Chicago, The Adventurous City

There are all kinds of athletic activities--traditional and offbeat--that are cropping up all over the place. And if it's something new, chances are people in Chicago are willing to try it. At least that's what a Facebook analysis of status updates indicates. The social network looked fitness-related mentions and check-ins over the last three months, as well as tracked usage of fitness-related apps. What it learned was that Chicago has the most mentions of "starting a new sport," and therefore dubbed it the most "Adventurous City."

While the accuracy of this analysis is somewhat arguable, I will say that being named the most Adventurous City is certainly a positive accolade. Especially considering that "adventure" is such a big trend. I recently spoke with the president of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, a global organization driven to help businesses thrive in adventure tourism, and he talked about the array of opportunities out there.

Now, when you think of adventure, what comes to mind? Climbing Machu Picchu? Scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef? Skydiving...anywhere? Well, you're right, to some extent. Adventure travel does incorporate those kinds of intense experiences, which usually appeal to thrill seekers. But it doesn't have to be that level of excitement to qualify as adventure travel. It can be a bike tour through a forest preserve, or an easy hike around a reservoir, or even a culture tour of ancient ruins. A trip must have three elements to categorize it as adventure travel. First, it has to have some sort of physical activity, and it does not necessarily have to be extreme. In fact, hiking is probably the most common pursuit on adventure tours. Second, there has to be some kind of connection to nature. Third, it has to include some kind of cultural experience.

Chicago is home to people eager to try new sports, according to the analysis. Luckily, there are plenty of adventurous activities locals and visitors can enjoy in the city. The lakefront welcomes runners, bikers, boaters and swimmers, as well as paddle boarders and rowers. There are also a number of specialty fitness clubs for kickboxing and karate and spinning and so much more. Personally, I'd like to try rock climbing. I went a few times growing up in Colorado, but haven't done it in years. It would certainly be a change and a fun experience.

There are only a few rock climbing walls in the city, and most of them are part of fitness clubs, so I assume I have to be a member to use them. Some locations have a day pass to use the rock walls, such as Hidden Peak, which costs $10 for a day or $7 for a lunch time pass. I may have to do a little more research on it, but it could be a fun weekend activity.

Not Your Average Tour

Just last weekend, my parents, uncle and his girlfriend, came to visit me in Chicago. For my parents, it was an opportunity to see their daughter and spend some quality family time together. While it was also that for my uncle and his girlfriend, it was also a chance to see a new city, since neither had been here before. Of course, they asked me what they should see and do, and I ran off the usual list of attractions. They decided to do the Architecture Tour along the river, which I think is one of the better tours offered in Chicago. Not only is it a great way to see a lot of the downtown area, but it provides great backround on Chicago's history.

While I will always recommend this tour to first time visitors, I cannot guarantee that everyone will appreciate it, since each person has different tastes, opinions, and interests that could be fulfilled through other options. There's walking tours, bus tours, mob tours, ghost tours, museum tours, the list goes on and on. But even with all these, some people may still be looking for something different, unusual, off-kilter.

Enter the internet and its vast array of travel-sharing websites touting specialty tours, unique experiences and some pretty odd activities not generally listed on a tourism site. I learned about these through a New York Times article, which discusses a few of the platforms.

Tequila Adventure Rapel

What makes these sites work is the artists, chefs, students, writers, hobbyists, and musicians, who offer their services to those looking for a truly novel experience. Some websites are better than others about making sure guides can deliver on their promises, while other rely on peer reviews.

CanaryHop.com was co-founded by "Saturday Night Live" star Andy Samberg and launched in March. It is a searchable list of about 2,500 guides and service providers, which are referred to on the site as "canaries," while travelers are called "hoppers." Some examples of experiences are a circus training in Las Vegas; a fire engine tour in San Francisco; camping in the Mojave Desert with a botanist; New York City makeup and accessories tour; and home cooking and eating with a family in Delhi.

Gidsy.com is another option that has grown popular in the last year. With the tagline "do something different," the website certainly lives up to that mentality with its options. It features offerings in nine cities, with activities like a chocolate and grappa tasting in Hasselt, Belgium; a tango lesson in London; a street photography workshop with a professional photographer in Istanbul; and a challah braiding and baking class in New York.

