In my many years as an architectural guide at such amazing
spaces as the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, Wright's Robie
House, and Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House, I've often been
asked by travelers where they can see more of Chicago's rich architectural
heritage. And how.
So I started Off the Map. Because, like you, I'm a traveler,
too. And in my many journeys, I've discovered that the places
you don't find on a map—the turns off the main roads, things
not listed in a guide book— reward us with the most memorable
adventures and discoveries.
This is what Off the Map's visitors get to experience. Like the architect from Wales who asked if I could show her the sleek glass house in the movie “Ferris Bueller's Day Off.” [I could, and I did.] Or the couple from Barcelona who wanted to spend a few reverent moments at the grave of Mies, and then a half-hour walking around Wrigley Field, asking me all about its fabled past. [Luckily, I used to be a Chicago sportswriter.]
So please join me. Not for tours, but for excursions. The way I see it, we should experience a building. It's essential how we arrive at it. We need time to walk around it, time to view it from every angle, time to imagine what it would be like to live in it.
It's not so easy to do that from the window of a bus, or in a large tour group.
That's why Off the Map is designed for travelers who aren't in a hurry, and who don't like crowds. Travelers who might just want to walk across Frank Lloyd Wright's only bridge more than once. And who have time for a civilized lunch or an espresso at a nice café along the way.
Off the Map excursions fill most of the day, occasionally take the unexpected turn, and always leave you with a rich experience you'll take home and remember forever.
Please feel free to e-mail or call me with any questions. |
