www.architecture.org<\/a>) and glide past skyscrapers towering on the footholds of determination and ingenuity.<\/p>\n(Full disclosure: I have been on the foundation\u2019s River Cruise more than 15 times. It\u2019s become one of our annual summer things to do in the city.)<\/p>\n
The 90-minute cruise showcases Chicago\u2019s architecture and rich history while it glides along all three branches of the Chicago River, providing a 360-degree view of the city\u2019s skyline.<\/p>\n
Each time I disembark, I swear I\u2019ve learned something new about architecture \u2014 how patios can preserve sightlines, why the Merchandise Mart has its own ZIP code, how engineers keep the wind from knocking it all down \u2014 as well as about this robust, beautiful city with a gritty, storied past and a beckoning future.<\/p>\n
On a recent Saturday afternoon, our guide opened his tour with a nod to Carl Sandburg, the Galesburg-born, Pulitzer Prize-winning Illinois poet laureate.<\/p>\n
He ended the fact- and folklore-laden presentation with a harmonica solo.<\/p>\n
In between, he pointed out the stars of the show, examples of Gothic Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Contemporary and Art Deco architecture. He explained the characteristics of each and their place along Chicago\u2019s skyline.<\/p>\n
With cameos from geography, geology, engineering and folklore, the city\u2019s story comes to life.<\/p>\n
Did you know that on the very site where Mrs. O\u2019Leary\u2019s cow was \u201cfalsely accused\u201d of kicking over a lantern and starting the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, there now stands a fire training academy, our guide asks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn literature, we call that irony,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In Chicago-ese, we call it resilience.<\/p>\n
From Bertrand Goldberg\u2019s cylindrical Marina Towers to Jeanne Gang\u2019s wavy Aqua Tower to the commanding Willis skyscraper, which forever will be referred to by locals as the \u201cSears Tower,\u201d the breadth of design runs parallel to the city\u2019s own far-reaching story of form, function and vision.<\/p>\n
The cruise, which launches at Michigan Avenue and East Wacker Drive, was the brainchild of Bob Irving, a Chicago Architecture Foundation docent from the class of 1971, said Caroline Duda, senior director of volunteer services for the CAF.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuch like all of the tours we offer, Bob saw a need to showcase the architecture along the river,\u201d Duda said.<\/p>\n
In 1983, the late Irving had \u201cthe wherewithal to see the river\u2019s value as an educational tool. He created a route on a sailboat, starting at Navy Pier,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Irving had arranged for the bridge lifts to go up as the boat passed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut,\u201d Duda added, \u201che forgot to arrange to have them go up when he came back.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1993, the CAF partnered with Chicago\u2019s First Lady Cruises and the route was changed slightly, but the purpose remained the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is to showcase Chicago\u2019s architecture,\u201d Duda said. \u201cYou get see so much along the river from our boats. It builds a sense of community when you share part of us, when we share our stories with guests.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tour welcomes some 300,000 guests annually, said Duda, who estimates that, over the years, millions have come along for the ride.<\/p>\n
While most of the passengers hail from outside Cook County, a decent percentage are like me, locals proud to call this toddlin\u2019 town home.<\/p>\n
The tours are run by docents who, Duda said, \u201chave a passion for sharing\u201d the architecture and story of Chicago.<\/p>\n
The 150 volunteers come from all walks of life \u2014 a former FBI agent, a mapmaker, a food scientist \u2013 but share a love for the city, a love for lifelong learning and an ease being in front of an audience, she said.<\/p>\n
All go through a rigorous 100-hour training regimen.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasically. It\u2019s a graduate level architecture course,\u201d Duda said. \u201cAll get six weeks of studying the fundamentals of architecture. Then an additional five weeks devoted to learning the river.\u201d<\/p>\n
On four or five practice cruises, they learn how to build their spiel. There\u2019s also a library of videos that introduce them to the work of other docents and allow them to practice at home, she said.<\/p>\n
Timing is key, she added. So is remembering that, when facing a crowd, your left is the audience\u2019s right.<\/p>\n
Though there are mandatory talking points along the route, each docent is free to personalize his or her approach.<\/p>\n
They are free to \u201cgeek out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The docents are not paid, and there\u2019s a no-tip policy. So, you may wonder, what\u2019s in it for them?<\/p>\n
They do it for glory, Duda said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPassion drives them. They want you to love Chicago and its architecture as much as they do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Oh, she said, \u201cand you get 250 people to listen to you, a captive audience, for 90 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause, how often does that happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Donna Vickroy is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist who worked for the Daily Southtown for 38 years. She can be reached at donnavickroy4@gmail.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cCome and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":38156,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,14720,30822,14721,30823,5386,1818,17072,30821],"class_list":{"0":"post-38155","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-chicago","9":"tag-daily-southtown","10":"tag-daily-southtown-opinion","11":"tag-elgin-courier-news","12":"tag-elgin-courier-news-opinion","13":"tag-il","14":"tag-illinois","15":"tag-naperville-sun","16":"tag-naperville-sun-opinion"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114795196205479634","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38155\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}