Lakefront Tour via Segway
On July 23, 2004, my friend John Lewin and I had a grand adventure on a segway touring Chicago's lakefront led by Kathryn Lake [773-271-3011] of CitySegwayTours. This is a fantastic 3 hour tour including Kathryn's effective segway training that starts at the Adler Planetarium and goes to the new Millennium Park. I highly recommend this $65 tour. Parking at Adler Planetarium is $12 for the whole day.
The first 30 or 40 minutes was spent on segway training. Kathryn played a video, instructed us as a group and gave us individual training. In minutes, you are able to maneuver a segway well. By the end of the tour, the whole group was following Kathryn down Michigan Avenue thru pedestrian traffic with ease. The 7 mile tour took over 2 hours. One interesting fact learned on the tour is that the fountains of Buckingham Fountain are controlled by computers in Atlanta.
The Lakefront tour gives one a good view of a number of famous Chicago landmarks including: Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Navy Pier, Soldier Field, the Field Museum, Buckingham Fountain, Millennium Park and the fountain towers at Millenium Park. It is also a chance to admire the Chicago skyline and many of the famous buildings including Sears Tower. One building that has sentimental value for me is the Chicago Hilton where I stayed the first time I visited Chicago in 1945.
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The tour starts inside the south entrance, on the right, of the Adler Planetarium. |  |
Chicago's skyline is one of the wonders of the world! Sears Tower is on the left. | |||
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From the Adler Planetarium, there is a good view of Navy Pier and ships. |  |
From Adler, there is also a good view of the reconstructed Soldier Field. | |||
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Shedd Aquarium, largest in the world, is next door to Adler. Note Hilton hotel to the right. |  |
Kathryn gave us individual segway training. Here she monitors John Lewin. | |||
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Here is the group, after Segway training, at the first stop of our Lakefront tour. |  |
This photo of the Field Museum, like half of these photos, I took while on my segway. | |||
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The pace was comfortable. Kathryn kept us on time. Wonderful views all the way. |  |
Here, John, Kathryn and I pose in front of the famous Buckingham Fountain. | |||
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Kathryn points out the new $470M Millenium Park, just opened earlier in July 2004. |  |
Here is the rest of Millenium Park including an unusual bridge over the road. | |||
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The high-tech twin fountain towers have to be seen to be appreciated. |  |
The tour ended on Michigan Avenue at a new Chicago icon, the Bean as Kathryn gestures. |
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