If you want to learn more about Tour Through A Lens, click here. Or you can email Teresa at info@tourthroughalens.com. If you want to see the photos in all their glory, click here for Teresa’s Flickr. And now, I am pleased to present Teresa at Tour Through a Lens:

Witness To A Moment

Imagine yourself standing in front of the guard. You know the one. Red and black. Tall furry hat. Chin strap. No expression. You’re mesmerized by him. Now, imagine it’s time for the infamous “Changing the Guard”, not every day, but every 100 years. And at that moment, you are there to witness it.Or what about the number of people who hope to live to see the Corpse Flower bloom but once in its lifetime, and you happen to be in California on just that day. Or any number of ‘once in a…’ celestial occurrences you hope to see at least one.

How many times in any one person’s life do they have the opportunity to see a change in history? Are they even aware that what they’re seeing is history?

 Now imagine yourself standing at the foot of the Wells Street bridge in Chicago watching a number of construction workers moving about. You heard something on the news about bridge work being done. You stand and watch. Your imagination has taken you to where I stood on Saturday, March 2, 2013.

Preparation

 What’s different about the events above and this day is that I had no idea that I was about to witness a historic event. This one day, I had the opportunity to watch the preparation and removal of a dual-purpose bridge – formally, a Chicago-style bascule bridge – that had carried both cars and elevated trains into and out of the Chicago loop for nearly 100 years. Me.

 In all honesty, it was a freezing cold day and I had not intended on doing more than take a few photos at the conclusion of a morning photowalk I had participated in. It wasn’t until I began to watch the various layers of work being done on the bridge and see the potential for photos that I and another photo friend decided to hang out for a while. Asking a worker passing by, we were told the removal would be in a few hours. The cool part: He acknowledged that the workers were aware of the history they were making that week.

The new bridge waiting to be put into place.

We decided to stay. I thought, not many other people are out here, aside from those walking around the downtown on other business who stopped to snap a quick photo on their phone, or a random photographer with a tripod to capture a few key shots, or some media outlets to capture “scene” for their nightly news cast. This event needed to be documented. And I was one of the few lucky enough to be there. Before I knew it, a few hours in the below-freezing temperatures turned into a 12-hour day, into night, of documenting history.

 To this point, I still hadn’t grasped the magnitude of what was happening. It was a bridge. Being replaced. Thousands of people have passed over this bridge every day, most not even thinking about the bridge, myself included. What’s the big deal? Then, I found myself standing next to a structural engineer who showed up to snap a couple of photos for his own purpose. He told me the method being used to remove the bridge via barge up the Chicago River was a historic first-time and no one was certain it would work.

Raising the barge to catch the bridge

It was then that I began to think about how the hard work of Chicago’s early steelworkers put this bridge into place without today’s technology.

Today’s workers on yesterday’s work.

On this day, their bridge, that transported us for 91 years, was being slowly and skillfully taken apart and removed to usher in the next era of commuters and tourists. I was there…to see a moment in time between the past near 100 years and the next. Me. How awesome to think about it.

Did you miss this moment in time? The remainder of the bridge will be replaced over a second nine-day period, beginning April 26, 2013. While you may not be able to stay for the entire event, take a moment to stop, see the men at work and think about those men 91 years ago. And if you see me out there, say “Hello!”.

The post Guest Post – Wells St. Bridge Reconstruction as seen by Tour Through A Lens appeared first on Chicago Elevated.

The Tour is $20.00 and lasts 90 minutes. It runs every Friday and Sunday at 1:00PM.

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“If there’s a flaw, it’s human. It always is.” – Colin Farrel – Minority Report

What do Fort Dearborn, an ill-fated cattle bridge and Dave Matthews have in common? They’re all included on the Disaster! Tour. This award winning tour (named Best New Tour by Chicago Magazine!)  takes you through a series of unfortunate incidents, from the largest theater fire in history to the um…mistake…made by the Dave Matthews Band. We’ll wander through haunted Couch Place (pronounced “cooch” I swear), the pedway and under the el in the Loop.  No part of the urban fabric is free from mayhem. Come discover how human folly and regrettable timing led to Chicago’s greatest disasters and alternately, it’s greatest victories.

START: The corner of Wacker & Wabash by the statue of George Washington and friends.

