Intern Cruise 2002

Art deco or prairie style? On Wednesday, July 17, the Packer interns (both traditional and STEP) had the pleasure of taking the Chicago Architecture River Cruise and learning all we ever needed to know about the difference between art deco (emphasis on the vertical) and prairie (emphasis on the horizontal) styles of architecture. Hosted by the Chicago Architecture Foundation, the 90 minute cruise features over 50 historic and architecturally significant buildings along the Chicago River.

Our morning began with a relaxing train ride from the Route 59 train station into Chicago. Upon arrival at Union Station, we had plenty of time to explore the city and enjoy a long lunch. Looking sharp and professional in our new Packer intern polo shirts, we turned several admiring heads throughout the day. After lunch we boarded the upper deck of our boat, Chicago's First Lady, and basked in the hot afternoon sun as a CAF docent narrated our cruise with interesting facts about the buildings we saw. The cruise spotlights several important buildings of different architectural styles in Chicago's Loop, including the Wrigley building, the Civic Opera House, the original main post office, the Leo Burnett building, and the Chicago Sun-Times building. The scenery of the Chicago River-once classified as toxic but now only "highly polluted"-provided a pleasant backdrop to our educational experience.

Our trip ended as we boarded the train back to Naperville, tired and sweaty but happy with the day's events. (Thankfully Metra is nicely air-conditioned!) The experience was truly enriching and enjoyable-many thanks to Dr. Packer for sponsoring our trip!