Full Weekday Service now Running - May 21st, 2009

This phase of the Trump Construction is complete. CWT weekday commuter service back on full schedule on Friday, May 22nd.

*****SERVICE ALERT***** - May 15th, 2009

MICHIGAN AVENUE TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION CLOSURE

MONDAY, MAY18TH THROUGH FRIDAY, MAY 22ND

Service to our Michigan Avenue (Rush Street) dock will be suspended during the week of May 18th in order to accommodate the Trump construction project.

SERVICE to LASALLE/CLARK STREET will continue with a taxi running every 15 minutes starting at 6:30 AM - 7:01PM except no PM service on Tuesday, May 19. (see below)

We have coordinated with CDOT & Bovis Construction to minumize the impact to our riders throughout this project phase.

Thank you for your cooperation. We apologize for the inconvenience.

LASALLE/CLARK STREET NO PM SERVICE MAY 19TH

Due to a special event at Fulton’s on the River, there will be no service at LaSalle/Clark Street after 12:00PM on Tuesday, May 19th.

Morning AM service is NOT affected.

New Ticketing Kiosks - April 17th, 2009

We now have our new ticketing kiosk at our madison street and Michigan ave. dock by the Wendella Boats ticket office. You will be able to purchase any of our tickets on these machines by using your debit or credit card. Starting May 1st, you will only be able to purchase 10 rides and monthly passes by using these kiosks or at the Wendella Boats ticket window at the Wrigley Building. We hope you will find the new kiosks convenient and easy to use. If you have any questions please email us. As we try and improve our service we value your feedback.

Thank you,
The CWT Team

Chicago Climate Action Plan - April 1st, 2009

www.chicagoclimateaction at cityofchicago dot org


The Chicago Climate Action Plan is a comprehensive and detailed strategy to help lower greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change. It builds upon the many efforts the City and its partners have already undertaken to make Chicago the most environmentally friendly city in the nation. Community groups, faith-based organizations, businesses, and chambers of commerce helped craft the plan; each has a role in its implementation. The City of Chicago is committed to fostering partnerships to carry out each recommended action. Working together, we can assure that Chicago will continue to be a place where families and businesses come to live, play and work. Visit www.chicagoclimateaction.org to learn more about the Chicago Climate Action Plan, what you-as a resident or business leader-can do to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and what the City is doing to protect and preserve the environment.

2009 Fares - February 25th, 2009

Our 2009 10 rides will be $16.00 and our monthly will now be $42.00. One way fares will remain the same. We will also have new ticketing Kiosks where you can purchase these passes. More info to come on this. We appreciate your ridership and look forward to having you onboard in 2009.
The CWT Team

Chicago Flatwater Classic October 5th - September 24th, 2008

Who:
Friends of the Chicago River, and 1,000 paddlers, volunteers and spectators. From first-time paddlers to avid racers and from families to corporate teams, Flatwater Classic participants power down the river in standard canoes and kayaks, as well as 26-foot Voyageur replica boats.

What:
The Chicago River Flatwater Classic, the only canoe and kayak race on the Chicago River. The race begins with our Voyageur Challenge, in which 10 - 12 corporate and other organizational teams compete for the Voyageur trophy. The race then opens up to hundreds of individual racers and non-competitive participants.

Where:
Paddlers begin the 7.25 mile course at Clark Park (3400 N. Rockwell) and paddle south the finish at Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown (300 W. 19th St.). Along the way, participants enjoy all of the visual splendor that the Chicago River has to offer, including the wooded riverbanks of the north side neighborhoods, industrial corridor surrounding Goose Island, and awe-inspiring vista of downtown as seen by the river.

http://www.chicagoriver.org/events/flatwater_classic/

CWT to provide night service and donate - September 11th, 2008

From chicagotribune.com…

Michigan Avenue Bridge to close during nights

Tribune staff report

7:54 AM CDT, September 11, 2008

Beginning Thursday night, the Michigan Avenue Bridge will be closed overnight to facilitate construction of a walkway that will connect to the Wacker Drive Riverwalk.

