Chicago.com
The Chicago Film Tour was such an amazing experience! I checked it out with my “movie-know-it-all girlfriend” a couple weeks ago and it is a definitely a must-see in Chicago. If you like movies and history, I strongly recommend this tour. Pat McDonald, a film critic for www.hollywoodchicago.com, was our host for the day, leading us through the city with tons of film history knowledge and trivia. The bus is equipped with video screens, comfortable seating, and for those of you with tiny bladders -you guessed it, some of their buses have a bathroom. As we drive through Chicago slowly rolling past film locations, we are directed to the screens to watch the final clips that made it into the movies. I learned so much from this tour and how ingrained the history of movie making is in Chicago culture. Pat really knows his stuff and the staff of The Chicago Film Tour have put a ton of effort into making this a great experience.
The tour covers about 30+ miles of film history. We traveled past the world famous Wrigley field all the way south to Chinatown. There was a great selection of movies and not just the classics like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or Blues Brothers. Pat covered everything from the 1910 silent movie The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, My Bodyguard, Child’s Play, Back Draft, While You Were Sleeping, and North By Northwest, to new releases like Eagle Eye, Wanted, and The Dark Knight. Possibly my favorite moment of the day was Pat’s homage to Vince Vaughn. There really is nothing quite like big guys dancing and no one does it better than Vince. (Fred Claus, The Breakup, etc.) You can tell Pat enjoys what he does which makes the whole trip even better. He’s freaking hilarious and is the kind of guy you want to have a beer with and watch a good flick. If you have friends and family coming in from out of town, or even folks you know in town and you want to show them how great our city is, tell them to take this tour. No matter what age you are or what you think you know about the movies, you’re sure to learn a ton on this tour.
Get yourself some tickets and check this out today!