WELCOME

Welcome to the Urban Culture course at Avila University created by Susan Lawlor and Dotty Hamilton.  We travel with our students to great cities to explore art museums, engage with the architecture, study the local film and music venues, and experience the ethnic enclaves as a way to learn about the culture of urban spaces and the interaction of art and environment.  It's a fun, intense learning environment.  

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Chicago skyline from the boat deck

Even though it is windy, rainy and cold - the Chicago skylline is still amazing.  What a great group of students - no complaints.  They just bundled up and went on the architectural river cruise.  Here's a view from the Lake, looking back at the city.

6 comments:

  1. This was my absolute favorite part of the trip! Getting onto Lake Michigan was amazing because it gave us the opportunity to see the entire Chicago skyline from afar. I myself captured some pretty pictures of the skyline and even though the weather was cold and rainy, it made for some great pictures. Learning the history of the architecture and actually having the opportunity to admire it was fantastic. Walking around the city you get a good idea of the architecture, but the tour really allowed us to slow down and enjoy it, without the hustle and bustle of the city streets. I really felt like it helped me to appreciate the buildings that make Chicago so iconic. It's one thing to read about the architecture of Chicago in a book or see it in a presentation, but to actually admire it in person was fantastic. Bringing what we learned to real life helped me to appreciate it so much more, and whenever I go back to Chicago, I will absolutely check out the boat tour again, hopefully on a better weathered day!

    Bailey Martin

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  2. Being a new england native the cold weather and being out on a boat was exactly what I needed. Chicago is much different than most cities, the skyline stretches further than a simple downtown picture. You almost have to turn your entire body to see it all, nearly impossible to see it all at once! The clouds hanging low blocking the top of the skyscrapers added to the fantastic view. It really put into perspective just how tall the buildings themselves are. The tour guide kept us informed and entertained, giving us information on both the history of Chicago, and the buildings themselves as we went by. If you can only do one thing in Chicago on your visit, this has got to be the one thing. What a tour!

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  3. The architectural river cruise was the most memorable part of this trip. Seeing Chicago skyview from Lake Michigan was such a wonderful experience. I never knew how beautiful Chicago was until seeing the city from afar. The tour guide who told us history about Chicago buildings and everything in general was much more enjoyable compare to reading a chapter. If I ever go back to Chicago, I would love to experience this tour once again.

    Michelle Smith

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  4. This was, by far, my favorite part of the trip. Although I found it slightly difficult to remember everything the tour guide said while looking in awe at all of the buildings, it provided interesting information about the history of the city and unexpected facts about the buildings. I got a lot of pictures during this portion of the trip. Chicago is much more aesthetically pleasing from the water than it is coming in on a train. I love being on boats, and I could have happily been out on the lake for hours. Next time I'll bring my fishing gear! I would recommend the tour to anyone, even if it is not the best weather. Bundle up!

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  5. The architecture tour was a memorable and rewarding experience while in Chicago for me because I got to see the city I know and love in a different light. I never get out on the water when in Chicago and usually observe the skyline from land so it was beautiful to see the city from afar and learn more about the major skyscrapers. The weather was a little cooler than I would have liked for it to have been, but it was nothing a little hot chocolate could not cure! :) The boat tour made me feel relaxed because I was able to enjoy what the city had to offer without the chaos of actually being in the city. I did not think that I could possibly learn much more about the architecture of Chicago prior to this trip, but I did, which made this experience one to remember. I would recommend an architecture tour to anyone visiting Chicago for the first time because it provided a different level of insight into what the city had to offer.

    Andrea Gove

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