This tour is a good amount of walking in and around the Loop, about a mile and a half. It’s a fairly quick-moving tour with ups and downs, escalators and a few stairs and such.

PURCHASE TICKETS FOR THE DISASTER! TOUR HERE

We took the “Disaster” tour on labor day weekend with our 2 teenagers. Margaret was energetic and engaging and had just the kinds of stories that held the kids’ interest. It was a great way to learn about some of the architecture and history that has formed Chicago’s personality. Margaret is a great guide, and if we’re in Chicago again, we’d definitely go on another of her tours. Highly recommended! – JJ from St. Paul

The post The Disaster! Tour Details appeared first on Chicago Elevated.

Last week the Disaster! Tour made it into the Chicago Tribune. Take a look if you like to learn a little more about the tour!

Click here to read the Trib article.

The post The Disaster! Tour in the Chicago Tribune! appeared first on Chicago Elevated.

Fridays at 10:00AM/Saturdays at 1:00PM.

35$ (cash for a CTA card and a treat at the end is included. Yay! That is great.)

The idea of the Chicago Rules tour is simple. I’m going to give you a primer on Chicago so you have all the info you need to enjoy your vacation or your new hometown. But I’m not going to stand around and point at buildings and throw out random information about things that happened 100 years ago (I mean, I might a little).

First we’ll learn why the city looks the way it does. We’ll start by learning some history for a little context. Chicago has a crazy history, just you wait. We’ll stand in one of our finest plazas and gaze at our greatest art form, the skyscraper. We’ll talk about the fire and it’s impact on the city that we still feel today and how Mrs. O’Leary really got a raw deal.

Next we’ll learn how to get around. I’ll teach you how to orient yourself on Chicago’s grid system. We’ll learn the Pedway – Chicago’s five-mile underground walkway that runs underneath downtown. It’s possible it could save your life one day, it’s definitely saved mine!

Then we’ll check out CTA maps and the different train lines. We’ll buy a pass together and hop on the elevated line for a gorgeous train trip around the Loop. We can talk about all kinds of stuff or just enjoy the ride.

If you want to get the most out of Chicago, either as a tourist or a transplant, come on the Rules tour. Remember, I’m a tour guide AND a comedian, so I’ll always be giving it to you straight.

Oh and hey, did I mention the Chicago hot dog at the end of the tour? No?

Huh.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS  FOR  THE FRIDAY RULES TOUR

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR THE SATURDAY RULES TOUR

Tour start: Harold Washington Library lobby

Tour end: Cultural Center at 78 W. Washington

The post The “Chicago Rules” Tour – A Different Kind of Walking Tour appeared first on Chicago Elevated.

I don’t mind the cold. My mental attachment to it faded a few years ago. I like it now. Winter is my downtime, it’s a quiet time, a time for me to catch up on life and my business. I read and write and learn more and revamp tours and get things ready for spring. I like snow and cold and warm nights and warm restaurants and really? More than anything? I believe that Spring needs Winter,  without the pain and sacrifice of life on the wall, spring means nothing.

I like it when you think you’re about to freeze away forever, when you don’t think you can take it another day, your body cannot be tense with cold one more minute, it’s over, IT’S OVER….and then, that 60 degree day – it just – it means you’re going to make it. It’s hope. It’s the rainbow. If all of our days are 45 degree winter days, well, 60 doesn’t mean as much.

Anyway, another thing I’ve learned living in this city is how to best protect myself against the elements. And even though it’s a fight against the cold, it’s really a giving in.

So if you want to know how to dress for a Chicago winter, here are some ideas from not only me, but other Chicagoans on Twitter and the Facebook. Keep in mind too, this advice is meant for VERY cold weather. If it’s 32, put a hat and some gloves on. This is for 20 and below:

1. Warm coat.

I have a Patagonia coat. It weighs less than air. We had a gift certificate, this is how I’m lucky enough to own a Patagonia coat. But it changes everything. A real coat, a real good coat, will change everything for you. If you can afford this part, I highly recommend it.

2. A good hat.

I finally caved with the rest of Chicago and got one of these “trapper” hats (she looks rul pretty in her hat. I look a lot like that in mine too):

It’s really stupid warm. And if you get desperate you just connect those flaps right under your chin and it’s seriously cozy.

