| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
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excellent tour
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| Tue, Sep 4, 07 11:00 AM |
CeliaDoran |
Female |
50-59 |
International Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| Our guide was an extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic Chicago girl with a great love of her city. She took us to neighbourhoods that we would never have found in our guide book. I wished we had had longer in Chicago after the tour then we would have had time to try some of the restaurants that were recommended along the way. I would suggest that anyone planning on booking the tour should do it on their first day in Chicago especially if they have no knowledge of the city as the tour was so informative. It stated in the tour information that most people would not need lunch after taking the tour. I found this slightly misleading as several of the tastings did not involve food as such------ we tried tea, spices, chocolate, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, not exactly a substitute for lunch! If anyone had gone without breakfast they may have been hungry. Having said that we thoroughly enjoyed the tour and look forward to returning to Chicago and possibly taking another food tour on a different route. |
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Great chance to get great eating tips!
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| Tue, Sep 4, 07 11:00 AM |
raulsegovia |
Male |
30-39 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| Nikki is a great tour guide. Even though it is 3.5 hours of walking it is well worth it. You get to see all kinds of restaurants and also you get to great sightseeing venues. (Old town, Lincoln park, Gold coast, etc.).
We are from California and we would recommend this tour in a heartbeat. This is a great way of spending 3.5 hours of your time in the great Chicago.
And by the way if you love tea, the tea shop you visit is the best!
Thanks for having this great tour.
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Great Tour
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| Tue, Sep 4, 07 11:00 AM |
whitewr1 |
Male |
50-59 |
Combination |
Other |
| This was by far the best tour we took while in Chicago. It delivered on all aspects: we learned about several negihborhoods and visited a cross section of family owned businesses that we would not have experienced otherwise.
I would recommend that you take the tour early in your visit so you can revisit some of the shops. The tour is a must do for folks new to the area.
One word of caution; there is a lot of walking involved and be prepared to spend the full amount of time and don't schedule anything too physical after the tour. |
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Shane was a great guide!
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| Sun, Sep 2, 07 2:00 PM |
DianaLDorris |
Female |
40-49 |
Unspecified |
Group of Friends |
| The Food and Cultural Tour was fun and interesting! Our tour guide, Shane was full of interesting knowledge and tidbit's that made the tour really enjoyable. The food tasting was alot of fun- not to mention tasty.
I lived in the Gold Coast area a few years ago and still learned about places, restaurant's and store's that I was not aware of untill the tour.
My cousin, who was visiting from New Jersey accompanied me on the tour and she also liked it very much.
I would recommend the Food and Cultural Tour for something a bit different and off the beaten track. |
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Nice variety of businesses, a bit of a hike
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| Sun, Sep 2, 07 2:00 PM |
deniseah |
Female |
40-49 |
Local |
Couple on a Date |
| The variety of businesses was nice (tea, spices, oil / vinegar, chocolate, pizza, cheeses). Shane, our tour guide, was great. He was enthusiastic and provided a lot of information as we walked. I would definitely go again, but would alter a few stops as noted below.
We started out downtown near the Water Tower. The first locations was actually a few blocks away, so I am not sure why we didn't just start there. I would eliminate this first location (it was OK, but nothing special) and for the second location (tea store), I would go to their store in Lincoln Park instead of the one closer to the loop. This would have made the walk quite a bit shorter. (Not that I can't walk that far, but 3 1/2 hours could have been cut by at least 30 to 45 minutes with these changes.) I would add Vosges Haut Chocolate at the end of the tour instead of Ethel's. And there is a very nice ice cream and italian ice business (Annette's) in Lincoln Park as well - we went there on our own afterwards. |
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Very entertaining
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| Sun, Sep 2, 07 1:30 PM |
AlexandreRog |
Female |
20-29 |
International Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| The tour guide Tad was fantastic. Very personable, professional and informative. In addition, he always made sure the group was together and that everyone could hear him. The small groups are nice. The local businesses that we stopped at along the tour were fantastic and the owners were very interesting and willing to share information. The only thing left to be desired was the selection of food that we were offerred. The pizza, tea, and cheese & bread was fantastic as was the chocolate, however it would have been nice to have fudge at the "fudge pot" and some bread to dip in the oils & vinegars at that shop. Other than that, loved the history of the city and the walk through the lesser known areas of Chicago. It was a hot day and quite tiring...and I'm in good shape..so be prepared and wear comfortable shoes. |
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great tour
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| Sun, Sep 2, 07 1:30 PM |
andreastone |
Female |
30-39 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| The best part of our trip. Tad, our tour guide was very entertaining and knowledgable.
It gave us a chance to see a part of Chicago that we would not have seen.
Highly recommend this tour to my friends and family |
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Fantastic!
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| Sat, Sep 1, 07 11:00 AM |
rosemorris |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| This was by far, the best tour of Chicago, that I had went on .
Lively , intelligent tour guide, and with a sense of humor too!
Our guide was very informative on the sites that we stopped at, the products that were being sampled, and also the history of the different sections of the town that we were in.
I would highly reccomend this to anyone. It really was the best.
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A Great Time!
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| Sat, Sep 1, 07 11:00 AM |
PaulMonsky |
Male |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| My wife went on the Food Tasting and Cultural tour of Chelsea Market in New York last February and enjoyed it so much she wanted to experience Chicago's version. I didn't think the tour would be as fun for me, but she insisted and I'm really glad I went along. I lived in Chicago many years ago, and already knew the restaurants at which I like to eat when I visit, but this tour offered a much more unique experience.
Our guide, Nicki, was engaging, personable, and laid-back, with a good knowledge of the areas we walked and the places we passed. The food tasting, while fantastic, was really the lesser part of the tour for us. At the end, we were both surprised to find that our favorite stops were Tea Gschwender, The Spice Shop, and the oil and vinegar store. The tour provided coupons and we went back to all three to buy their products after sampling them earlier. Others on the tour declared the chocalatiers, the heart healthy pizza joint, and the cheese shop to be at the top of their list, so there really was something for many different tastes.
The stops were a mix of information and tastings and the time flew by despite the distance walked. Everybody on our tour was friendly and all seemed to be having a good time. I can't recommend this tour highly enough, even if you think you know Chicago and all the places to go, you won't be disappointed. |
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A great time!
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| Sat, Sep 1, 07 11:00 AM |
npalink |
Female |
20-29 |
Combination |
Family Without Children |
| I have just recently moved to Chicago and this sounded like a great way to get a bit stronger of a grip on where I was living. I had a great time!! The stops on the tour really provide a glimpse into the diversity of the city as well as some really beautiful scenery.
We had Nicki for our tour guide and she was fantastic! She had a great energy and really made it a point to talk to each person in our group. She had a lot of information, but better than that she had personal stories to go with them. |
