{"id":319,"date":"2008-07-21T15:07:49","date_gmt":"2008-07-21T20:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/chicago-architecture-tours-offer-lowdown-on-city-skyline\/"},"modified":"2017-03-17T15:48:42","modified_gmt":"2017-03-17T20:48:42","slug":"chicago-architecture-tours-offer-lowdown-on-city-skyline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/chicago-architecture-tours-offer-lowdown-on-city-skyline\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago architecture tours offer lowdown on city skyline"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Marinablog\"<\/a>
\nBy Polly Fitz<\/em><\/p>\n

I have always loved the Chicago<\/strong><\/a> skyline. I love the shapes and colors and textures of the buildings and the way that, from a distance, they seem to blend into a continuous landscape of glass and steel. The skyline is how Chicago introduces itself — the tall buildings announcing in no uncertain terms that you’ve arrived in the city.<\/p>\n

I recently took an architecture tour with the Chicago Architecture Foundation<\/a><\/strong> and fell in love with the city all over again. My tour was “Modern Skyscrapers<\/strong>,” a walking tour of the Loop that covers buildings dating from after World War II. The 2-hour tour highlights buildings by Mies van der Rohe<\/strong>, Helmut Jahn<\/strong> and others, and includes fascinating information about design, architecture and Chicago history.<\/p>\n

This particular tour was part of the Happy Hour series, tours that start at 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (May-September) and end with a free drink at a nearby restaurant. The Chicago Architecture Foundation<\/strong><\/a> offers more than 60 tours — tours
\non foot, by bus, bike and boat of neighborhoods, architectural genres,
\nspecific buildings and streets and more. Offerings include tours of the Macy’s<\/strong> building on State Street, a bus tour based on the book “The Devil in the White City,”<\/strong> tours of Frank Lloyd Wright<\/strong> buildings and a tour of Millennium Park<\/strong><\/a>. There’s also a tour of Hotel Burnham<\/strong><\/a>, one of the many Chicago hotels<\/strong><\/a> in the Loop. Walking tours generally run $5 to $20, and the price for bus tours is higher.<\/p>\n

The foundation’s Architecture River Cruise<\/strong><\/a> is a longtime favorite activity for anyone enjoying a Chicago vacation<\/strong><\/a>. The 90-minute\u00a0 narrated ride along the Chicago River offers a great view of some of Chicago’s most famous buildings, including the Marina City<\/strong>,the “corncob towers” made famous in the movie “Hunter,” where a car chase scene ends with a car falling off the tower’s parking garage into the Chicago River. The River Cruise tour is $28 Monday through Friday and $30 on weekends and holidays. Cruises often sell out, so the Architecture Foundation recommends buying tickets in advance online<\/a> or by phone.<\/p>\n

The Chicago Architecture Foundation<\/a><\/strong> is at 224 S. Michigan Ave., across from the Art Institute of Chicago<\/strong> and just blocks from Millennium Park<\/strong><\/a> — making it easy to fit in with the rest of your Chicago vacation<\/strong><\/a> activities.<\/p>\n

Related Orbitz resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n