WOW- A whole year has come and gone

It was the year 2011 that came and went in a flash.  Did not do one post.

Now here we are in 2012.  Look for the recap of the highlights of 2011.

I know it’s a bit late, but half the battle is showing up.  Things will get

interesting. 

Thanks for sticking around.

Millennium Moment in the Park

It was one of those city highlight tours that makes you memorable to your group as the cool tour guide. The chorus students from Riley High in West Virginia had no idea that the ride on the “L” was not going to be the highlight of their trip. They were totally fascinated with the tall buildings and all the traffic. Also seeing so many people in the big city experience was something most of them only saw on TV.  

The visit to Millennium Park gave them a new level of excitement when they were able to see first hand a movie being shot by the Cloud Gate (The Bean) sculpture. To top it off there was a movie star there, Jake Gylenhall which pushed the excitement level even higher. It was ok that I briefly lost the group who were caught up in the excitement using every camera they had available between them to get that Facebook shot. We managed to see more than the movie set and toured more of the park. But without a doubt, seeing a movie set, seeing the star on the movie set and experiencing the sights and sounds that go along with that was some thing most of them would never get the chance to experience in West Virginia. 

Back on the coach, all were on their phones telling the friends and family back home they just saw a movie being made (Source Code) in Millennium Park in Chicago and they couldn’t wait to show them the pictures. 

I was glad as a tour guide that there was another level of excitement in the park, something I could enjoy with them as well. It was the highlight of the day and for some possibly the highlight of their trip. A millennium moment in the park.

Sightseeing Tours in Chicago with OurExplorer

I have become a guide through OurExplorer.  It’s an international site for finding tour guides.

Pick me when you come to Chicago via Chicago Tour Guide, - OurExplorer.

Thanks John Hughes

We have lost a film maker that really made Chicago look good.  It was the 80′s and John Hughes made many films that spoke to teens of the times on their level.  He worked the North shore and the city as the unacknowledged characters of his films.

My favorites, Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and without a doubt, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  People from all over relate to that parade scene when I point out Dearborn street where the scene was shot during a Labor Day holiday when everything downtown was closed.  Those were the days when Hollywood had come back to Chicago, as more film were being shot here and I had the opportunity to work in a few.

Thanks John Hughes, you made our town look good.  We will always have your films.

Unexpected Rascals

On an unusually cool July evening, I have my windows open and appreciate the cool breeze.  It didn’t dawn on me that I was hearing the Rascal Flatts concert going on at Wrigley Field. The atmosphere and the street noise had gelled to the point that the Flatts’ tunes were wafting through my window.  Though faint, I knew it was them.  I wasn’t as fortunate as a few nights earlier Elton John and Billy Joel performed and I didn’t hear one note.  Is it that those country boys have their amps cranked up a bit or that the piano men were light on the keys.  At any rate, I’m enjoying the unexpected Rascals coming in my window.

Ebony & Jet Remembers Michael

Monday after the news, the headquarter offices of Johnson Publishing in Chicago have the Ebony and Jet covers of the latest Michael Jackson features. What gave me pause, are the flowers, candles and other mementos left outside the building in front of the larger than life covers of Ebony and Jet with Michael.  This is the only memorial I’ve seen in Chicago for Michael.  I was glad to see it.

I learned there were 40 magazine covers featuring Michael and the Jackson 5.  The last one done of  Michael was done in 2007. There will be a commemorative book released in mid July of the positive stories chronicling Michael and the Jacksons.  No matter what the climate may have been, Ebony and Jet only presented positive features.  They have been selling the back issue covers of Michael.

Yes, I will miss Michael Jackson

Music has its icons.  One is now gone. You may have your favorite song or dance move.  My favorite song,  Billie Jean will now sound a bit different.  And they just played Rock with You and I got a chill. We will always have the music and the videos.  He inspired so many.  I was able to see him once at the historic Regal Theatre in Chicago with his brothers and again at the International Amphitheatre, again with his brothers.  I always knew I would see him one more time. I am sad, real sad I will never have that opportunity.  Long live the King of Pop.

Triple Crown In Chinatown

The opening of a new restaurant in Chinatown is always a welcome thing. The Triple Crown now open in their second location in the heart of Chinatown at 2217 S. Wentworth brings traditional Cantonese cuisine in a open and bright atmosphere. The large bay windows from the second level overlook the bustle of Wentworth Avenue.

The addition of fish tanks with live lobster, crab, sea bass and toliver fish lets you know the seafood is fresh. A large screen TV shows Chinese entertainment. The spacious room has the family style set up with round tables seating four to 10.