3. Wear your scarf around your face

This is from my twitter friend @mattmaldre. He swears by it. I tried it on the way out tonight and it was really nice. It does get a little um, moist(?) inside the scarf? I kind of had to come up out of it for some breaths and go back in it. But yes, very warm and kind of moisturizing. In fact, I have a peppermint Burts Bees lip balm and with the moisturizing scarf – it was almost like Mentholatum!

4. Layers.

I think non-cold weather people get confused by layers. Here we go:

Lower half:

First I put on the leggings, then I pull some knee-high socks up over the leggings, then TWO pairs of socks, then another pair of pants over all that. Just leggings and socks is NOT LAYERING. That’s just cold. Kay.

Top half:

A long sleeved shirt. Not just a long sleeved t-shirt, it has to be a well-fitting.  And by that I mean tight – if you’re rolls are showing, but you have length at the bottom and in the sleeves – then that’s a good layering shirt. And preferably some kind of sport shirt almost – something meant to be warm. LONG sleeves, enough to go over your wrists up into your finger area so you have extra sealant when putting on mittens.  Then a sweater or very warm, heavier piece of clothing on top. Or um, two sweaters. Or another shirt and a sweater. Or long underwear and a shirt and a sweater. Or…

5. Gloves, mittens,scarves:

The scarf is very important and needs to be wrapped well.  The scarf is put on before your coat. Start at the base of neck, lower neck and wrap up to a little above your lips (so you can come out when you need to breathe).  But also criss-cross the scarf at the hollow of the neck for better coverage.

Mittens are preferred for warmth, but urban living sometimes still requires use of fingers, if gloves, so be it. Pull the long sleeve shirt, then the sweater out through the cuffs of the coat, as far up to your fingers as you can, and then pull the glove or the mitten on over all that cloth. Then, tuck the glove or mitten into the cuff of the coat if you can. You’re a lil bug in a rug.

Other pieces of advice for braving the cold include: Bourbon! Staying inside and Chicago’s favorite answer of all: eating. What are some other hints to staying warm in this lovely city of ours? Do you have any other hints for staying braving this weather?

The post What To Wear For Winter In Chicago appeared first on Chicago Elevated.

You are all reading the blog of a CERTIFIED tour guide. Pretty cool right?

About a year ago I joined the CTPA – the Chicago Tour-Guide Professionals Association. This is a group started by local tour guides for community, etc. It falls under a national association umbrella, but this is a local thing only. The association is one of the best I’ve joined as far as associations go. It’s inexpensive, the benefits are HUGE (free passes to most museums, quarterly meetings and so much information and soundboarding, it’s really great) and it’s just been a really positive experience to be a part of it.

SO! They have a certification program, again, this is not national or through the city or anything like that. I didn’t HAVE to get certified to be a tour guide in Chicago, no one does, it’s really just for you…and them, if they get job orders in, etc.

Anyway, I signed up to take the three part certification test. People seem fascinated by this, so I thought I’d tell you how this goes:

FIRST PART:

Written test. Mostly multiple choice and fill in the blanks and stuff. This was the least scary part for me. I like reading and answering on my own time you know? I did pretty well on this test, HOWEVER, and remember please, I do not drive…we had one part where we had to match the expressways numbers with their nicknames. So like…94, which one is that? Edens, Dan Ryan, Ike…etc.

Um, I got every one of those wrong. Every one. And I have lived in this city my whole life. Heh. I know. I’m working on it.

SECOND PART:

The dreaded slide test. This is where you come in, pick up a random envelope that has 10 slides in it. The slides include sculptures, buildings, art, locations – whatever – and then you have to talk about that slide in a reasonable way for three minutes. This  one we had to get get 8 out of 10 right. I was really nervous for this one. Certainly I knew I could talk for 3 minutes on something I know, but I was terrified of getting something that I just really didn’t know. See, I’m a north-sider, always have been and Chicago south of Roosevelt gets really confusing for me. I just don’t know it as well. So I crammed and crammed getting sculptures and buildings and churches I didn’t know into my vocabulary.

But, I passed that too, only really biffed one sculpture that honestly I had never seen before in my life. So…alright.

PART THREE:

The route test.

Now, this is what really scared me. The route test consists of getting in a car and giving directions. Something like ” get me from the United  Center to Hull House.” Go.

