Discover the dramatic transformations of Chicago’s most rapidly
booming neighborhood on this walking tour. Over the course of this
two-hour excursion, you’ll get a glimpse of Fulton Market’s
meatpacking past and enjoy a taste of its gourmand present. Our Fulton
Market food tour guests will sample some of the culinary delights of
Fulton Market without feeling overstuffed. You’ll get to taste
artisanal deli meats from Publican Quality Meats and half of the
signature sub at J.P. Graziano, a family-owned shop in its third
generation. The neighborhood tour finishes with pickles and a craft
beer sample at Haymarket Pub & Brewery. Please keep in mind that this
is an educational tour. Other Chicago food tours may focus more on
eating, but we will eat a light amount and most of all learn!
We call our Fulton Market food tour the “Factories to Calories”
tour because of the area’s shift from a place of production of
appliances, furniture and meat products to a hub of consumption of
food and drink. The walking tour starts with a grand view to see the
train and highway systems that made Fulton Market into a vital
industrial and meatpacking district throughout much of the 1900s.
From there, we’re off on a one-mile jaunt through a neighborhood
defined by change. As recently as the 1980’s and 90’s, Fulton
Market was home to underground parties, drug busts, and low-rent art
galleries. Today instead, you will find high-end retailers and offices
of massive corporations like Google and McDonald’s among historic
architecture.
FULTON MARKET TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
-Signature sandwich from a family-owned neighborhood shop
-A giant cold storage facility, now Google offices
-“Gourmet Food Trend Row” and a tasting from Publican Quality
Meats
-The striking art deco Richter Foods building
-Hidden clues in the landscape tied to the meatpacking past.
WALKING TOUR STORIES AND IDEAS
-Chicago’s meatpacking history and the role of Fulton Market
-Impact of transportation infrastructure on neighborhood identity
-The industrial neighborhood disappearing before our eyes
-Family businesses and traditions
-Urban renewal and redevelopment
-Labor history and the Haymarket Affair
culture
food
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05/07/2020 Last update