The Solo Scale:
When I was younger, I travelled to Chicago to work at a convention and got to see a glimpse of the city. It really felt like it was just barely a brush. This last year, I returned for work and a more determined mindset to see Chicago.
One of those non-negotiable things was a river cruise to hear about the architecture and Chicago’s past. Luckily, the coworkers that went with me were equally as interested. We bought tickets online for the last cruise of the night, then I bundled up and we headed to grab the boat at Navy Pier.
TRIP TIP: I’m serious about the bundling up if you’re there in the fall, winter, or early spring. You’re on the water and it does get windy in the Windy City. When the sun goes down, you’ll start feeling the chill. Make sure you bring some gloves and a hat with you.
The departure area is right at the start of Navy Pier, so you don’t have to travel too far. Once you get down the ramp, you have your choice of seats. I always recommend the edges and toward the back of the boat. If you’re thirsty, there’s also a bar on board and a set of washrooms nearby. They’re not the fanciest, but it’s still good to have the basic comforts for your trip.
TRIP TIP: If you can, try and start your cruise just before sunset. Not only will you get to see the gorgeous sunset views, but you can see the buildings lit up.
Once it’s time to depart, your guide will introduce themselves over the mic system. The quality of sound is good no matter where you are on the boat, so you can sit anywhere. For this tour, your guide will give you a great and detailed review of Chicago’s history, including the architectural styles that appeared over the years. In addition to sailing down the historical path, you also get a little bit of engineering as the guides talk about how the tall buildings are dampered to avoid swaying too much (because the wind will make them sway).
The history of the city covers the most well-known event (the fire). It approaches it more from the lens of the opportunity it opened up with the ability to build with new materials and new styles. You learn not only about the architecture, but the businesses that came through and made Chicago their central location.
As you continue through the river cruise, the tour evolves from the past to the modern. It’s a live look as you sail past the evolution of the buildings themselves through the decades.
If you opted for the sunset cruise (and I hope you did), then as you begin to head back, you get both the beautiful sunset skies, but you also get to see the buildings lit up. The Chicago skyline really comes alive when there’s still a hint of the sun setting in the sky, but with the buildings providing their own light sources (sometimes, even fun colours).
The cruise ends in the same place it started, at Navy Pier. It’s well-situated if you want to keep exploring in that area or walk along the lake and see some other iconic Chicago sights (like the Bean, which isn’t too far away).
Ready to set sail? You can grab tickets in advance at the Chicago River Boat Architecture Tours website. There are several options, but I found the one we took to be informative, valuable, and a decent price.
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