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Cruising the Chicago River

The city's best view can be found from the water.

Tuesday Jun 03, 2008.     By Stacy Warden

Travel + Tourism Feed

In the short time that I've lived in Chicago, I've learned a lot about the city. I've spent days scouring neighborhood restaurants, museums and theaters. I've hopped on public transit with no real destination and I've gotten lost more times than I care to admit. I've lived in Logan Square, Wrigleyville, Rogers Park and Uptown and I've wandered the streets of Wicker Park, Lincoln Square and Ravenswood enough to moonlight as a tour guide. But drop me downtown, and I'm about as knowledgeable as a first-time visitor.

I've read about the architectural history of the jaw-dropping buildings in the heart of the city, and I've even dined in a few of the iconic structures, but all that neighborhood-hopping has kept me from seeing them close-up. I recently decided it was time to introduce myself to the core of Chicago, so I booked an architectural boat cruise through Chicago Line Cruises.

I picked the first available tour at 10 a.m. and found this is not one of those places where showing up late is considered fashionable; there was already a waiting room packed with out-of-towners when I arrived. But at $34 per ticket, you'd better believe I finagled my way to the front of the line to get the best seat. The Alabamian ladies behind me weren't too thrilled, but hey, fending for yourself is all part of the big-city experience; I was only adding to the authenticity of their vacation.

After securing a front-row spot, I bolted downstairs for complimentary Starbucks coffee and cookies. I was disappointed to see that they didn't have a local brew like Metropolis or Intelligentsia, but also relieved that it wasn't Folgers. A few minutes later an elderly woman with inky black hair and bright red lipstick stepped on board. Her name was Joan Lindsay and she was going to be our tour guide.

Lindsay has the title of architecture historian and she's clearly earned it. The woman is a living history book (in fact, she wrote one, called Chicago from the Lake), but she knows how to make things interesting, doling out facts and anecdotes throughout the 90-minute cruise without ever evoking the dull air of a professor. Her heads-up on great photo-ops were appreciated, but rendered useless unless you've nabbed a front row spot (or you're really good at cropping strangers out in Photoshop).

One of the first sights Lindsay pointed out was the Navy Pier Ferris wheel, constructed in 1893 for the World's Fair. Next came the Tribune building, obviously one of Lindsay's favorites since she managed to point it out eight times during the cruise. But she wasn't the only one in awe of this building; the Alabamian ladies behind me were simply stunned. One of them let out a deep sigh and said, "Gosh, it kinda looks like sumthin' Batman woulda stood up on 'n' waved his lil' cape! Can you imagine?!" Well, sort of. While parts of "Batman Begins" were indeed filmed in Chicago, I don't think Christian Bale ever stood on top of the Tribune building to wave his lil' cape.

Lindsay schooled us in William Van Ellen, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Daniel Burnham, followed by a crash course on architectural styles like Art Deco and Classic Revival. She gave us a run-down on Marina City, River City, the NBC Tower and the old Quaker Oats warehouse, too. I was fascinated by the Wrigley building, which I had no idea was intended to look like "white frosting dripping down a cake." And I loved the story about the speakeasy on the rooftop of the Jewelers building.

Although a bit pricey, the tour was well worth it. The view from the water definitely trumped anything I could see on foot, and the insights gained far surpassed whatever I might read in a book. Plus, hearing tourists gushing over Chicago's wondrous architecture and making plans to visit again gave me a new sense of pride for my adopted city—a city I now know a little bit more about.

Guidebook Rating: You don't need to wait until friends and family visit to jump on the tourist train for this one. The cruise is just as informative and entertaining for locals as it is for tourists. Even architectural know-it-alls will appreciate the view.

Stats: Tickets are $34 for adults, $30 for seniors, $20 for ages 7-18 and free for children under 7. Tickets can be bought on site, but the staff recommends ordering them ahead of time during the warmer months.