The Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture announces its 2011 summer initiative, Urban Excursions: Explore Chicago, showcasing hundreds of treks, tours, itineraries, and other urban adventures downtown and throughout the neighborhoods, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. For more information about Urban Excursions: Explore Chicago, visit www.ExploreChicago.org/summer.
The centerpiece of the campaign will be the North American premiere of en route, a new theatrical event that unfolds as pedestrians walk through the streets of Chicago, written and performed by the Melbourne, Australia-based troupe One Step at a Time Like This and presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
“Whether tracking down sweets, from cupcakes to cannoli, on a neighborhood bakery expedition; biking historic tree-lined boulevards; or discovering the roots of Chicago blues with an audio tour narrated by blues legend Buddy Guy, most treks are free or affordable and offer something for all ages and interests,” said Dorothy Coyle, Executive Director, Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture. “First-time visitors looking for popular and must-see attractions, seasoned travelers seeking out new destinations, or locals searching for hidden neighborhood gems will all be able to experience the city in a new way, brimming with adventures just waiting to be discovered.”
Both visitors and residents can embark on hundreds of unique urban adventures ranging from discovering authentic tacquerias in Pilsen and devouring freshly-made tortillas in Little Village; to going behind-the-scenes at Wrigley Field with visits to the press box, clubhouses, and dugouts; to taking a trot through the Art Institute to sniff out all the canines depicted in the Museum’s collection.
Additionally, the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture provides an array of helpful resources for planning your own one-of-a-kind trek. Visit www.ExploreChicago.org/summer for links to interactive Google maps, engaging essays about Chicago’s 77 distinct community areas, and facts about Visitor Information Centers staffed by friendly representatives. Beginning May 30, treks and tours throughout the city will be posted daily on the Urban Excursions blog, including neighborhood treks, thematic treks, treks within museums, festival previews, and free events. Innovative Foursquare and SCNVGR treks -- free games for mobile phones -- will encourage visitors to explore Chicago’s neighborhoods while learning about the city’s unique cultural traditions. In addition, Twitter concierges at www.twitter.com/explorechicago can provide restaurant recommendations and assist visitors in planning a customized itinerary.
En Route, North American Premiere
Tickets $35, on sale July 1, 2011
Presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater, One Step at a Time Like This and Richard Jordan Productions, Ltd.
Written by Julian Rickert and One Step at a Time Like This
Artists: Suzanne Kersten, Clair Korobacz, Paul Moir, Julian Rickert
July 11 – August 14
See the city with fresh eyes. Follow members of the Australian performance company One Step at a Time Like This on a unique theatrical journey that will take you through the main streets and alleys of Chicago. The journey begins with a text message which gives you instructions on where to meet your guide and borrow a specially programmed Motorola ATRIX™ 4G smartphone, which serves as the navigational tool of your excursion. You make your way through the city following instructions from the artists telling you where to walk and which track to listen to. Matching an aural soundscape to a visual landscape, en route will open audiences up to new ways of understanding the city, themselves, and others. Audience members will witness the spontaneous choreography of passers-by, listen to theatrical dialogues and musings, and project their own narratives and meanings onto what they see: a world in the process of making itself. Presented in association with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, en route’s official hotel is the Kimpton Hotels including Burnham Hotel, Hotel Allegro, Hotel Monaco and Hotel Palomar. Motorola ATRIX ™ 4G smartphones are contributed by Motorola Mobility. Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s International programming is supported, in part, by the Julius Frankel Foundation. En route is supported in part by Australian Arts Council.
Additional Treks, Tours, Programs and Events
Find a wide range of free and affordable treks, tours, events, and programs happening all summer long at www.ExploreChicago.org/summer.
Chicago Greeter and Instagreeter Neighborhood Outposts - Free
May 28 - October 8
Let a friendly, knowledgeable Greeter be your guide on a customized walking tour for groups of up to six people. Register today and choose a neighborhood or interest to explore, such as architecture, history, or ethnic Chicago. For greater flexibility with no advance registration, try an Instagreeter tour of the Loop (Fridays-Sundays), Millennium Park (daily), or at one of three neighborhood outposts – at the Hyde Park Hyde Park Art Center (5020 S. Cornell Ave.), Second City (1616 N. Wells St.) in Old Town, and the Pilsen outpost, new in 2011, at the National Museum of Mexican Art (1852 W. 19th Street). Check www.ExploreChicago.org/summer for the Instagreeter neighborhood outpost schedule on Saturdays.
