Enjoy the Memorial Day holiday, folks!
But as you're enjoying your BBQ, your beer, and later on, Game 2 for the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals, take a minute or two to remember the true meaning of the holiday. Many have died in service of our country, just so you can enjoy the freedom we all take for granted today. Please . . . honor them!
Do you work in Downtown Chicago? The Chicago Loop?
If you do, you have several options for getting downtown each day. The least pleasant, especially during the annual Chicago ritual of Major Road Reconstruction, is driving to work. But the stress level, the cost for gas, and the usurious charge for parking in The Loop, might dissuade you from selecting this option.
Many choose the CTA El, or METRA Chicago Suburban Commuter Trains - generally, better alternatives than the automobile.
A growing number of Downtown Chicago Commuters are now finishing their commute by boat, as Water Taxi Service on the Chicago River seems to have taken off this summer season.
As reported by Jon Hilkevitch today in the Chicago Tribune, one Taxi Operator, Shoreline Sightseeing, just added a new double-decker boat, the "Lickety Split," ehich can carry up to 109 passengers - more than double than the 43 commuters it's old, Navy-surplus taxi could carry.
Shoreline now operates a flotilla of 11 Chicago Water Taxis, which began operation early in May.
Water Taxi Service in Chicago took a bit of a hit as the recession, as fewer passengers opted for taking them, as well as other sightseeing tours of Chicago from the Chicago River and the Lake Michigan Shore. But business is coming back - visitors and commuters alike - as the water service is not that expensive, only $2 to $7 each trip.
About 200 commuters and visitors enjoy the Shoreline Water Taxis each day - a total of about 1,000 daily boat passengers ride either the taxis or the sightseeing boats they operate. Service runs from the Chicago River near Union Station, the Willis (Sears) Tower, and the Ogilvie Transportation Center (Union Pacific METRA Station), and runs to the Michigan Avenue Bridge. Separate runs head to Navy Pier.
Shoreline Sightseeing Cruises depart Dock Street at Navy Pier, heading to view the world-renown Buckingham Fountain, Monroe Harbor, and the Museum Campus - by the Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, and Field Museum of Natural History.
Larger, and older, Water Taxi and Sightseeing Operator Wendella Boats is celebrating 75 years in service this year. Their Chicago Water Taxi Service carries upwards of 2,000 passengers each day, plus an additional 3,500 sightseeing and tour passengers. They also offer a special tour to Chinatown in Chicago, near Cermak Road and the Chicago River, each weekend this summer.
Water Taxis in Chicago are typically first on the river each year. Most are heated, running between St. Patrick''s Day and late December - weather permitting, of course!
Please see our post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.
DEAN MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
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