Everyone wants to visit New York at least once. The Big Apple is a global tourist destination with a dizzying array of attractions throughout the five boroughs. The only problem is figuring out where to start—and that’s where the city’s tour guides come in. These guides are a vital part of New York’s raucous sidewalk culture, and, as The Tour Guide reveals, the tours they offer are as fascinatingly diverse—and eccentric—as the city itself. Visitors can take tours that cover Manhattan before the arrival of European settlers, the nineteenth-century Irish gangs of Five Points, the culinary traditions of Queens, the culture of Harlem, or even the surveillance cameras of Chelsea—in short, there are tours to satisfy anyone’s curiosity about the city’s past or present. And the guides are as intriguing as the subjects, we learn, as Jonathan R. Wynn explores the lives of the people behind the tours, introducing us to office workers looking for a diversion from their desk jobs, unemployed actors honing their vocal skills, and struggling retirees searching for a second calling. Matching years of research with his own experiences as a guide, Wynn also lays bare the grueling process of acquiring an official license and offers a how-to guide to designing and leading a tour. Touching on the long history of tour-giving across the globe as well as the ups and downs of New York’s tour guide industry in the wake of 9/11, The Tour Guide is as informative and insightful as the chatty, charming, and colorful characters at its heart.

D. Ray Wilson's Illinois tour guide features a brief history of the Land of Lincoln & its people as well as listing all of the museums, complete with schedules & fee information, & historical sites. A total of 238 photographs are used to emphasize many of the state's offerings. The names of such famous persons connected with Illinois are numerous--such names as John Deere, Joseph Glidden, Marshall Field, Jane Addams, Ann Rutledge, John Logan, William Jennings Bryan, Joseph Smith, Allen Pinkerton, Elijah Lovejoy, Ulysses S. Grant, Pierre Menard, David Davis, Adlai Stevenson, Ronald Wilson Reagan, & of course, Abraham Lincoln & Stephen A. Douglas. The story of the Mormon period in Illinois is an important piece of the state's history as well as that of the church. Another religious sect, the Amish, flourish today in central Illinois. The early civilization at Cahokia is still another interesting bit of of the state's history. The stories of these people & others all appear in this 448-page fully indexed book released in soft cover & hard cover. Wilson's tour guides for several other states have received excellent reviews from critics.

Explores bizarre sights and stories found in Illinois.

Winner, ISHS Best of Illinois History Award, 2019 This richly illustrated compendium of twenty-two historic buildings in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area includes houses, a hotel, and an art center, all of which are open to the public. Each site links today’s visitors with a place Lincoln lived, a home of a Lincoln friend or colleague, or a spot that illuminates Lincoln’s era and legacy in central Illinois. Along with dozens of modern and historical photographs, entries contain explorations of historical connections to Lincoln and detailed information about exceptional features and artifacts. Complete with maps, this showcase of Illinois heritage is a handy guide for day trips, extended tours, or armchair adventures.

This book is chock full of over 100 photographs of gorgeous doors, windows, architecture and more, seen by the eye of designer Ronnie Frey. Through this visual narrative, he will inspire you to find portals into other realms and meditative states. You will get a taste of the rich and diverse cultural history of Chicago architecture and its neighborhoods as well as find relevant, thought-provoking messages reminding you to stay in the moment.

This unique book combines state-specific facts and 30 fun-to-do hands-on projects. The History Project Book includes creating a cartoon panel to describe how your state name may have come about, creating a fort replica, making a state history museum, dressing up as a famous explorer and recreating the main discovery, and more! Kids will have a blast and build essential knowledge skills including research, reading, writing, science and math. Great for students in K-8 grades and for displaying in the classroom, library or home.