A World's Fair Christmas Weekend!

I hosted 20 wonderful readers in the great city of Chicago for a World's Fair Christmas weekend Dec. 8-11. The weekend centered around the 1893 World's Fair as the setting for my novel, Shadows of the White City. My husband Rob (pictured at left) came with me this time to act as my right-hand man, although he preferred the term "henchman." His help allowed me to feel like I could be in two places at once, but of course we always like to be in the same place, too!

Readers came from Florida, California, Colorado, Tennessee, and places in between. Here's what one participant had to say at the end of our weekend together:

As a person who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, I have been to the city many, many times, but even so, I enjoyed the atmosphere of being in the Loop at Christmas with all the beautiful decorations and lights. I am amazed how much I learned about the city, the World's Fair, Marshall Field's store, and the Palmer family, and I visited places I had never been to before, such as the Glessner House, the Marquette Building, Prairie Avenue, and the Midway. It wasn't necessary to have read the book in order to enjoy the weekend, but because I had read the book, I had a better understanding of the history that was shared in our tours and by the interpreters. For me it was both a learning experience and a nostalgic visit to familiar and loved places.

~Marcia

Here's another perspective from a reader in our group:

The Chicago World’s Fair Christmas exceeded my expectations!  I love history and historical fiction, so it was a natural fit for me, but my husband, who is primarily an action/adventure reader really enjoyed the trip too.  He read Shadows of the White City before the trip, but I think that anyone who enjoys learning about history, or the history of a city would enjoy this trip.  Many of our excursions had tie-ins to Jocelyn’s book, but visiting and learning about Chicago’s beautiful and historical buildings and dwellings would be of general interest to non-readers too.  I’ve visited Chicago before and seen several of the main tourist attractions, but everything on this tour (except Macy’s) was new to me.  The Jane Addams and Bertha Palmer historical interpretors were very informative and taught me a lot about those ladies’ lives and contributions as well as more about the history of Chicago.  Bill, our Glessner House guide, and Kevin of Wild Onion Walks were both very knowledgeable in their areas of expertise and kept us informed and entertained.  This trip was a visual feast with the many beautiful buildings and their amazing architecture and artwork, and Christmas decorations on top of that!  Chicago has a dangerous reputation, but most of our time was spent in and around the Palmer House and other historic areas accompanied by our group and drivers/guides, and I never felt uneasy.  I also appreciated having some free time to either rest or spend time in areas of personal interest.  All in all, a very enjoyable experience and we would go again.

~Elaine

The pictures below are just a few of the highlights from our trip. We had a wonderful time!

We stayed at the historic Palmer House hotel, which is featured in Shadows of the White City. It's always a treat to stay here, but it's extra special during the holiday season! In fact, we happened to arrive on National Brownie Day (Dec. 8) which the hotel celebrated since the brownie was invented in the Palmer House kitchen in 1893!

After our welcome meeting in the hotel, we hopped on a shuttle which took us to the Praire Avenue historic district. There, we enjoyed a one-hour private tour of the Glessner House, one of Chicago's gilded age mansions.

After our tour of the mansion, we enjoyed a hot buffet in the conservatory! There was plenty of food, and it was all so good.

During coffee and dessert, I shared a little bit about the World's Fair. Every table had sets of laminated cards to flip through while I spoke. 

Friday morning began with a Bring Your Own Coffee Book Club in one of the meeting rooms in the hotel. It flew by! I love having the chance to chat with readers and answer questions in person. After book club, we had a visit with Jane Addams! Actress Betsey Means of WomanLore gave our group a private performance which I don't think any of us will forget. A highlight of the weekend.

Next, we walked over to Macy's with Kevin of Wild Onion Walks for a historic tour of the department store that was Marshall Field's for so long. Truly a Chicago institution.

The tour ended on the seventh floor, where we enjoyed lunch in the Walnut Room. The tree is suspended from the ceiling with a cable/wire, so the weight doesn't damage the Tiffany ceiling from beneath the floor.

After lunch was free time for the rest of the day! Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza is only about a block away from Macy's, so that was a popular stop for several in our group.

In the evening, some attended A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre about half a mile from our hotel. 

Saturday was another eventful day! It began with a city tour led by Kevin again. Our first stop was The Marquette Building, completed in 1895. Marquette was a French missionary and explorer, the first European to discover the Chicago River. 

Another important visit was 2nd Presbyterian Church, which has National Landmark status for the nine Tiffany windows in its sanctuary. 

Bill Tyre, who gave us a tour of the Glessner House, is also on the board at 2nd Presbyterian and explained what we were seeing in the church, as well. The chancel was being restored during our visit, but it didn't affect our ability to see the windows. 

At the end of our morning tour, some were dropped off to visit the Museum of Science and Industry, which is one of only two buildings still here that were built for the 1893 World's Fair. The rest of us scattered for a variety of activities! Some went for deep-dish pizza, and some went to Portillo's for a Chicago hot dog or Italian beef sandwich, pictured below.

After lunch, everyone did whatever they wanted for the afternoon!

After everyone found dinner on their own from a wealth of options, we met again at the hotel for our final event. In the Crystal Room, we had a private performance by Dr. Leslie Goddard, who portrayed for us Bertha Palmer, wife of the man who built the Palmer House hotel. Both Mr. and Mrs. Palmer did much more than operate the hotel, though, and we enjoyed learning all about it. The performance was set as though we were in the year 1893.

For more pics, see my Facebook album here.

This was the second tour I've led in Chicago. The first one, held in April, covered all three books in The Windy City Saga, including historic milestones in the city's history such as the Great Fire of 1871, the 1893 World's Fair, and the 1915 Eastland Disaster. (See my report on that trip here.) This December weekend was so much fun, I'm optimistic I'll offer another Christmas trip in the future. But if you're more of a warm weather traveler, save these dates! The next Windy City Saga Tour will be August 31 - Sept. 3, 2023! These weekends are such unique experiences. I'm looking forward to the next one already!

Have you been to any of the places mentioned in this blog post? Or, which of these places or experiences do you think you would enjoy?