Ghosts & Gangsters Tour

I took the Blue Line by myself (!) this morning and met my friend, C, at the Thompson Center. We met to take Chicago's Ghosts and Gangsters Tour (on Friday, the 13th no less) at 1 p.m. but got in the city early to figure out where the tour meets and to grab lunch beforehand. We didn't have anything in mind of where to eat so when we walked past the Elephant & Castle Pub on Wabash we decided on that.

I had a tasty club sandwich and lots of iced tea. It was in the mid 90s today!

Our tour was to start at 1 p.m. and we needed to be at the Wyndham Hotel on Wabash 15 minutes prior. We were the first two to check in. That gave us time to chat with the tour guide and take a few selfies. I could sit on a street corner all day and watch people in Chicago. It's fascinating. We also got our Al Capone stickers which, althought I didn't want to wear it, came in handy when passing solicitors. You just point to it and say, "I'm on a tour," and they say they're sorry, have a good time.

The tour was a 2.5-hour walk through the Loop. We started out on the Chicago Riverwalk which was beautiful on a summer day. So much to see, so many people sitting outside having their lunch, boats going by. The guide stopped us to talk about the Eastland Disaster along the river.

The tour guide spoke a lot about Capone. This was where his speakeasy was. Nice view of the city.

This was our walk through "Death Alley" behind the Oriental Theater, which used to be the site of the Iroquois Theater that burned to the ground and trapped a lot of people inside. The guide said the alley was full of bodies from one end to the other.

We stopped for a bathroom break at the Palmer House Hilton. The lobby ceiling is so ornate!

A little bonus at the Palmer House - the guide took us into the mezzanine area which overlooks the historic lobby. He said it's used to events, such as weddings and proms. Our tour continued past Millennium Park and ended at the Congress Hotel. C and I walked past the Blue Line stop at Jackson, where I got on for the ride home.