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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.