekdays, $25 on weekends and holidays, and are
scheduled hourly every day June through October from 11am to 3pm (weekends
only in May and Nov). The trips are extremely popular, so purchase tickets in
advance through Ticketmaster ( & 312/902-1500; www.ticketmaster.com), or
avoid the service charge and buy your tickets at one of the foundation's tour cen-
ters, 224 S. Michigan Ave. or the John Hancock Center, or from the boat launch
on the southeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive. Although it's an
expensive tour, I still highly recommend it, especially if you're at all interested in
architecture—it's by far the best tour in the city, on land or on water. The cruises
leave from the southeast side of the Michigan Avenue bridge, on the river level. If
your kids are small, and you just want a “fun” cruise on the water, you'd be better
off opting for a cruise with Wendella Sightseeing Boats (see the “Lake and River
Cruises” section below), where kids' tickets are only $9.
BY BUS
Reservations are required for all bus tours, although walk-ins are welcome if
there's space.
The “Chicago Architecture Highlights by Bus” is a 3 1 2 -hour tour offered
Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 9:30am (Apr-Nov). The route covers the
Loop, Hyde Park, and the Gold Coast, plus several other historic districts. The
tour includes a visit to the interior of Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House. Tick-
ets are $30 per person; tours depart from the Chicago Archicenter at 224 S.
Michigan Ave.
Some of the tours are pretty long and involved for your average kid (such as the
4-hr. bus tour of Frank Lloyd Wright sites in Oak Park), but check the website or
Oak Park Bus Tours
Parents with teens interested in the Frank Lloyd Wright phenomenon
might want to try the Chicago Architecture Foundation 's 4-hour bus tour
of Wright sights in Oak Park, offered once a month on Saturday from May
to October ($35). The tour includes walks through three neighborhoods
and commentary on more than 25 houses—but does not take visitors
inside Wright's home and studio. A separate 4-hour bus tour takes Wright
fans inside the master's home and Oak Park's Unity Temple ($40). Both
tours leave from the Archicenter, 224 S. Michigan Ave. Reservations are
required; call & 312/922-3432, ext. 240.
Tips
Search WWH ::




Custom Search