Chicago And the Architectural River Tour
- brucepressler
- May 31, 2024
- 2 min read
Chicago has always been in the background of my life. There was a part of my Grandfather’s family that lived in Chicago. They were known as the Chicago Cousins and I never met any of them and they were never talked about.
I remember one story that my Grandmother told me about being in a mall somewhere in the Midwest and up ahead saw “the cousins”. As the story goes, the Chicago cousins turned around and walked away.
I had known people from Chicago, good friends of my parents and a former Director of Education of mine. Mark’s late Brother and Sister-in-Law met and lived in Chicago. It’s a city that everyone from or lived there say it’s one of the greatest cities in the country.
When I think of Chicago it’s of deep dish pizza, the wind, Siskel&Ebert, Al Capone, and Lake Michigan. There is a lot of history in the largest city in the Midwest. I’m not a historian but I can think of Chicago as the jumping off point for the westward expansion.
As this was the approximate halfway mark of the trip, we decided to treat ourselves and stay at the Intercontinental Hotel downtown. From the 14th floor, we had a great view of the Downtown and Chicago River.
Something I did not know was that Chicagoians who work downtown use water taxis on the Chicago River to commute to work. The river winds from Lake Michigan through the city.
Part one of my Chicago blog concentrates on the Chicago River Architecture Tour.
I had never heard about the River Architectural Tour until Mark (an Architect) told me about it. This is one of the best ways to see Chicago. I had. Conception that the River tour would be very touristy and full of schtick. I was wrong, it is very informative and just being on the water is so calming, what a great way to view the Architectural History of Chicago.
We were loaded onto a river cruise boat and started the tour. Raised with me on the Chicago River…
We started on the. North bank of the Chicago River.
I love these buildings. I had seen pictures in magazines and always admired the way it said 1960’s to me. I can see Nancy Sinatra in her boots living here.
The complex has been turned into condominiums, restaurants, and shops. The repurposing of the buildings were done in accordance with historical standards.
I love the modern design of this building. The diagonal beams are meant for design and structural purposes.
Just a beautiful building. The distinctive curvature. The cloudy Chicago sky makes a good backdrop.
Chicago is a beautiful city.