July 13 An alternative historic taste of Chicago

If/when you come to Chicago you have to take the Historic Chicago Walking Bar Tour. That’s what we did Saturday. It’s run by Chicago Detours, a women-owned tour company for the curious. Well that describes me for sure 😏

It was a delicious combination of history and architecture with food and booze - of course! Jen, our tour leader, was terrific - knowledgeable and entertaining. She has a Masters in and teaches Architecture and Culture. She was a perfect guide and storyteller and kept us spellbound for hours with stories about the early jazz clubs, prohibition and the culture that period gave birth to - plus lots of other history. I’d say it’s a must!

Starting at Fanny May Candies, a store full of chocolates plus, we walked our way through a few bars and hotels - with some libations and nibbles - just to keep us going of course. Perfect way to spend an afternoon. 

The Billy Goat Tavern was founded in 1934 by Billy Sianis, a Greek immigrant. One day Billy rescued a host that had fallen off a truck and birds it back to health. They were inseparable from then on. There’s a whole big story around Billy and his goat but that fit another time. The tavern was hang out for newspaper men primarily from the Chicago Tribune which was housed just down the road in the neo-Gothic Tribune Tower. 

Today this is the Intercontinental Hotel and houses the Michael Jordan steakhouse. It was commissioned by the Shriners to house the Medinah Athletic Club.  It is and was sumptuous in the extreme. A blimp docking station was built on the roof (that yellow globe) and it sported a swimming pool on the 14th floor, one of the highest indoor pools in the world. It was considered and engineering feat. Today it is known as as the Johnnie Weissmuller pool as he used to train in it.  Amazing luxury. 

Hints of Mesopotamia, Egypt, King Arthurs Court, the Hall of Lions. No piece of exotica was overlooked. The Shriners formerly known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine are an immensely wealthy ‘organisation’.  I’ll leave you to look that one up .

This is the twin terracotta Wrigley buildings. Did you know that Wrigleys started selling flour and baking powder. They tied a candy or chewing gum on top of each packet as an incentive. And the rest is history.

We stopped at Lawrys for drinks and nibbles - hand cut crisps made daily. Yum. The place was once a mansion of a very rich Danish family. The interior remains lavish and sumptuous.

The Club at 437 Rush Street dates back to early 1900s and it was here that the word ‘jazz’ was first recorded. It was the first Black and Tan club in the still very racially segregated city of Chicago. When prohibition hit this was a major place of organised ‘business’. It was a favourite hang out of Al Capone.