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| That's me Tweeting while on the tour! |
The 85th tour.
Kind of has a nice ring to it, right?
Well, I made it to the 85th tour: Razzle Dazzle—a tour of Chicago’s theatre district led our docent Joan.
And what would a tour of Chicago’s theatre district be without a stop at the historic Chicago Theatre? Even if you’re not from Chicago, I know you’ve seen the Chicago Theatre. It’s the one with the huge “Chicago” marquee out front. That sign and the theatre itself have become an icon of the city on par with the Sears Tower and Hancock Building. I mean, can you even imagine the city without it? Chicago just wouldn’t be Chicago without the Chicago Theatre marquee.
When the theatre first opened in October of 1921 it was magnificent. Dubbed the “Wonder Theater of the World”, it set the trend for theater-building across the nation and around the world. The theatre was renovated for the 1933 World’s Fair but in the late 1940’s, early 1950’s, the theatre suffered an unfortunate “modernization”: elaborate plaster work was hidden, beautiful chandeliers were replaced with brass fixtures and a black-and-white geometric print covered the walls. Ouch.
In 1982, the Chicago Theatre closed and we came thisclose to losing the historic theatre and famous sign. During that time the wrecking ball lurked in the shadows ready to start leveling at any moment. But we Chicagoans love our landmarks. Through the efforts of civic leaders and concerned citizens the historic building was saved. In 1986, the Chicago Theatre was reborn following a meticulous nine-month $25 million dollar restoration. Phew!
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| The historic Chicago Theatre marquee on the night of the 85th tour |
So, I can’t wrap up the challenge without reminding you that there is no shame being a tourist in your own city. I’m a local and I did it. And if I can take 85…you can certainly take a few yourselves. So get on out there, Chicago. Explore your city. Make it your own, embrace it, learn about it and appreciate it. Take time and make time to look up and be a “tourist”. Believe me…it’s worth it.
See the most up-to-date tour schedule at http://bit.ly/dEwmpr and get on out there! Also be sure to check out everything else that goes on at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. We have fantastic programs for kids Kindergarten through 12th grade, fun family programs, incredible adult programs, a phenomenal shop and more. Visit http://www.architecture.org/ to see everything that we do.
Again, thank you for your support during the Around Chicago in 85 Tours challenge. It means the world to me and I hope to see everyone out on a tour soon! Yep…I said it…I’ll be taking more tours. What can I say? I’m hooked...
See you around town!
Jennifer
Posts
11 comments:
No more posts? :(
Nope, no more posts...at least for the Around Chicago in 85 Tours challenge.
It is kind of sad, right? The 85 tours challenge became such a huge part of my life in 2010 that it's been a real big adjustment for me to not take tours in 2011. I almost don't know what to do with my free time.
But you're always welcome to try the Around Chicago in 85 Tours challenge yourself. I'd love to read about someone else's adventure and see another viewpoint!
But I am up for another challenge...any ideas?
Bummer, your posts were enjoyable. Thank you for your enthusiasm for one of the greatest cities in the world for architecture. While I’m working my way through the CAF tour catalog it will take longer living a couple hours away. Another challenge? 85 Tours is a hard one to top!
Jason
Hi Jennifer,
My husband and I are a 30-something architect and interior designer (respectively) couple from LA, visiting Chicago this month for the first time! Obviously the heavy focus will be on architecture, and I wondered if you had any advice to offer? As I scrolled through your blog a bit I gathered that if we were to choose a couple of tours they would be the CAF River Tour and the Elevated Tour....but maybe you have other thoughts? Which sites do you think can be enjoyed without a tour, and which really benefit from a tour? We're staying at Hotel Burnham:) We want to see the Rookery, and cover a bit of Frank Lloyd Wright...we love the book Devil in the White City and want to explore the World Fair history...just wondering if you have any advice to offer! Thank you!
Thanks Jason! If I could do it again, I would...but I think I might take a little break. Perhaps in a couple of years I'll try doing all 85 again.
I also Tweet and Facebook on behalf of the Chicago Architecture Foundation. You can follow at www.facebook.com/chicagoarchitecture and at www.twitter.com/chiarchitecture
Hope to continue to see you online! And, of course, be sure to stop in for a tour (or shop, or program, or exhibit) the next time you're in Chicago!
Thanks for following!
Jennifer
Hi Rosa!
I'm so excited to hear that you'll be visiting Chicago and want to explore our architecture. This is the best city to do that! :)
You picked out some great tours. The River Cruise is a fantastic, unique way to see the city, and the Elevated Architecture tour definitely gives you a different view of the city that not many people see.
Since you're staying at the Hotel Burnham (former Reliance Building), I'd suggest taking the Reliance Building tour if it's on the schedule while you're in town (check www.architecture.org/reliance). At only $5 and 45 minutes it's a can't miss especially since you're staying there.
If you're interested in Frank Lloyd Wright it's definitely worth it to take one of the bus tours out to Oak Park, an area just west of the city that has the highest concentration of FLW works. Check out either www.architecture.org/flwbus or www.architecture.org/flwneighborhoods. And if you want to learn about the 1893 World's Fair (I LOVED the book too!!), you should for sure take the tour: www.architecture.org/DITWC.
A great way to see the best of Chicago architecture is on our Highlights by Bus tour (and you get an interior tour of the Rookery, too). You can see the schedule for Highlights by Bus at www.architecture.org/highlights.
Highlights is a great way to see a mix of the Loop as well as other Chicago neighborhoods.
Now if you have time, and if you'd like to venture out & explore some Chicago neighborhoods, we have incredible neighborhood tours. Some that stand out are the Gold Coast Astor street tour (www.architecture.org/gcastor), Wicker Park (www.architecture.org/wickerpark) and Printers Row (www.architecture.org/printersrow). But I had a great time on all of the neighborhood tours.
I hope this helps! Please let me know if I can help with anything else. We're thrilled that you'll be joining us for some tours while you're in Chicago!
Oh, and one more thing...be sure to get your tickets early. Especially for the River Cruise, bus tours and the Elevated Architecture tours. Those sell out fast.
Happy touring and safe travels!
Jennifer
Thanks for all the excellent advice! We really appreciate your expertise, and are looking forward to our trip!
Best,
Rosa
Hope you don't mind me asking a quick question: Does Downtown Art Deco go into the most buildings?
Before I do a river boat tour, I would like to do a walking tour that enters several beautiful buildings.
I think the Downtown Deco is a fantastic choice to get to go inside some really beautiful buildings. It's amazing what you'll see in buildings that you normally may walk by (or float by on the river cruise) and not think too much of. Excellent choice.
Thank you for the reply! I appreciate it.
One more question as a follow-up, please: How much overlap would this have with the Historic South tour? Okay, two question. The second: Does this go into more buildings, the same, or less than said tour?
(I have been on that tour and the Historic North. The South I found more enjoyable, by the way. I really liked it.)
-- George
Hi George,
Hmmm...you're really testing my memory here!! I would definitely say that the Downtown Deco tour is worth taking no matter what other tours you've taken. There are buildings on that tour that aren't on other tours that will knock your socks off.
From what I remember, there is limited overlap as far as buildings. You will visit the Chicago Board of Trade again. But remember, every docent has different things they like to point out on tours so you'll likely see something different, even if you've toured the building before. I think I visited the CBOT 3 or 4 times during the challenge and each time I learned something different.
I DEFINITELY recommend the Deco tour. Also, if you're looking for a tour that's a little bit different, you might want to cheek out the Elevated Architecture tour. That was another one of my favorite Loop tours that was a bit off the beaten path.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have more questions. I'm always happy to help!
Jennifer
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