ML - Michigan Avenue

2015 - Issue 3 - May/June

Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!

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photography by getty images (skyline); kayak chicago (kayak) Whether you're admiring the night skyline, learning the rich history of the city's historic buildings, or f lying across the lake on a speed- boat, there's no better way to enjoy Chicago's long-awaited high season than with a tour on the water. Here, our eight picks for the best ways to do it. 1. If You BuIld It On the Chicago Architecture Foundation's 90-minute river cruise—perennially ranked the city's favorite attraction— docents provide the backstory for more than 50 buildings that make up the city's skyline. Up to 250 passengers climb aboard Chicago's First Lady for each tour, where you can buy a drink for a happy hour cruise or grab snacks for the kids for a family affair. Tours leave from the southeast corner of Michigan Avenue Bridge and Wacker Drive, 312-922-8687; architecture.org/rivercruise. 2. S Yfall Cruising at dusk and ending at the Buckingham Fountain light show, the two-hour Wendella Sunset Tour just might be the most romantic water excursion in the city. Pass engers can take in incomparable views of the sun setting over the city as the craft cruises Lake Michigan, with a narrated tour peppered with tidbits of the history of the Chicago skyline. Tours begin May 23 and leave from 400 N. Michigan Ave., 312- 337- 1446; wendellaboats.com. 3. Come SaIl awaY Enjoy a sailing lesson on the 148 -foot Tall Ship Windy, a schooner designed in the style of 19th-century vessels that lends an old-school feel to your hour-long lake tour. Tour guides on this boat double as performers, donning pirate costumes and sharing swashbuckler history. Interested riders can help raise the sails and explore the boat, while passengers looking to relax can grab a drink and sit toward the boat's quieter front area. Tours begin May 1 and leave from Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., 312-451-2700; tallshipwindy.com. 4. the Need for Speed For passengers who prefer an adrenaline rush with their sightseeing, there's the Seadog Extreme Thrill Ride, a tour on a speedboat that hits 45 miles per hour and pulls off spins of 180 to 360 degrees. Passengers on the jet-propelled boat, which has two 14,000 -horsepower engines (the most of any commercial ride on the Great Lakes), should expect to get wet, so dress accord- ingly. Tours begin May 4 and leave from Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., 888-636-7737; seadogcruises.com. indulge in a four-course dinner aboard the recently renovated odyssey. Cruise Control HigH season is Here, and tHe water awaits: From low-key to luxury, eigHt Favorite ways to explore tHe windy City by boat. by rachel bertsche Paddlers out on the water with Kayak Chicago. left: A view of the Wrigley Building and the Tribune Tower at the intersection of the Chicago River and Michigan Avenue. CoNTiNuED oN PAGE 56 54  michiganavemag.com culture Out & About

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