AHHHHH! Let’s all remember, I give walking tours. WALKING tours. I have no car. I can tell you how to get pretty much anywhere on the bus or the train, but drive you there? And, if you give me a location south of Roosevelt – I may not even know where the start location is at all! I was really, really nervous about this part. But, there were two other guides going through the test and had passed the first two parts. So the three of us started going out on Sunday mornings, driving all around, figuring out routes, etc. And we talked. And laughed. And talked about Chicago and tour-guiding and history and man oh man it was really great.

So for my test I got the Sheraton Hotel, the Hyatt Hotel and the Shedd. Now, I know where all these are, that’s not an issue, but um, let’s see you get from the Sheraton Hotel over to the Hyatt. Seems easy. It’s not. Because of dum, dum dum dum…Lower Wacker Drive. And trust me, I really can figure my way around this city even if I don’t know where I’m going, but Lower Wacker Drive will remove all levels of confidence, joy and possibly even your soul. Heh.

Let’s just say I got us lost for about 15 minutes under Lower Wacker. But, my proctors (and the other guides in the car!) were totally cool about it. I mean, anyone can get lost on Lower Wacker.

So….

I PASSED! I passed. I am a certified guide and it feels really great. It’s nice to be tested on my knowledge and to come out on the successful side of it. And I made some great friends. And I’m more involved with the association and now I can take you to the Hyatt if you need me to!

The post Certifiable appeared first on Chicago Elevated.

Welcome to 2013 everyone. Nice to see you over here, hi, hi.

2012 was a really great year for Chicago Elevated. Really, ever since I started it, Chicago Elevated has been awesome and I have you all to thank for that. No doubt in my mind.

So what is Chicago Elevated doing in 2013? What am I doing and what am I looking forward to other people doing? Well I’m so glad you asked.

I have a new tour I’m working on for 2013, what’s so much fun about this tour is I’ve been asking you all for help. What scared you about Chicago? What confused you? What did you wish you had known before you got here? Riddle me this and I’ll use your advice to help stock up on this new tour.

I’m going to get more involved in local business and networking events. I am currently a member of the Chicago Tour Guide Association and I just joined the Chicago Loop Alliance – I’m really excited to start meeting more people who love Chicago as much as I do.

The Chicago Tour Guide Association has a tour guide certification test that is in 3 parts – written, slide test and the route test. I have one more portion to finish, the route test and then I will be a certified tour guide in Chicago. This is not a city thing or something that MUST happen to be a Chicago tour guide, but it’s more for our own accomplishments and it’s been really fun to be tested on my knowledge.

And more than anything, I want to keep giving the best walking tours in Chicago and meet as many of you as I can and just have the best time ever running around the city of Chicago.

There are a lot of really cool things going on in Chicago obviously, so here are some of the things I’m looking forward to seeing in 2013:

1. Listen to your Mother

Melisa and Tracey put together an amazing group of readers last year for “Listen to your Mother,” a national series. It’s bloggers and writers and regular people reading essays about moms and parenting, etc. The show is put on near Mother’s Day and last year it was really intense. Tears from laughter and sadness and absurdness and anger and it was really something else. They’re doing it again this year and they’re taking submissions! Get them your submission by 1/15 and they’ll let you know about an audition. I highly recommend entering if you’d like, it’s not professionals (well, there were some) but it’s for everyone, all people, male, female…and if that’s not up your alley, at least watch for the show in May, because you are going to cry. I promise you that.

2. Waxwing Puzzle Company

I’ve talked about Waxwing before and I shall talk about them again. Andy – owner of Waxwing – has become a friend and I’ll tell you why – he’s fascinating. He comes up with games, all kinds of games. That’s how we met because he does a game in the Pedway called The Labyrinth. We also went to one of Andy’s Speakeasy games. I was a muckracker and had to question others in the group who were mobsters or police, etc. By the end of the night I found out via blacklight that I had been shot numerous times. Um, well…we’re also headed to another game called Mafia and Seek – that’s running January 19th and it’s FREE. Andy rules, these are the best games ever and they’re intense and deep and not shallow and silly. I’m really looking forward to what Waxwing is going to come up with in 2013.
Thank you for reading, thank you for coming here and on tours. Thank you for loving Chicago the way you do and thank you for OH MY GOSH EVERYTHING.

The post 2013 – The Year of Chicago Elevated Walking Tours! appeared first on Chicago Elevated.

