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2019 Walking tours
Chicago for Chicagoans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering tours on a "pay-what-you-can" basis. A suggested tip of $10-20 per person is suggested & appreciated, but not required. Reviewing us on Yelp, liking us on Facebook, spreading the word, and attending future tours tells us how much you love us too! Donate online at chicagoforchicagoans.org/donate.
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FROM BEAVERS TO BRICKYARDS:
ALBANY PARK WALKING TOUR September 28 & 29 · 3:00-5:30PM Join Chicago for Chicagoans founder Patti Swanson for a one-of-a-kind Albany Park tour, exploring the history of the Chicago River and the way it has impacted the growth, identity, and shape of our community.
From the earliest days of Native Americans and European explorers capturing beavers along the banks, to the impact of the industrial revolution's settlement, sewers, and brickyards, to the modern-day revival of this captivating natural resource, you'll discover how the history of the North Branch is inextricably intertwined with the history of our picturesque neighborhood. Beginning at the Francisco Brown Line station, the tour will wind through Albany Park along the path of the Chicago River's North Branch, ending at Marie's Pizza and Liquors. Participants are encouraged to stay & enjoy a meal with the group! |
ANDERSONVILLE WALKING TOUR
Thursday, October 3rd · 5:30-7:30PM Sunday, October 6th · 1:00-3:00PM Chicago for Chicagoans invites you to experience the northern reach of Clark Street on a 2 hour walk through Andersonville, featuring special guest collaborator Leyla Royale! Leyla is an accomplished cellist, occasional trapeze artist, and a historian of death who is frequently found putting her talents to use as a Senior Field Agent for Atlas Obscura.
Beginning in front of the You Are Beautiful installation at Foster & Ashland (a short walk from the Berwyn Red Line station), the tour will cover the architecture, landmarks, and community history of an area best known for its colorful local businesses and Swedish heritage. We'll chat about the cemeteries that shaped the region's early development, explore the many different industries that have dotted the neighborhood's nationally-recognized commercial corridor, and touch on the area's modern-day status as an enclave for the queer community -- among many other topics that illustrate Andersonville's rich, layered history. The tour will end at First Slice Pie Cafe, where we'll continue chatting over slices of amazing apple pie. Since 2007, the nonprofit First Slice has been selling pies & home-cooked dinners to fund meals and job training for the city's homeless and hungry populations. Come learn more about your place in space! |
EDGEWATER WALKING TOUR
Saturday, October 19th · 5:00-7:30PM Saturday, October 20th · 5:00-7:30PM Halloween might just be our favorite holiday. This year, we're celebrating the Spooky Season with a redux of our Edgewater walking tours, featuring special guest collaborator Sam Prestigiacomo!
Sam is a lifelong Chicagoan, artist, and puppeteer whose work often involves the surreal and mysterious. Her love of local history and strange, spectral happenings ensure a special dose of eerie folklore on this 2-hour neighborhood walk! Beginning at the Berwyn Red Line stop, the tour will cover Edgewater's rich history, architecture, and landmarks-- from its early days as a "summer home for Chicago's elite," to its brief role as a hotspot for automobile showrooms, to its contemporary importance to the queer community. The afternoon will end with a meal at Moody's Pub, renowned for its burgers, beergarden, Medieval aesthetic. Come learn something new about your place in space! |
Chicago for Chicagoans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering tours on a "pay-what-you-can" basis. A suggested tip of $10-20 per person is suggested & appreciated, but not required. Reviewing us on Yelp, liking us on Facebook, spreading the word, and attending future tours tells us how much you love us too! Donate online at chicagoforchicagoans.org/donate.
CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY EXPLORATIONS
WICKER PARK · OCTOBER 17TH | 6:00-7:30PM
with Patti Swanson |
Join a rotating selection of our expert guides for a tour that will help you decipher Chicago's unique architectural quirks, distinctive infrastructure, and topographic clues to make educated inferences about your city surroundings.
Whether you use your newfound knowledge to impress dates, look cool in front of your mom, or as a foundation for creating history tours of your own, this tour (and accompanying handout) distills years of study into a quick, interesting walk that will open your eyes to the beauty and history around you. Highlights include:
Developed by Patti Swanson and Laura Schuetz, with Phil Thompson of Cape Horn Illustration. |
CHICAGO HISTORY 101: THE SPEAKEASY SERIES
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Chicago History 101: The Speakeasy Series returns for a third year to hidden hideaway Room 13 to help Chicago residents learn more about the history of their city! Presented by Chicago for Chicagoans, this pay-what-you-can educational series is meant to provoke understanding and discussion of our city’s past, while exploring how that history impacts and influences our future.
This year, we're diving into the rich history of Chicago's many nicknames, slogans, & mottos. From our oft-repeated monikers ("Second City", "Windy City") to the historical epithets lost to time ("Mud City," "Paris on the Prairie"), this series will examine the people who name us, how we earned our labels, and the history behind the phrases we inscribe and utter everyday. Join an illustrious lineup of Chicago historians & experts for fifteen one-of-a-kind evenings featuring lectures, discussions, interviews, and lots of tasty cocktails!
2019-2020 LINEUPRegister online starting two weeks in advance! Speaker profiles are available on our website here. Topics subject to change.
