Kyle Adams, 2016
Kyle is beyond amazing. If it wasn’t for his school schedule being a teacher I’m sure you would have him all the time. Pay him FULL SALARY he knows this city well and even brought out a Batman reference!!! This city is beautiful, and he made it look even better than what it already is. Thank you for a wonderful River Cruise!
John Burns, 2009
This was a great River Cruise tour that I wouldn’t hesitate to go on again (recommended to us by a friend who lives locally)! John was a knowledgeable and entertaining guide and I think we really lucked out getting him to lead our tour. If you’re thinking of going, just do it already!
Kathleen Carpenter, 2006
We took the 3:30 River Cruise on 7/15/18. Our guide Kathleen was amazing. She described each building very well and provided colorful anecdotes. The commentary would be appropriate for serious architecture geeks as well as people new to the field. The cruise was 90 minutes, and I learned a great deal about the history of Chicago and the circumstances that make the city so notable. Highly recommend.
Maurice Champagne, 2004
Dear Maurice – thank you for your wonderful presentation on Rise of the Skyscraper to our ACREC group on Friday. It was terrific. On Saturday, we walked past many of the buildings you described, and felt well-prepared for the River Cruise. Thank you for your time and informative presentation. Best, Beth Fox, Charlottesville, VA
Hau Chyi, 2015
Awesome river tour. See all the great Chicago buildings and take a nice cruise long the beautiful Chicago river. Our docent, Hau, was super knowledgeable and funny- great job! Highly recommend.
Emily Clott, 2012
Emily was our tour guide, and she was fabulous. She talked all 90 minutes of the River Cruise and kept it interesting the entire time. Unbelievable how much knowledge is in her head, she gave us lots of details I would never have noticed on my own. I was disappointed she didn’t accept tips!!! Even on a very hot day, it was slightly chilly on the boat at twilight. The timing was just right to get off the boat and hustle up the Riverwalk to see the fireworks at Navy Pier.
Sandy Danforth, 2010
Greetings. Yesterday I had the good fortune to take four CAF tours and offer this feedback… Sandy Danforth led the Historic Skyscrapers tour covering the 1871-1934 period. She was well informed and generous with her knowledge. If she got a difficult question beyond her knowledge, she didn’t waffle on but said she didn’t know. This was rare, and I was the culprit with the silly question. When an officious security person told us not to take photos, she responded with grace and courtesy. With best wishes, Paul Redmond, Sydney
Kent Foutty, 2009
We took the 5:30 River Cruise on a balmy summer night. Our guide Kent was extremely well-informed and gave us great insights into the different architectural building styles of Chicago landmarks along the river. The 1,5 hours passed by much too quickly! If you’re going as a group, be sure to get there early to sit together as there was a long waiting line to get aboard.
Fawn Gottlieb, 2011
Greetings. Yesterday I had the good fortune to take four CAF tours and offer this feedback… Fawn Gottlieb was terrific on the Must-See Chicago tour —very well informed and sensitive to the group’s needs. She allowed me to accompany her back to the CAF office. Nothing was too much trouble for her. The tour was probably pitched at a different demographic to my own, but she maximized its benefits very professionally. With best wishes, Paul Redmond, Sydney
Gloria Hinrichs-Nelson, 2016
We’ve taken the River Cruise several times over the years. We learn something new each time we tour. The docents are highly trained and very, very knowledgeable. My 18-year-old and 16-year old were completely engaged. Our docent, Gloria, did a amazing job not just discussing the design style, importance of and year built but also shared stories about the people, politicians and events that helped build this city. It’s such an informative, relaxing and pleasant way to see the city!
Mary Jo Hoag, 2007
What a great way to see the city. Our River Cruise guide Mary Jo was so knowledgeable. As a CAF volunteer, this was clearly a labor of love for her. She was able to pass on her enthusiasm to all of us as well. This was a leisurely cruise down the river to see the varied architectural styles.
Brent Hoffmann, 2005
What a great way to learn all about the architecture of the city and see some amazing yachts in the process! We took the sunset cruise and it was beautiful. As the sun started setting, the reflections of the buildings on the other buildings was magnificent. Brent was our tour guide for this beautiful, relaxing River Cruise. He was so very knowledgeable.