But my real background for giving tours is my improv experience. Sure, I have confidence speaking on my feet and in front of people, that helps. But it’s the “you just never know what’s going to happen” nature of improv that makes me really good at my job, (IMHO).

Every tour of mine is different, even if it’s the same tour. Every single Pedway Tour is different from the Pedway Tour the day before. I like to read a crowd, like I read audiences in my improv days. Some groups are really quiet and they just want to walk and smile and listen. Sometimes they’re raucous and laughing and can’t get enough. Some groups are kinda dirty and say bad things about the backside of the Picasso.

Some tourees just walk away after a tour, some stay to chat.  Some tourees come and join my Facebook page and stay my friends. I would guess I’ve made about 10 actual, real-life friends from tours. Some are turning into actual, close, good friends. Some I never hear from again.

Sometimes Janet Davies walks through a Pedway Tour and I feel really proud when she says hello to me and I make sure everyone knows a major Chicago personality just walked by (and said hello!).

Sometimes I have people who speak very little English and I have to act stuff out. My performance art performance of the Great Fire is really something. Sometimes I have people who know a lot of what I’m going to say and say it before I do.

Sometimes they’ll love Bill the Pedway Musician and we’ll hang out and dance and sing with him a little bit. Sometimes a touree has to go to the bathroom and they don’t have time for Bill.

In City Hall, sometimes we’ll see people all dolled up and getting married at Marriage Court. In the Daley Center on some days, we’ll see the prisoners being led through the Pedway up to their courtrooms.

Sometimes we’ll see another tour group in the Pedway and I’ll have my group come at them snapping like the Sharks and the Jets, we’ll outdance them. No one can beat my tourees at West Side Story dance fighting.

When I’m taking a group of seniors through the Pedway they’ll give me beautifully folded up dollar bills as a tip, or even a quarter.  And that is the greatest quarter I’ve ever gotten.

Sometimes, and this is my favorite thing of all, a touree gives me a hug. They just reach out and hug me. It’s the most touching thing.

And this is what I love about my job almost more than anything. I never know for sure what’s going to happen on any given day. I never know who I’m going to meet, what person I’ll see in the Pedway or what friend I’ll make that day. This is what keeps me on my toes, this is what keeps me learning, this is why being a Chicago tour guide is the best job in the whole wide world.

The post How All Chicago Elevated Walking Tours are Different appeared first on Chicago Elevated.

This is the Koutoubia Mosque right outside our door:

Now, Seville’s La Giralda is modeled after the Koutoubia minaret:

And AND AND AND, guess what Chicago building was modeled after the La Giralda????

YAY!

The post My Marrakesh Chicago Connection appeared first on Chicago Elevated.

I know, little tiny violins.

But the truth of the matter is, leaving Chicago is hard.

It’s like I’m going to miss a big step in little Chicago’s life – I’m going to miss it’s staggering steps into fall. By the time we get back, it’s going to be winter; all the leaves will be gone, wind and cold will be whipping. I’m ready for cold and windy, I’m okay with that, what I’ll miss is the switch. I want to be here to watch the leaves turn, I want to be here when everyone talks about honey-crisps. I want to watch while they put up muted, haunted decorations in Daley Plaza. Hundreds of tourists will look from the Cultural Center onto Millennium Park and marvel at the trees and the Bean and I won’t be there to heighten their experience. It’s all going to happen without me.

I’m no parent, but I feel like a mom who has to be away for a baseball game, or a father who is missing the class play for that important meeting. I want to explain to Chicago that I won’t be here, insist it’s only temporary. Hug Chicago, tell her it’s not her, it’s us – we have to leave, but it’s only for a bit…

I’ve been on extended trips before, away from home. It’s not like this is new right? And believe me I’ve had trips in the past when I didn’t even really want to come home. When we went to Thailand in 2008,  I wanted to stay there forever.  I know I’ll love Morocco too, but this time there’s more on the line. There’s more at stake. Chicago has become my passion, my release, my comfort…my friend.

It is strange to abandon my friend when she’s ready to shed her leaves, to close up shop for the winter, any goodbye I say to her now will be too early. And by the time she really needs me, when she’s at her most vulnerable, I’ll be gone – riding camels in the Sahara.

My plea to you Chicagoans, is to take care of her for me. Watch over her. Treat her right, let her go gently into that dark (and freezing cold) night. And let her know most of all that I’ll come back.

Because I always come back.

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