The bridge will be closed from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. until Sept. 19, weather permitting, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation. The closures are needed to allow crews to install sheet piling under the bridge to create space needed to build the walkway.

Signs will direct pedestrians to Columbus Drive or Wabash Avenue to cross the river, but Wendella Sightseeing tour boats will provide shuttle service across the river “on an as-needed basis,” department officials said.

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Service will be $1.00 of which the majority of proceeds will be donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
www.chicagosfoodbank.org www.northernilfoodbank.org

Chinatown Moon Festival Extended Service - September 7th, 2008

The CWT will have extended service to Chinatown for this event: Our last pick up in Chinatown will be at 11PM to Madison and Michigan.


Chinatown Moon Festival
September 13th, 2008
12pm-10pm
www.moonfestchicago.com


What is Moon Festival?

The Chinese Moon Festival is on the 15th of the 8th lunar month. It’s also known as the Mid-autumn Festival. Chinese culture is deeply imbedded in traditional festivals. Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West, the Moon Festival is one of the most important traditional events for the Chinese.

The Moon Festival is full of legendary stories. Legend says that Chang Er flew to the moon, where she has lived ever since. You might see her dancing on the moon during the Moon Festival. The Moon Festival is also an occasion for family reunions. When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon poems. With the full moon, the legend, the family and the poems, you can’t help thinking that this is really a perfect world. That is why the Chinese are so fond of the Moon Festival.

The Moon Festival is also a romantic one. A perfect night for the festival is if it is a quiet night without a silk of cloud and with a little mild breeze from the sea. Lovers spend such a romantic night together tasting the delicious moon cake with some wine while watching the full moon. Even for a couple who can’t be together, they can still enjoy the night by watching the moon at the same time so it seems that they are together at that hour.

Moon Cakes are a delicacy consumed during the Moon Festival. They have a noodle-like dough on the outside, and the insides are usually filled with one or more of the following: sweetmeats, bean paste, lotus seed paste, melon seed, all sorts of nuts, and duck egg yolks. The reason why they are called Moon Cakes may be because they are shaped like the moon. The Chinese characters mean that it was originally a seasonal confectionery eaten while admiring the mid-autumn harvest moon. Moon cakes go best with oolong or jasmine tea.

Rubber Ducky Derby Special Olympics Illinois - August 8th, 2008

A great Derby was had by all. A Ducky day indeed. Thank you for all who came out to support Special Olympics Illinois! Pictures to come soon….. www.duckrace.com/chicago

Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy - July 21st, 2008

Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce
2008 Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy.

Come visit our booth at Ping Tom Park for the race. Free Admission Saturday, July 26, 2008. 9:00AM-4:00PM

Ping Tom Memorial Park
Take the Chicago Water Taxi right to the event.

Experience the races, music, games & crafts
Join us for an action-packed day of Dragon Boat Races as teams compete in a fast-paced tournament along the Chicago river. Enjoy entertainment, fun, and games, plus a special performance by the award-winning acrobats of Cirque Shanghai.

Rockin’ in the Square - July 16th, 2008

Chicago Water Taxi and Wendella Boats presents this free concert July 20th @ 11:30AM til 4:30PM in Chinatown Square. 2100 S. Wentworth Ave. Performing will be A solo acoustic act Stephen Cominus and featuring Uncle Bob and the Bluzers + The Captain Blood Orchestra. Yes! Together again for the first time only…….

How are you going to get there? Take the CWT of course. Service all Day Sunday to Chinatown.

CWT is a proud partner for Rubber Ducky Derby - June 13th, 2008

Come out and see the CWT and adopt a duck. Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby Special Olympics Illinois. Friday, August 8, 2008 at
12 noon - Columbus Drive Bridge- Chicago River. You can find adoption papers onboard all the water taxis and also on Wendella tour boats.

More than 30,000 ducks will splash into the Chicago River off the Columbus Drive Bridge.