Who knew there was a Chicago Greeter Program! This really is a good find…it’s free, it can be planned in advance (if you’re a visiting guest to Chicago) or better yet, you can just drop in last minute for a tour of our amazing city through the Instagreeter program!
There are various neighborhoods within the city you can tour, the Loop, Old Town, Hyde Park, to name a few. We dropped in on one of the Instagreeter’s at the Cultural Center which is where we started off our one hour tour.
Despite having lived here a cumulative 9 years, there always seems to be something interesting to learn about this city. Our tour was led by Paul, who was very knowledgeable and a very speedy walker! We explored the loop for what felt like 15 minutes…that’s how fast the hour went by. We stopped by a few of the key sculptures, including the Picasso, which most kids think is more of an urban slide, and viewed the lobbies of some historic buildings and hotels. Many of these buildings I’ve walked by numerous times and never even knew how beautiful they are inside.
So, if you’re downtown wondering what to do and have an hour to spare, I’d encourage you to check out the Chicago Greeter Program, you might learn a little something new about your city!
The first few images are from the Cultural Center. The marble, mosaics and gorgeous Tiffany Dome (the largest in the world) are reason enough to visit! However they also host many events, art exhibitions, music and so much more throughout the year.

A couple detail shots of the Reliance Building, considered one of the first skyscrapers in Chicago. Interesting how times change considering this is only 14 stories high.

And the infamous Picasso which was never named and, even more peculiar, was that Picasso never visited Chicago or the United States during his lifetime. The sculpture was designed by him but fabricated in Gary, Indiana. There’s much speculation as to what the sculpture represents…you be the judge.

And the Chase Tower…because I love the curvature of this building! And don’t miss the Four Seasons Chagall mosaic in the plaza, it’s really something that needs to be seen in person.

And the one color shot of the day…the gorgeous ceiling in the lobby of the Palmer House Hilton,  the entire lobby is simply stunning!

I could tour these old buildings all day, the attention to detail is breathtaking and just not something you see in modern architecture today.