Chicago travel news
August 31st, 2009 by admin
Smart Destinations, the company behind the Go City Cards and Explorer Pass, hit a milestone in August when the 3 millionth visit occurred using one of its products. The visit occurred at Skydeck Chicago using a Go Chicago Card. Skydeck recently opened The Ledge, retractable glass-floored bays that extend over four feet outside the tower to allow visitors to gaze 103 floors straight down from America’s tallest building.
“We’ve continued to grow strongly in 2009,” said Cecilia Dahl, founder and President of Smart Destinations. “Beyond the savings component of our product we know from our customers that they see this as a way to travel smarter as well as more economically.” Dahl points to markets like Hawaii as a place where relatively well heeled travelers are embracing Smart Destinations’ Go Oahu and Go Maui cards and driving strong growth for the company.
“This is the equivalent of BMW’s in the Costco parking lot or the spread of private sale shopping sites,” said Dahl. “These aren’t customers who need a deal. But they like knowing they have been smart enough to get one.” Smart Destinations has seen growth across its 14 destinations in 2009, from Hawaii and San Diego to Miami and Boston.
The customer making the 3 millionth visit used a Go Chicago Card, one of Smart Destination’s flagship ‘Go City Cards’. Go City Cards allow a customer to pay a single price and then use the card as their entry ticket to as many as 80 different attractions in a given destination. Smart Destinations other product, the Explorer Pass, similarly allows customers to save time and money by paying once for the card and then using it for a set number of attractions in their destination of choice. The products area available across North America – from Oahu to Boston, San Diego to Toronto, and a dozen top destinations in between.
Planning a trip to
Chicago?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Chicago Card.
July 6th, 2009 by admin
For those scared of heights, the Sears Tower Skydeck was probably never on their list of “must-see’s.” But the new glass floored observation point will undoubtedly thrill those looking for the ultimate view from the United States’ tallest building.
“I’m not going out on that thing” is one common reaction to the just opened addition to the Skydeck, named “The Ledge.” But even more common is an exclamation of amazement (with perhaps a tinge of fear) from those who have stood looking between their feet 103 floors straight down. And yes, a very high percentage of the younger visitors do seem determined to lie down on The Ledge as you can see from the photo above taken opening weekend.
Anytime you make changes to an iconic structure it must been done with care. “The Sears Tower has always been about innovation. For this new Skydeck experience, we have kept with that tradition.” said Bill Baker of SOM, the building’s original designers. ”Cantilevering out from the site of America’s tallest building, the viewing platform will all visitors to see the incredible city of Chicago literally beneath their feet.”
According to Randy Stancik, the GM of Skydeck Chicago, it was clear ”the Ledge” was going to be a hit long before it opened on July 2nd. He knew from all the forehead prints on the windows that people were straining to get a look down the side of the Tower.
Maybe you have never been, or maybe you’re a Chicago native who has been to the top a number of times. Either way, with the Ledge you have a whole new reason to go. If you need another, the Sears Tower Skydeck is one of 30 attractions included in the Go Chicago Card or make it one of your three choices with a Chicago Explorer Pass – two great ways to experience the best things to do in Chicago while saving money in the process.
Planning a trip to
Chicago?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Chicago Card.
May 20th, 2009 by admin
The Art Institute of Chicago. Griffin Court, Photo credit: Charles G. Young, Interactive Design Architects
The Art Institute of Chicago just got bigger. A lot bigger. With the May 16th opening of the 264,000 square foot Modern Wing, the museum is now over a million square feet.
The new wing is dedicated to the display of the Institutes’s collection of 20th and 21st century works. The area devoted to modern European painting and sculpture features works by Matisse, Klee, Kandinsky, and Picasso to name a few, while the Contemporary Galleries boast works from Jasper Johns, Jackson Pollock, and Ellsworth Kelly as well as many others. In addition, the museum’s architecture and design collection has been given a vastly expanded space and the wing’s displays of modern and contemporary photography compliment its existing displays that trace photographic art from its beginnings.
The design of the new wing has been described as a “triumph” by the Associated Press. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano led the $300 million dollar effort, which in addition to gallery space, offers visitors a a restaurant, a cafe, an open-air sculpture terrace, gift shop, and a pedestrian bridge linking the win to Millennium Park.
Admission to the Art Institute of Chicago is included in a Go Chicago Card or can be selected as part of a Chicago Explorer Pass.
Planning a trip to
Chicago?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Chicago Card.
April 21st, 2009 by admin
The site for Go Chicago Card has a completely new look. The old site has been replaced with a new site that offers a number of improvements for customers.
The site has been folded in under a new top navigation bar that allows customers see all of the Go Cards and Explorer Passes offered by Smart Destinations. Previously, each Card had its own unique site which meant customers were not aware they could get Cards in other destinations. The new site now includes the Chicago Explorer Pass– a sister product that was previously on a its own site — as well as links to Cards covering destinations from Maui to Boston.