Joan Johns, 2008
We had one of the greatest of our many tours: Union Station. The docent did a tremendous job informing us of past, present, and future designs for Union Station. She was obviously passionate about her subject, and we were fortunate to be joined by an Amtrak employee who was able to share even greater details about the current restoration. What an extraordinary experience! We are loud supporters of CAF! We appreciate all you do to tell the Chicago Story and to be a strong voice in the design the city takes in moving forward. Sincerely, Don Jolly
Dan Johnson, 2016
Dan was our River Cruise guide, and he was outstanding! His knowledge of the history of this city, and his story-telling abilities made the tour most interesting on a sweltering summer day. The route of the tour was out and back through the canals in the city, Never were we subject to the waters of Lake Michigan. Worth all of the wonderful ratings left by others!!
Kelly Jones, 2016
Wonderful way to see downtown Chicago with a very knowledgeable and entertaining tour guide (Kelly). 5 stars for the tour, the weather, and for our guide.
Larry Kameya, 2013
We did the River Cruse and the weather was great. Larry our tour guide was super, we loved Larry! The tour was clean, comfortable, orderly and a good value. It is so informative, and a wonderful way to see and learn about the Chicago buildings and the city’s history. Highly recommend it, and hope you get Larry.
Judith Kaufman, 2010
The River Cruise tours offered by the Chicago Architecture Foundation are terrific! We went on one with a guide named Judith, who was both energetic and full of information about the history of the city, especially the Loop. Even if the weather is bad, and it was the day we went, the trip is fun. Who doesn’t like an afternoon on the water?
Adrienne Lieberman, 2010
My wife and I went on the River Cruise. It was a perfect sunny day with a light breeze. The architectural history was most interesting with a running commentary from a charming lady, Adrienne, who was wealth of knowledge as well as being warm and gracious, as were the entire boat crew. This is a must do for all visitors to Chicago!
Larry Mages, 2011
Greetings. Yesterday I had the good fortune to take four CAF tours and offer this feedback… The first tour was Chicago Modern with Larry Mages. The weather was miserable, and I was the only taker. I really lucked in. Larry was an outstanding docent. He gave me a superb overview of architectural modernism and a fascinating tour that explored its flourishing in Chicago. He was remarkably well- informed and passionate. His enthusiasm was infectious. With best wishes, Paul Redmond, Sydney
Hartley Meyer, 2003
Greetings. The evening River Cruise with Hartley was tremendous. He was great, too. He’s lost to stand up. The audience loved him. I did too…Overall, I’m enormously impressed by the richness of the CAF tour offerings and especially of the remarkable cadre of informed and generous volunteer docents. I’m sure you appreciate, indeed, treasure them. I do. This was my first visit to Chicago and I’m already thinking of a second. These tours and docents will figure large in the planning. With best wishes, Paul Redmond, Sydney
Chris Montanari, 2012
Awesome tour! I read the River Cruise reviews and decided to take this tour. It was better than we thought! Our docent, Chris, was fun, entertaining and very knowledgeable. Would highly recommend!
Lisa Pickell, 2017
The River Cruise tour was fantastic! Our docent, Lisa, was so amazing!! She was incredibly knowledgeable, and I loved hearing about the history of all the buildings. I live in Chicago, and I recommend this tour to locals and visitors. You will thoroughly enjoy it!
Constance Rajala, 2008
Constance was our River Cruise guide, and lucky us! She brought the buildings to life with terrific enthusiasm, and her background in education was apparent because she was clear and concise and informative. Nice mix of old and new buildings, great views of Chicago. It’s the kind of tour you would want when visiting a big city and want to learn about its history and what you don’t always get to see or know when walking past the buildings. P.S. Sorry City Council but it was Mrs. O’Leary’s cow.
Cindy Schneider, 2010
If you only have time to do one tour of Chicago, spend 90 minutes on the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s River Cruise. Don’t be tempted to go on any other river tours- this is the one you want. Cyndi, the volunteer docent leading our tour was interesting, information, and in-tune with everyone on the tour. The children on tour, the architecture novices, and the architecture aficionados all had a great time. There wasn’t a question she couldn’t answer, and her love for the city and its architecture was obvious. I can’t say enough good things about this tour.
Claudia Winkler, 2007
What a wonderful way to see Chicago and all the beautiful architecture! We had a wonderful River Cruise docent who had a wealth of knowledge that she dispensed on us over the hour and a half tour. Claudia was fabulous! She was articulate, clever, spoke amazing French and had the best little sprinkle of humor along the way. Everyone around us from the young millennial to baby boomer were under her spell. You could hear a pin drop! Everyone was so into it! And to think this woman does this as a volunteer!! Such a wonderful way to spend the morning.