Get Up and Go! Conversation Series Begins June 7

This summer, the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture has expanded its popular Get Up and Go! Conversation Series to extend throughout the summer and to offer free, guided tours of Chicago’s neighborhoods. Conversations will take place every Tuesday at 12:15 p.m., from June 7 – September 20, in the Chicago Cultural Center’s Visitor Information Center (77 E. Randolph Street).

Hosted by Mark Bazer, Redeye columnist, humorist and host of The Interview Show at The Hideout, the Series will highlight the arts, history and cultural riches of a different neighborhood each week by engaging a neighborhood expert in an interview-style conversation. Following the 45-minute conversation, the audience is invited to attend a free walking-tour of the neighborhood. Tours will last approximately one-hour, not including transit time, and will depart from and return to the Chicago Cultural Center via the CTA. CTA passes will be provided to visitors taking the tour.

The Get Up and Go! Conversation series is part of Urban Excursions: Explore Chicago, the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture’s 2011 summer initiative showcasing hundreds of treks, tours, itineraries, and other urban adventures downtown and throughout the neighborhoods, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. For more information about Get Up and Go! and Urban Excursions, visit www.ExploreChicago.org/summer.

Get Up and Go! Conversations Series Neighborhood Schedule

June 7:                        Prairie Avenue
June 14:                     Edgewater
June 21:                     Albany Park
June 28:                     Uptown
July 5:                         Chinatown
July 12:                        Andersonville
July 19:                       Lincoln Park
July 26:                        Streeterville
August 2:                    Westridge
August 9:                     Humboldt Park
August 16:                  Pilsen
August 23:                  Bridgeport
August 30:                   Lakeview
September 6:             Little Village
September 13:            Bronzeville
September 20:            Hyde Park

Visitor Information Resources
Visitors and Chicagoans planning to entertain out-of-town guests can receive trip-planning assistance and information by visiting www.ExploreChicago.org. Brochures and information on Chicago’s exciting events and activities are also available at the Visitor Information Centers. Friendly Visitor Representatives can answer questions and assist in planning an unforgettable itinerary. The visitor centers are located in two of the city’s most popular areas: across from Millennium Park in the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph Street; and at the historic Water Works pumping station, 163 E. Pearson Street at Michigan Avenue.

For daily alerts about fun and free things to do in Chicago, follow ExploreChicago on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/ExploreChicago and “like” us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ExploreChicago, where you can also weigh in on your Chicago favorites. Receive answers to your Chicago questions on the go, and tips on the latest citywide events and activities, via the FREE Twitter Concierge Service (@explorechicago) available daily.

The Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture is dedicated to promoting Chicago as a premier cultural destination to domestic and international leisure travelers, providing innovative visitor programs and services, and presenting free world-class public programs. For more information please visitwww.ExploreChicago.org.