September 2-7, 2015 (or September 4-7)
Itinerary
Join Eleanor Schrader, design historian and lecturer, and award-winning architect Christopher Sorensen, AIA (and native Chicagoan) for a memorable Labor Day weekend in the city of skyscrapers, Sullivan, and shopping! Highlights of our tour include a stay at the famed Hotel Burnham, a Frank Lloyd Wright walking tour in Oak Park, Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, an evening cruise on the Chicago River, a visit to Millennium Park, and the Art Institute of Chicago. (And don’t forget the great Chicago cuisine!)
Wednesday, September 2
Our trip will start with our stay at the historic Hotel Burnham, formerly the Reliance Building, one of Chicago’s most architecturally significant buildings. In the evening, we’ll meet each other and enjoy some conversation over cocktails.
Our accommodations:
Hotel Burnham
1 West Washington Street
Chicago, IL 60602
312-782-1111
Thursday, September 3
9:00 a.m. After breakfast in the hotel, we’ll take a short walk to the Chicago Architecture Foundation. We will then embark upon a three-hour bus tour that will take us upon an exploration of some of the architectural highlights of Chicago, including the Auditorium Building, Hancock Center, Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House.
1:00 p.m. Upon our return to the Chicago Architecture Foundation, we’ll have lunch at Terzo Piano, located in the Modern Art Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago.
2:00 p.m. We’ll spend the afternoon at the Art Institute of Chicago, where we can explore the museum and its unforgettable collections.
7:00 p.m. Our Friday night will be topped off with a special dinner at a remarkable seafood restaurant in downtown Chicago, Catch 35.
Friday, September 4
8:30 a.m. After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll depart for our 10:00 a.m. visit to the Farnsworth House, the iconic modernist steel-and-glass house built by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. After our visit, we’ll enjoy a box lunch near the site.
1:30 p.m. Arrive back at our hotel.
2:00 p.m. We’ll leave for a visit to Hancock Tower and its famous Observatory, offering a 360-degree view of the city. Afterwards, we’ll have time for shopping along the Magnificent Mile!
Evening at leisure.
Saturday, September 5
10:00 a.m. We’ll visit Millennium Park, a state-of-the-art collection of architecture, landscape design and art.
11:30 a.m. Leave for the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District in Oak Park. We’ll witness Wright’s mastery of design and space in the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio and then we’ll embark on a walking tour of Wright’s neighborhood and the houses he designed.
1:30 p.m. We’ll have lunch at one of the charming cafés in Oak Park.
After returning to our hotel, you’ll have the afternoon and evening at leisure.
Sunday, September 6
10:00 a.m. After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll depart for the spectacular Driehaus Museum with its fascinating view of one of the few remaining examples of the palatial homes erected by the wealthy of America’s Gilded Age.
12:00 p.m. Lunch at one of the restaurants near the Driehaus Museum.
4:00 p.m. Depart for our Chicago River Cruise, where we’ll board our ship and cruise the waters to view more than 50 historic and architecturally significant sites from a unique vantage point. Bring a sweater—it can get a little cool on the river!
6:30 p.m. After our Chicago River cruise, we’ll be whisked away to a very special restaurant, RL’s, Ralph Lauren’s beautiful wood-paneled restaurant, representing the best of American style décor and food, located next to the world’s largest Polo store.
Monday, September 7
10 a.m. Visit to the Chicago History Museum, the city’s oldest cultural institution, with a collection of over 22 million artifacts and manuscripts. The collections include paintings and sculpture, decorative arts, and artifacts from the Great Chicago Fire, the World’s Columbian Exhibition, and the built environment of Chicago in the 1920s through the 1940s.
12 p.m. We’ll have our farewell lunch at South Branch, where we can dine overlooking the Chicago River.
3:00 p.m. Our shuttle will deliver you to the airport, where we’ll say our goodbyes and dream of future travels!
The cost per single is $2,750 and if you are sharing a room, $2,175 per person. This includes five nights’ deluxe hotel accommodations, all admission and tour fees, private shuttle, three lunches, and two sumptuous dinners! (Airfare and transportation to/from the airport not included.)
If you decide to join us for Friday through Monday, the cost is $1,550 for a shared room and $1,895 for a single room. This includes three nights’ deluxe hotel accommodations, all admission and tour fees, two lunches, and one sumptuous dinner! (Airfare and transportation to/from the airport not included.)
And just to tantalize you some more, here’s a great website on Chicago history!
