One of the highlights of my recent long-weekend excursion to Chicago, Illinois, caught me by surprise.

I was eagerly anticipating gawking at the skyscrapers along famed Michigan Avenue and looking down on the city from the Sears, now Willis, Tower or the Hancock Building. I couldn’t wait to eat a hot dog at a White Sox game on the south side and munch a pretzel while watching the visitors beat the Cubs at Wrigley. I was excited to see what may be my favorite painting in the whole world at the Chicago Institute of Art and look at the distorted reality that reflects in the Bean in Millennium Park. But one of the things I most enjoyed was a boat cruise along the Chicago River which winds its way through the towering structures on its banks.

While several companies offer floating city tours, we chose the Wendella tour. A fun and relaxing way to see the city, the tour lasted 90 minutes and came complete with a guide who provides a running commentary on the history of the city and its architecture with a few funny quips and “so and so big celebrity lives there” moments thrown in. Our tour included a short cruise through the lock out onto Lake Michigan which afforded great views of the skyline. A note of caution, we cruised in the evening so the setting sun was behind the buildings and our photos suffered – example below. A morning cruise with the sun rising over the lake would undoubtedly offer a prettier picture.

At $25 per person, the tour may seem a bit pricey, but in my opinion it’s worth the money.

A cautionary tale - cruise in the morning so the sun is at your back instead of right in your eyes