Book Tours for Your Chicago Conference Group
No one wants their Chicago conference experience to consist entirely of the whirlwind of massive expo halls and rushed meetings. Experiences and activities provide a break from the pure business. They also create crucial opportunities for networking and relationship-building with colleagues and both existing and prospective clients. And no one wants a hokey group outing. Our […]
What Goes Into Starting a Tour Company?
Starting a tour company is a daunting challenge! Here Amanda, our Executive Director, shares her experience as an entrepreneur with her tour company in Chicago, which was founded in 2018. In 2020, the tour company became a virtual events company. Here are her thoughts on going into small business in the travel and events industry. […]
Best Stops for Student Performance Groups in Chicago
We often play host to big student performance groups in Chicago for their annual trip. It’s always a kick to guide these student groups. Hanging out with them often feels like time travel, since I’m a former high school drama kid and marching band groupie myself. I’ve also grown to appreciate just how hard it […]
What Working for Rick Steves is Really Like
“What’s working for Rick Steves like?” I’ve heard that question many times since I worked as one of his tour guides in Europe. Rick Steves and his partner, Trish, joined me on the Loop Interior Architecture Walking Tour back in 2016. So I thought I’d answer a few of those common questions for our tour […]
Cool St. Louis Architecture and History
We know in Chicago that we’ve got the Midwest’s biggest city, with famous architecture, world-class museums, and a trendy food scene. So how could any other Midwest city compare, right? If you’ve been following our blog you respect our perspectives on architecture, history and travel, so please trust us when we say – GO TO […]
Windy City in Theaters: The Chicago Film Industry
Transformers 3 and The Dark Knight were both recently filmed in Chicago. Indeed, the former’s epic car chase on Lower Wacker Drive is already iconic. Granted these are huge, expensive productions that closed some of the city’s busiest streets, but I always wonder – why aren’t there more movies filmed in Chicago? How big is the Chicago […]
Old-Fashioned Travel Advice With New Smartphone Apps
I’ve seen people all around Chicago and Europe using smartphones and iPads in ridiculous ways that actually make travel less efficient and disconnects them from their environment. It’s totally crazy to gaze at major works of art and architecture primarily through your smartphone viewfinder, for example, when a masterpiece is right in front of your […]
Brainstorm: Promoting Chicago as a Travel Destination – Part 2
In Part 1 to this two-part post, I dug into how we should be promoting Chicago to visitors via the O’Hare Airport. By making the airport cool to the many people who stop-over without ever knowing what a world-class city Chicago is, we could make quite an impression to potential visitors in order to bring […]
Biking In Chicago: A Long History of a Strong Community
I’ve been a proud to be biking in Chicago for almost two years now. Biking, to me, conjures feelings of childhood bliss. Memories of summers riding my purple Huffy, bedecked with psychedelic flowers. I’d ride it in a continuous loop in my parents’ driveway and, if I was daring, a neighbor’s sidewalk. Unfortunately, suburban sprawl […]
Chicago Tourism Industry Improvements at O’Hare
At the Choose Chicago Annual Meeting in April, Chairman of the Board Bruce Rauner encouraged feedback on our ideas for promoting Chicago tourism. We all want the city to be a top destination for business and leisure travelers. Here is one person’s two cents on how to make it happen. Promote Chicago Tourism Through Marketing […]