Chicago Calling! September 25 – 27, 2009

		An interesting, fun tour arranged for The Volunteers' Circle of The National Gallery of Canada
	One-Of-A–Kind Art and Architecture ~ Must be Chicago Calling! Known for its bold originality, Chicago is a magnet for innovative, creative artists and architects. Indoors and out, from the top of the John Hancock Building, aboard a Chicago River Cruise and at Frank Lloyd Wright’s street level, we’ll see the treasures of Chicago from a variety of perspectives. We’ll also have a great Russian lunch, and take in a couple of optional musical performances. Join us – You’ll be glad you did!
	Your Executive Worldwide Travel Tour Itinerary

	SEPTEMBER 25, 2009 Morning flight to Chicago. Meet our local guide and board our motor coach for a tour of the city, including Chicago’s amazing outdoor art, the Water Tower and Water Tower Place, Lake Shore Drive and the Magnificent Mile, Marina City, State Street and the “Loop,” and Millennium Park. Lunch at Russian Tea Time, located in the heart of Chicago's artistic district. Chef-Owner Klara Muchnik, originally from Uzbekistan, successfully manages a mix of "hearty" and "comfort" Russian, Slavic and Jewish classics, well complemented by gourmet dishes of Imperial Russian Courts. Transfer to the Art Institute of Chicago for a guided tour of the highlights of the museum’s collection, including its extensive selection of Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. Free time to enjoy the museum on your own. Don’t miss the superb El Greco Assumption of the Virgin, the world-famous Seurat Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, and the popular Grant Wood American Gothic. Art Institute Exhibition: Beyond Golden Clouds: Japanese Screens in the Art Institute of Chicago and St. Louis Art Museum Check in at the Talbott Hotel, a charming boutique hotel set in a beautiful tree-lined street located within walking distance of Michigan Avenue and the Magnificent Mile. This intimate hotel has an appealing blend of European elegance and sophistication with cosy fireplaces, chesterfield sofas and carefully selected antiques. The effect is inviting and warm, enhanced by attentive yet unobtrusive service. OPTIONAL PERFORMANCE: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra. L

		SEPTEMBER 26, 2009 After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Navy Pier. Your tour guide will give you a brief overview of the pier’s past and present before your Chicago River Cruise. See the city’s magnificent skyscrapers from a different angle, and, as you cruise, learn about the architecture that has made Chicago famous. Professional guides recount the dramatic story of Chicago's rise from the Great Fire of 1871 to become the home of the skyscraper and the cradle of modern American architecture. The Architecture Cruise goes down the main branch of the Chicago River, up the north brand to the East Bank Club, and then south past the Sears Tower to the old Post Office Building. Along the one-hour route are buildings by world-famous architects including Mies van der Rohe, Skidmore Owings & Merrill and Helmut Jahn. Gourmet boxed lunch on board. Disembark and transfer to the John Hancock Observation Deck, one of the highest sites in the city, for a “view from the top.” Look down on the buildings and Lake Michigan and enjoy an incredible panorama of several states. Take a closer look at two of Chicago’s most internationally acclaimed commercial buildings: the elegant Reliance Building designed by Burnham, Root and Atwood, and the groundbreaking Carson Pirie Scott & Co. store by Louis Sullivan. Visit three of the city’s most sumptuous interiors: the palatial Second Empire-style lobby of the Palmer House Hilton, the Tiffany glass-crowned arcade of Marshall Field & Co. building on State Street and the mosaic-embellished Chicago Cultural Center. See Millennium Park, Chicago’s newest public space, presided over by one of the most dramatic recent additions to the city’s skyline, Frank Gehry’s Pritzker Music Pavilion. BL OPTIONAL PERFORMANCE: The Lyric Opera of Chicago

	SEPTEMBER 27, 2009 Following breakfast at the hotel, guided tours at the restored and renovated Home and Studio where Frank Lloyd Wright worked for over twenty years, and Wright’s masterpiece, Unity Temple, just a short distance from his home and studio. Unity Temple is a building whose pioneering geometry helped define cubism, where an emphasis on the space within was groundbreaking, and where a lowly material - concrete - was used as the exterior reality rather than the unseen workhorse. Through the genius of the architect, these elements stand as one of the most important and influential buildings of the 20th century. After visiting Unity Temple, a narrated walking tour along the tree-lined streets of Oak Park, highlighting more Wright designs and Victorian treasures including the birthplace and home of famous author Ernest Hemmingway. Lunch at Winberie’s Bistro, which features a collection of unique poster art, before transferring to the airport for our early evening flight home. BL For more details on this tour or to request a brochure, please feel free to contact us at 613-236-5555 or email Jean Sheikh at jsheikh@executive-trvl.com.

	Coordinators: Joan Hoffman Anne Duncker Travel Agency: Executive Worldwide Travel Agent: Jean Sheikh, C.T.C. (613) 236-5555 Or 1-800-267-5552 Registration No.: 1892605
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