11/14/19 | THE SECOND CITY | a deep-seeded inferiority complex 11/21/19 | THE WONDER CITY | a paradise of amazements 12/5/19 | THE CITY BEAUTIFUL | beauty versus logic 12/12/19 | PARIS ON THE PRAIRIE | and who we really envy 12/18/19 | MUD CITY | Chicago Brick and other materials 1/15/20 | TBA | topic to be determined 1/22/20 | THE CITY THAT WORKS | trains & grains 1/29/20 | HOG BUTCHER FOR THE WORLD | blue collar industry 2/12/20 | THE GREAT CENTRAL MARKET | retail mavens of State St. 2/19/20 |TBA | topic to be determined 2/26/20 | CHI-BEERIA | taverns, booze, & staying warm 3/11/20 | THE CHICAGO WAY | politics & corruption 3/25/20 | THE THIRD COAST | hub of the heartland 4/8/20 | THE GREAT AMERICAN CITY | a legacy of invention 11/14/19 | THE SECOND CITY Featured Speaker: Patti Swanson (Executive Director, Chicago for Chicagoans) chats our city's deep-seeded inferiority complex REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 11/21/19 | THE WONDER CITY Featured Speaker: Leyla Royale (Senior Field Agent, Atlas Obscura) explores a paradise of amazements and music in Chicago history REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 12/5/19 | THE CITY BEAUTIFUL Featured Speaker: Bill Savage (Professor, Northwestern University) tells us why the City Logical would have been a better plan REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 12/12/19 | PARIS ON THE PRAIRIE Featured Speaker: Ben Archer (Proprietor, Been There Tours) marvels at all the things we've stolen from the French capital REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 12/18/19 | MUD CITY Featured Speaker: Will Quam (Proprietor, Brick of Chicago) shows us the marvelous building materials we made from swampy soil REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 1/15/19 | TBA Featured Speaker: Adam Selzer (Author, H.H. Holmes: The True Story of the White City Devil) REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 1/22/20 | THE CITY THAT WORKS Featured Speaker: Ava Battocchio (Graduate Student, Loyola University) spins a tale of grains, trains, and people who work REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 1/29/20 | HOG BUTCHER FOR THE WORLD Featured Speaker: Erica Ruggiero (Historic Preservationist, McGuire Igleski & Associates) elaborates on our industrial heritage REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 2/12/20 | THE GREAT CENTRAL MARKET Featured Speaker: Anthony Alfaro (Creator, Boys, Backroads & Kitsch) reminisces on the retail giants of State Street REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 2/19/20 | TBA Featured Speaker: To Be Announced REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 2/26/20 | CHI-BEERIA Featured Speaker: Liz Garibay (Founder, History on Tap; Chicago Brewseum) talks the power of beer in getting you through winter REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 3/11/20 | THE CHICAGO WAY Featured Speaker: Paul Dailing (Author, 1001 Chicago Afternoons) explores the history of politics and corruption in Chicago REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 3/25/20 | THE THIRD COAST Featured Speaker: Juliana Glassco (Board Member, Chicago for Chicagoans) chats canals, shipwrecks, and our watery legacy REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON 4/8/20 | THE GREAT AMERICAN CITY Featured Speaker: Walter Kiefer (Collaborator, Chicago for Chicagoans) dives into the history of our greatest inventions REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON Conclusion | CHICAGO TRIVIA Emcee: Patti Swanson (Executive Director, Chicago for Chicagoans) REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON |
EVENT INFORMATIONWHAT TO EXPECT
Each night of the series will feature local scholars speaking on a different topic of Chicago history. Attendees can expect to take in about an hour and a half of lively, informal discussion, followed by time for questions, mingling, and group conversation. All interest and experience levels welcome -- just come prepared to learn & chat about all things Chicago! Doors open at 6:45pm. Lectures begin promptly at 7:15pm. PRICE Affordability and accessibility of history is important to us. This series is offered on a pay-what-you-can basis with a suggested, tax-deductible donation of $10-20 recommended for those with the means to contribute. Chicago for Chicagoans is a volunteer-run, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization financed exclusively by our supporters. You can donate in advance online, or in person with cash or credit card. ABOUT THE VENUE
This series is made possible by the generosity of our hosts! Room 13 is the Old Chicago Inn's very own private, members-only, Prohibition-inspired speakeasy. Room 13's bar will be available to lecture attendees for the duration of the event, accepting cash & credit card. Interested in setting up a prospective member visit, or becoming a member year-round? Contact Room 13. ACCESSING THE EVENT Lecture attendees will be emailed a password the week of the event to use at the door for access. As a result, Eventbrite RSVPs are required for every guest. Those unable to secure a spot in advance are welcome to try their luck at the door, where any available spaces day-of will be allotted on a first-come, first-serve basis from 7:00-7:15pm! EVENT LIMITATIONS • Because this lecture series takes place in a place where alcohol is served, attendees must be at least 21 years old to attend. • Unfortunately, the historic greystone building is not wheelchair accessible. Please email us if you have a physical disability limiting your ability to tackle stairs, and we will try to accommodate you. • As a period-appropriate speakeasy, Room 13 requires proper dress, following a business casual model. Gentlemen are asked to wear some sort of collar (jacket, sweater, button-up, etc). Nice denim, without wear and tear, is acceptable. No athletic wear, please. • Presentations and discussions are meant to be inclusive, covering diverse histories and occasionally controversial subject matter. Respectfulness, empathy, and a willingness to listen and engage are key. Inflammatory speech will not be tolerated, and those who cannot engage compassionately will be asked to leave. |
FARTHER OUT...
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Fall 2019
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Fall 2019
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October 2019
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October 2019
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Spring 2020
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Click "My Applets" then "New Applet"
IF = RSS Feed, "New Feed Item"
If you want to follow our Facebook events (our tours + friends' tours), paste this link:
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If you want to follow our Eventbrite events (just our tours), paste this link:
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THEN = Choose your notification preference!
When we post a new event, IFTTT will let you know.
You can also sign up for our email newsletter on the contact page.
(but we're not super diligent about sending it)
Stay tuned... |
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