Had originally planned to go on the Shoreline tour but it was sold out for the entire day. We walked across the bridge to the Wrigley building and the Wendella was available and cheaper! We sat on the top deck in the back. This was a good move as we had a little bit of shade and the speaker was right behind us. Our guide, Sarah, was very friendly and knowledgable. It's informative and nice to take an hour break and sit down when you are sight seeing all day! I would recommend this to everyone visiting Chicago.

We decided to take the hour and a half architectural boat tour with Wendella Boats. The boat was very clean and comfortable. The crew were very friendly. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the buildings on the Chicago River, the Lakefront, and about Chicago history in general. It is a very relaxing tour also. I would highly recommend this tour to any and all that visit Chicago!! It is well worth the money!
Get there early so you can get a seat on the top of the boat.
(we were on the 1:00 tour on Wed., July 29, 2009)

If you do not arrive early and wait in line, you will end up on the lower deck. The whole purpose was to sit on the top that is open so you can see the city. We ended up on the lower deck. We were disappointed in this tour.

This was the highlight of our Chicago trip! We boarded right across the street from our hotel (Hyatt Regency) after grabbing a cocktail at the outdoor bar just down the path from the ticket booth. We were trying to get tickets for the "Architecture" tour, but it was sold out. The ticket agent recommended something she called an "Urban" tour, which was largely architectural and also included a little spin out on to Lake Michigan. The architecture portion was fantastic. Our guide was great and we got to see the city from a really different perspective...we got a little history and a little movie location trivia all thrown in :-) Then we had to go through the lock to get out on the lake. Um...uber-cool! The bf and I were completely geeking out on the whole thing and we got another perspective of the city. I recommend you do this tour or something similar--it's a great way to see the city!