Have you ever travel around Chicago's gorgeous downtown? Doyou wan to have a chance? Here, in the 'InstaGreeter' program, you may find what you want.
November 11, 2006 (Press Release) --
Maybe you live in the suburbs and wish you had a with-it Chicagoan to offer a quick tour of downtown. Or perhaps you have out-of-town visitors and want to give them a savvy introduction to the Windy City.
"InstaGreeter", a program from the Chicago Office of Tourism, offers last-minute, walk-up guests an hourlong downtown walking tour with knowledgeable Chicago volunteers. Not only do outsiders get to learn about the city from a passionate resident, but they get to do it free of charge from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.
"We found there was a group of people we could serve who weren't planning that far ahead and weren't interested in a specific neighborhood or language, but still needed some sort of orientation and inside perspective the greeters were able to provide," says Dorothy Coyle, Chicago Office of Tourism director. While greeters can gear their discussion to visitors' interest, she says "it's really not meant to be a substitute for an existing tour," such as those offered by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. What greeters can share: insights on public transportation, downtown shopping and other insider scoop.
"What we hope," says Coyle, "is it expedites [visitors'] learning curve so they can maximize their time in the city." Since the Chicago Greeter's 2002 launch, nearly 5,000 people from all 50 U.S. states and 32 countries have used the service. Tours are offered in French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Italian, Portuguese -- even Yiddish -- by city-dwelling volunteers, who range from age 20 to 84.
The "on-the-spot" InstaGreeter program complements the seven-days-a-week "Chicago Greeter" program, where visitors can register up to two weeks in advance for free, customized tours of specific city neighborhoods or interests, such as architecture, bicycling or shopping. Chicago modeled its program after New York's "Big Apple Greeter," and Coyle says similar ones now exist in Houston, Montreal and Australia.
"To have that informal, personalized opportunity to experience the city adds a whole other layer of comfort," says Coyle, "and is such a gesture of welcome." Although summers are busiest, winter months see plenty of visitors in town for holiday shopping.
Although the Greeter program has nearly 200 volunteers, it's in the market for more -- especially if folks speak Chinese, German or Spanish. "There are so many people who love living in Chicago and if they have time to give to the city," says Coyle, "that's great. And if you speak a foreign language, it gives you a chance to practice."
Source: http://www.msn.com
"InstaGreeter", a program from the Chicago Office of Tourism, offers last-minute, walk-up guests an hourlong downtown walking tour with knowledgeable Chicago volunteers. Not only do outsiders get to learn about the city from a passionate resident, but they get to do it free of charge from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.
"We found there was a group of people we could serve who weren't planning that far ahead and weren't interested in a specific neighborhood or language, but still needed some sort of orientation and inside perspective the greeters were able to provide," says Dorothy Coyle, Chicago Office of Tourism director. While greeters can gear their discussion to visitors' interest, she says "it's really not meant to be a substitute for an existing tour," such as those offered by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. What greeters can share: insights on public transportation, downtown shopping and other insider scoop.
"What we hope," says Coyle, "is it expedites [visitors'] learning curve so they can maximize their time in the city." Since the Chicago Greeter's 2002 launch, nearly 5,000 people from all 50 U.S. states and 32 countries have used the service. Tours are offered in French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Italian, Portuguese -- even Yiddish -- by city-dwelling volunteers, who range from age 20 to 84.
The "on-the-spot" InstaGreeter program complements the seven-days-a-week "Chicago Greeter" program, where visitors can register up to two weeks in advance for free, customized tours of specific city neighborhoods or interests, such as architecture, bicycling or shopping. Chicago modeled its program after New York's "Big Apple Greeter," and Coyle says similar ones now exist in Houston, Montreal and Australia.
"To have that informal, personalized opportunity to experience the city adds a whole other layer of comfort," says Coyle, "and is such a gesture of welcome." Although summers are busiest, winter months see plenty of visitors in town for holiday shopping.
Although the Greeter program has nearly 200 volunteers, it's in the market for more -- especially if folks speak Chinese, German or Spanish. "There are so many people who love living in Chicago and if they have time to give to the city," says Coyle, "that's great. And if you speak a foreign language, it gives you a chance to practice."
Source: http://www.msn.com
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