My Mom and I were on a cross-country trip last week and decided to stop in Chicago for the first time ever. As an architecture geek, I was really excited to go on a tour with the Chicago Architecture Center given their great reputation! Unfortunately, though, our first interaction with the Center was lacking. When we went inside to get tickets, we had a very weird conversation with Michael, our cashier. He was oddly condescending and authoritative. I walked up and asked if they had any tours that showed a range of architectural styles. He said "What style are you most interested in?" I said I just wanted a tour with multiple styles - nothing in particular since it was my first time in the city. He then told me "We have tours for particular architectural styles - which one do you want?" To which I responded the exact same way - I'd rather see a variety. He said the same thing *twice* more, oddly trying to get me to say what style I wanted, and my Mom and I were very offput by how dense and unpleasant he was being. He did eventually suggest the "Walk Through Time" tour after I tried to rephrase my answer to get through to him. We agreed to get that tour; when I said my Mom and I would be getting separate tickets, though, he demanded that my Mom get back in line instead of standing with me while I purchased mine. This was despite there being no line at all - nobody was being held up.
We were very offput by his cold and awkward demeanor which, thankfully, was not reflective of other employees' attitudes. Everyone else we interacted with there was incredibly friendly and helpful! We explored their 1st and 2nd floor exhibits where we spoke with a couple people about the city's architectural history, current projects and so forth.
Later, we took the Walk Through Time tour with Mary Jane who was very engaging, well-read and a pleasure to interact with. We got to see a variety of buildings close to the river and got to go inside one of them. I felt like the buildings chosen were excellent examples of each era's architectural styles. The Carbide and Carbon building was one of my favorites. And, it was a beautiful day to walk around the bustling streets.
Overall, I was pleased with the experience - but William needs to learn how to be a better customer service representative. I would probably do another tour in the future that focuses on buildings' interiors.
Одговор домаћина
Aug 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave us feedback on your visit. I am sorry to read that your experience did not necessarily start off on the right foot, but am happy to hear that your tour and experience at the center was overall enjoyable. We do apologize and we hope to see you again, should your travels lead you to Chicago once more.