The site also places more information at customers’ fingertips. They can learn how the card works, where it is accepted, read reviews by other customers, and see all the included restaurant and shopping deals on the same page.
Images and descriptions have been upgraded, navigation streamlined and improved, and other changes have also been made to the site to help customers plan their trip and get the perfect Card for their needs.
Smart Destinations reports that demand for the company’s attraction passes has not only been strong, but is actually accelerating in 2009 as more and more people are looking to travel smarter. The fact that Go Cards and Explorer Passes let people into the top museums, tours, and attractions for a single money saving price makes sense in any economy. The expectation is the new site will further contribute to strong growth.
Planning a trip to
Chicago?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Chicago Card.
March 21st, 2008 by susan j
Chicago CTA photo uploaded by
Matt B over at The Chicago Traveler clued us into a : senior citizens with a Reduced Fare Card can ride Chicago’s CTA, Meta, and Pace systems for free. This is good news for travelers over the age of 65!
Planning a trip to
Chicago?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Chicago Card.
February 19th, 2008 by jamie a
MEC’s Green Roof in Chicago Photo uploaded by
Acoustic Chicago will be hosting , an eco-friendly event to build awareness about the green efforts of the city of Chicago on February 20 at 7 pm.
Held at Joe’s Bar, this event includes art, music, dance, photography, film, and fashion in a gallery setting to promote the coming together of all the different art forms. All the artists involved are eco-conscious and have come together to promote the theme of “protecting the environment.”
Tickets are just $10 in advance and $12 at the door, with a portion of the proceeds going to an Illinois environmental charity.
Planning a trip to
Chicago?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Chicago Card.
February 8th, 2008 by jamie a
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House Photo uploaded by
From February 1 - 29, winter hours are effective for tours of . Tour times will be running at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm for weekdays and every 30 minutes from 11 am to 3:30 pm on the weekends. The house will be closed every Tuesday and Thursday for the month.
This building, built for client Frederick C. Robie, is considered one of the most important buildings in the history of American architecture. It was designed by Wright in 1908 and completed in 1910 as a quintessential “Prairie style” house on the University of Chicago campus.
Planning a trip to
Chicago?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Chicago Card.
January 17th, 2008 by jamie a
January 11- February 29
The Critical Mass Art Show features Pro-Bike and Anti-Car art from local Chicago artists. Held at the Mercury Cafe, the event is free and promotes eco-friendly transportation by bicycle to slow down the damage that’s being done to our planet.
January 15- February 24
Join Chicago’s Caffeine Theatre at the Chicago Cultural Center for the world premiere of Like the Moon Behind the Clouds, an adaptation of an Italian memoir by Carla Vasio, chronicling her journey from Rome to Tokyo.
Saturday, January 19 (7:30 pm)
Sunday, January 20 ( 3 pm)
Head over to the Auditorium Theatre for Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah and hear Handel like you never heard him before! The Chicago Tribune calls this annual hit “hotter than hot!”
Monday, January 21 (12:30 - 3:30 pm)
Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the Art Institute of Chicago as they present stories of peace and justice, read by Gwen Hilary and musical accompaniment by Enoch Williamson. There will also be a craft workshop where guests can create a “peace pinwheel.”
Tuesday, January 22 (8 pm)
Elevation, a U2 tribute band, plays a free concert at Navy Pier. Be one of the first 250 people to visit the Navy Pier Box Office beginning at 6 pm on the 22nd for free admission to the U2 3D premiere following the concert.
Planning a trip to
Chicago?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Chicago Card.
January 15th, 2008 by jamie a
Chicago’s Navy Pier
Photo uploaded by David G
The newest offering from the Navy Pier IMAX theater in Chicago is U23D, which brings the story of U2 to the big screen. It’s the world’s first ever live action 3D concert film, giving theater-goers an amazing musical experience.
Premiering on January 22, the film has been called “transcendent” by Esquire magazine and requires viewers to wear polarized 3-D glasses to view the film. You can read more about the film’s amazing production on the National Geographic site, the distributor of the film.
According to the buzz surrounding the film and its production, it is being called “the future of concert films” by the Toronto Star.
Planning a trip to
Chicago?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Chicago Card.
January 9th, 2008 by jamie a
Chicago’s Skyscrapers
Photo uploaded by
Over at , there’s buzz about the latest addition to the Chicago skyline. The building has been named Aqua and construction began in March of 2007 with a projected ending date of 2009.
Aqua will be the first building to house condominiums, hotel space, and apartments all within the same walls. However, the balconies which resemble rippling waves are the star of the building. The seemingly wave-like surface earns the building the name “Aqua” and provides for an extremely complicated construction process.
We’re all excited to see how this breathtaking building will turn out amidst the grand Chicago skyline.
Planning a trip to
Chicago?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Chicago Card.