We always enjoy the addition of a new restaurant in Chinatown. The menu includes Dim Sum with great variety including the braised chicken feet delicacy and numerous hearty lunch specials. Our buffet lunch included pot stickers, chicken wings, shrimp dumplings, noodles, fried rice with bottomless cups of tea and steamed curried chicken and bar-b-qued pork buns being passed. The menu includes several sizzling platters and casseroles as well as Szechwan style dishes. There are several options for seafood including octopus and frog.

No event in Chinatown would be complete without the dragon dancers and drums. The unofficial mayor of Chinatown, Gene Lee of the Mayor’s office presided over the opening ceremonies introducing the Eng family (mother Ling and sons Morgan and Spencer) who are the owners of the Triple Crown. Others extending well wishes were Miss Chinatown, Natalie Hoy, Jerry Wong, Director of the Chinese Benevolent Association and representatives of the Taiwanese and Chinatown Chambers of Commerce.

One more reason to take a trip to Chinatown, to visit the Triple Crown Restaurant. They are open daily 9am to 10pm with lunch specials from 11am to 3pm and they end Dim Sum also at 3pm. They make it easy for you to show up by having three hour parking at Chinatown Parking for $2. It’s always fun in Chinatown, come by and check it out.

Get a preview at www.triplecrownchicago.com

 

 

Pirates and Aztecs at the Field

It was a perfect day  to spend at the Field Museum checking out Pirates and Aztecs.  I got to spend some time with my tour guide colleagues while we learned more about the two current exhibits happening at the Field Museum. There were about 38 of us who made the trip down to get the real scoop on the pirates and Aztecs.

The Real Pirate exhibition focused on the ship the Whydah which was discovered off the shores of Cape Cod.   There was a pirate’s booty found on the sunken ship. The Whydah began as a slave ship in 1716 not part of the Royal African Company that was part of the empire but launched by independent backers.

It told the stories of those who turned to the pirate lifestyle and what the life of a pirate was like. Not as glamorous as one is led to believe. But there is no pirate’s treasure map or even walking the plank. If you got out of line, they just threw you over board.

When the Whydah sank off the shores of Cape Cod in 1717, Sam Bellamy, the captain who captured it and turned it into a pirate ship, had 150 on board. The Whydah was shattered along the coastline and had two survivors who were later captured and hanged. It wasn’t until 1730 when LaBusse, the last of the pirates was captured and the age of pirating was over.

As Barry Clifford, the diver discoverer of the Whydah, said “It’s not what you find, but what you find out”. All the reason to take the Field trip to see the Real Pirates.

The Aztec exhibit was very in depth on the way of life of the early Mesoamericans. Beginning in 1470 and continuing through to the fall of the Aztec empire in 1521, the exhibit showed the artisans and merchants, traders and farmers, rulers and religious deities that made up the culture that was absorbed by the invasion of the Spanish. The Spanish arrived in 1519 naturally met with resistance and finally blended the two cultures introducing Christianity to the area which over time gave birth to modern Mexico.
Again, take time and spend a day at the Field Museum to find out more about the lost cultures. It was a great day trip the whole family can enjoy. We had Aimee Willets and Megan Gray to thank for a great day of discovery.

Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism 2009

The Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism that happened the first week of March at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago was a great pep rally to make sure all the convention and visitor’s bureaus in the state continue to make Illinois an attractive travel destination in spite of what ever economic dysfunction may be happening.

Though travel over all has dropped and meeting and events are taking a hit, everyone in Illinois should continue to do what they have been doing to keep Illinois an attractive destination. Illinois is being presented internationally as a great place to visit. To foreign travelers the dollar is great here. Illinois is a bargain on all levels as it offers the experience memories are made of for everyone.

It is a great plus that we’re able to offer Lincoln’s 200^th birthday celebration, the new president is a resident and Chicago as a 2016 Olympic candidate city as fascinations that will draw visitors regardless of financial fluctuation. Everyone needed to be reassured and to continue to keep Illinois looking good and to play up new angles for discovery.

Across the board it is always a conference geared in a specific direction. This year, a new demographic came into focus and knowing how to market to their experience is something they wanted everyone to be more aware. The Boomer, no matter what stage, has to be taken into consideration for their lifestyle, their amount of freedom and their financial ability to do as they please in relation to travel. In addition, realizing the ethnic experience regardless of what culture is something that should be paid closer attention within the Boomer culture.

Also making all realize that social networking and their web sites are a huge part in the travel decision. More travelers are spending time on the web for everything from travel research to reservations. To be savvy in these areas are huge part of staying current for capturing the new demographic traveler.

It was also announced there is a new Director at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Warren Riblely. He is a strong proponent of tourism and is vowing to keep Illinois on top in U S travel.

Each year it is good to see how each area is doing, what new ideas have come to light and to see tourism colleagues from throughout the state. I look forward to next year for new ideas and discoveries. Illinois will always have what it takes to keep the travelers arriving with time and money to spend throughout the state. We are always happy to get the pep talk to keep things on track.