Get Up & Go! - Free
12:15pm on Tuesdays, June 7 – September 20
Get an insider scoop on a new Chicago neighborhood each week with this conversation series at the Chicago Cultural Center Visitor Information Center (77 E. Randolph St.) hosted by Mark Bazer, creator and host of The Hideout’s acclaimed Interview Show. These weekly, informal lunchtime programs will showcase all there is to see, do, and eat in Chicago’s vibrant communities. Then depart on a guided walking tour of that week’s featured neighborhood.
Guided Photo Walks - Free
10am – 2pm on Sundays, June 12, July 10, August 14, September 18
Join Explore Chicago on two-hour, guided walks to photograph Pilsen, Wrigleyville, Bronzeville, and Lincoln Park led by Chicago Greeter volunteers. After the walk, attend a workshop at the Lincoln Park Apple Store (801 W. North Ave.) to discuss your photos with fellow photographers and learn how to organize, enhance, and share them. All types of cameras and experience levels are welcome.
Family Adventures
9:30am – 2:30pm on Fridays, July 1 – August 27
9:30am – 2:30pm on Saturdays, July 9 and 23; August 6, 20, 27
Explore Chicago with affordable, fully-guided adventures created specifically for families. These exciting one-day expeditions feature plenty of hands-on activities to keep kids engaged while learning about unique Chicago neighborhoods and parks. Choose from eight different adventures ranging from a behind-the-scenes tour of U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, to fishing in Lincoln Park, to riding a water taxi on the Chicago River. Recommended for children ages 6 and up. $12; includes lunch, admission, round-trip transportation and all other fees.
Chicago Neighborhood Tours
Discover Chicago’s diverse communities with exciting half-day bus tours, guided by neighborhood experts. This summer’s tours feature some perennial favorites, such as Chicago’s Magnificent Churches and Taste of the Neighborhoods, alongside exciting and updated excursions to neighborhoods such as historic Pullman, Uptown, and picturesque Columbus Park. $30-$50.
SCVNGR and Foursquare Treks - Free
SCVNGR and Foursquare, two free games for mobile phones, encourage visitors to explore Chicago’s neighborhoods while learning about the city’s unique cultural traditions. New in summer 2011, the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture is launching three new neighborhood SCVNGR treks in Wicker Park, Chinatown, and Lincoln Square to four existing thematic treks: the Explore Millennium Park Trek, the rock and hip-hop themed Explore Chicago Music Trek, the Explore Chicago Taco Trek which visits authentic tacquerias and affordable outposts of Chicago’s top chefs, and the Bike the Boulevards Trek, developed in partnership with WTTW, Chicago’s Public Television Station.
These offerings complement COTC’s award-winning Foursquare badges, which invite game players to recreate their own Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or engage in four other shot-in-Chicago film experiences to earn their On Location Badge; a Celery Salt Badge which sends visitors on a quest for the perfect Chicago-style hot dog; and the Chicago Blues Badge, which complements COTC’s Chicago Blues audio tour narrated by Buddy Guy.
www.explorechicago.org
In addition to Urban Excursions, www.ExploreChicago.org provides comprehensive event listings; multi-media content, including audio tours, videos and podcasts; a virtual visitor center with downloadable brochures, maps and resources for international travelers; and stunning photographs showcasing the city’s best assets. It also features Insider Profiles of Chicagoans who share their favorite things to see and do in the city.
Visitor Information Centers
Visitors and Chicagoans planning to entertain out-of-town guests can receive trip-planning assistance and information by visiting www.ExploreChicago.org. Brochures and information on Chicago’s exciting events and activities and multi-lingual maps are available at Visitor Information Centers where friendly Visitor Representatives can answer questions and assist in planning an unforgettable itinerary. The Visitor Centers are located in two of the city’s most popular areas: across from Millennium Park in the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph Street; and at the historic Water Works pumping station, 163 E. Pearson Street at Michigan Avenue.
Twitter concierges are also available seven days a week at twitter.com/explorechicago to answer questions, make restaurant recommendations, and help visitors develop customized itineraries.
For daily alerts about fun and free things to do in Chicago, follow Explore Chicago on Twitter at www.twitter.com/explorechicago and “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/explorechicago, where you can also weigh in on your Chicago favorites.
The Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture is dedicated to promoting Chicago as a premier cultural destination to domestic and international leisure travelers, providing innovative visitor programs and services, and presenting free world-class public programs. For more information please visit www.ExploreChicago.org.
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