East London Street Food Tour

The idea behind Vayable.com is to give travelers a deeper look into at a local culture through experts. The site has 1,500 guides on almost every continent--it hasn't quite made it to Antartica. Travelers can search ac tivities by city and then book their own experience or join a pre-arranged tour. Some of the options include a hookah and tea tour in Istanbul, fly fishing in Alaska with the may of Kenai, a tour of East London street food, and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle tour of Versailles and Rambouillet.

Another option if you are just looking for unique experiences in New York is SideTour. The founder, Vipin Goyal, said there are plans to expand, but New York certainly offers a plethora of exciting and intriguing opportunities. Most of the listings are updated weekly and sell out weeks in advance, so book early! Popular offerings include a street art tour and graffiti demonstration, urban beekeeping in Brooklyn, and creaft beer brewing.

As someone who is often looking for something different to do in my own city, perhaps I should see if there are any special activities/tours in Chicago. That way the next time someone asks me about what they should do here, I can offer something that's a little bit off the beaten path. And for my future travels, I will certainly give these sites a quick run through to see if there is anything I would like to take part in during my visit. Because what could be better than finding a hidden art gallery that isn't featured in every travel guide? Or tasting street food from the vendor that doesn't have a line around the block but is just as good--if not better--as that guy that was featured on the food network? Or having an in depth conversation with a local author while sipping regionally-made wine at an underground jazz club? It's these kinds of odd experiences and locations that make a city what it is, so why not take the opportunity to peel back the artificial layers and see the roots.

Riding a Camel in a Convention Center

I had the privilege of attending the Travel & Adventure Exposition this weekend--due mostly to the fact that it was being held in the same building as the Lululemon warehouse sale and my friend found a way to get free entry. However, it was also a great opportunity to discover some new destinations, learn about exciting tour offerings and ride a camel...

Yes, you heard me right, a camel. To promote some of the safaris in Africa, one of the groups provided a real camel for people to ride. So my friend Bernice and I hit that booth first and hopped on up for a quick lap. It was certainly a good marketing scheme, which is mostly what these conventions are anyway.

The rest of the time was spent wandering around to the different booths, hearing various pitches about what makes this destination so great, or why we should choose this tour provider, or how to enter to win a free trip. There were so many fliers, booklets, and information sheets, that before I knew it, the bag I was carrying weighed at least 10 pounds.

While I certainly received more information than I could possibly ever need, the disadvantage of these kinds of events is that you are bombarded with so much in such a short amount of time, that a lot of stuff can get lost or forgotten by the end of it. I cannot really recall half of the booths I stopped at--unless I sift through all my papers--and I know I entered a few contests, but I'm not really sure which ones they were.

I will say, however, that I gained a lot of insight about places from the representatives there, because they are the experts, and a majority of the time, they are locals. The best way to learn about a place is to talk to the people who actually live there. We got the chance to listen to a Q&A session with travel industry experts about finding the best places to eat when traveling, and the piece of advice they all gave was to find a local coffee shop and ask residents to suggest where to eat. The same goes for activities to participate in, places to see and hotels to stay at. (This is another reason I love Anthony Bourdain's show The Layover, because he talks to locals and rarely refers to travel guides or visits all the big tourist spots.)

The adventure tour booths were some of the most exciting for me to visit. One that looked interesting was Adventure Center, which offers everything from culture & history and wildlife & wilderness tours to cycling and polar voyages. Of the historical trips, Bolivia Highlights or Treasures of Turkey are the first two I would opt for. The Bolivia trip is a 12 day itinerary that explores the region's indigenous country, La Paz, Sucre, Potosi's mines and the Uyuni Salt Flats. The Turkey tour is 15 days and highlights contemporary Istanbul and the ancient remains of older civilizations at site like Troy, Gallipoli and Ephesus. For something a bit more active, the Darjeeling, Sikkam & the Singalila Ridge walking and trekking 15-day tour gives you the chance to explore Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and trek through the forests of rhododendron and magnolia to see views of the Himalayan Mountains. Another one that sounds ideal to me is the Chianti: Walking & Wine tour, a week long stroll through Southern Tuscany's hilltop villages and vineyards.

For my first travel expo, I would say it was a success, though slightly crowded and hectic. I hope to frequent more of these in the future, perhaps when I have established myself more as a travel writer and analyst.

Stay tuned....