90-min Chicago River and Lake Michigan Architecture Cruise by Wendella

The organization of the tour was great and the input about the architecture was really informative and made me realize that we're actually looking at many pieces of art and not just steel and glass - thank you for that! I do have a recommendation/ wish for the narratives that the guide's stories base on: The fact that the Chicago aquarium is now owning Beluga whales is not a benevolent sign of the city "taking care" of these animals - but really a disasterous sign of human ignorance and environmental harm. Whales are really not supposed to be kept in aquariums or to be transported like cargo. I think we all know this by now and it would be great if the framing of this "latest addition" to the aquarium would be communicated as such. And secondly, the fact that the flow of the Chicago River was not so much a "bold choice" that simply made "Chicago's problem to someone else's problem." It was a very destructive, megalomaniac act that had huge consequences on the environement - which authorities and acitivist are realizing more and more. I would really appreciate if, especially from a public school teacher-guide, we would tell these stories more truthful and not framed through trajectories supporting environmental destruction. No city is so awesome to justify any of these actions. Thank you and all the best, Anna-Lena Oldehus

Excellent tour!! Jack was our guide, and he was very informative, engaging, and entertaining. The sites and information about them was very helpful. Info on the architecture, balancing/stabilization of the buildings, history, flag info - all really helpful. The boat was comfortable, and the amount of time was perfect.

We loved hearing the history and the fun facts about the downtown buildings of Chicago. The ride included a ride I out to the lake for a bit, and we got a in person look and how the lockes operate. We had a great day and a great host keeping us entertained.

Loved it! The whole experience was easy, location was well marked and boarding was organized. Spiro was a fantastic guide. He was informative, engaging and funny. Highly recommend and glad we took the advice from others to do it early in our trip.