Chicago Architecture Tourists Find Home Decor Souvenirs

Jan. 13, 2010 - PRLog -- Chicago's Michigan Avenue is known as the Magnificent Mile and tourism is Chicago's number one industry. Chicago has been long recognized for a secure, stable and diverse economy driven by the candy industry and transportation, but today the number one industry is Tourism.

Chicago hosted 45.6 million domestic and overseas visitors in 2008, including 32.4 million domestic leisure travelers, 11.7 million domestic business travelers and 1.3 million overseas visitors. These visitors contributed more than $11.8 billion to Chicago's economy.  

During a time when the Federal Government has been blamed for the collapse of the economy, one famous politician, Mayor Richard M. Daley has nurtured the Tourism industry and made Chicago a major tourist destination.

Millennium Park, Navy Pier, the Museum Campus and the Magnificent Mile of Architectural wonders that document the evolution of the modern skyscraper—all these elements attract leisure travelers.

Architectural aficionados visit Chicago to gaze upon some of the tallest buildings in the world.  The center of the tourist universe of Chicago is Michigan Avenue at the Chicago River Bridge. Tourists from around the globe enjoy the Architectural River Boat Tours and Double Decker Bus Tours. Architectural guides point out the historic buildings detailing the intricate back stories. But get in line early for a tour as in summer the tours are sold out days in advance.

Tourism in Chicago is mature and historic, not some flashy tourist trap so common in American culture.  Tourism in Chicago has become so popular that many small businesses have sprouted to entertain the tourist crowd. One unique example is www.ChicagoImpressionism.com.

ChicagoImpressionism.com was founded by Chicagoland oil painter Gregory A Page. As an artist Page is inspired by spiritual freedom as well the Chicago Metropolis. Chicago is the artist's muse. His painting style is heavily influenced by the Impressionist Paintings on exhibition at the Museum of The Art Institute of Chicago as well as the beauty and history of Chicago.

On the ChicagoImpressionism.com site some paintings feature Architectural superstar icons like Trump Tower, The Hancock Building, The Prudential Building, Buckingham Fountain, Sears Tower as well as famous sculptures of majestic posed Native Americans. Paintings like "Chicago Nite Life Skyline" were captured by Gregory Pages eyes and captured forever on Canvas or linen by the artist's hand using eco-friendly oil paint.

The tourism industry has not influenced the soulful subject matter of Pages paintings, but the tourism industry has influenced the way that the paintings have been made available to the public. Tourists like to take home a souvenir in remembrance of their Chicago travel experience, and ChicagoImpressionism.com has provided an online venue to experience the Chicago influenced art as well as providing the traditional mailed postcard.

The postcard is still a prominent interest for tourists and many of Gregory Page's architecturally themed paintings are available as postcards. With a more modern marketing twist, lithographs and poster prints are available online. A tourist enjoying a Chicago River Boat Tour can use their iPhone, Blackberry or other mobile device to shop for ChicagoImpressionism.com prints.

A secure shopping cart system and a wide range of sizes, framed or unframed prints can be shipped direct anywhere on the globe.  A tourist can be in Chicago, "Window Shopping" on a mobile device, order a souvenir and it will arrive anywhere they request ready to
hang on the wall as home decor or a souvenir.

Fine Art has never been so easy to access, and although tourism has not influenced the subject matter of Gregory A Page's soulful oil paintings, tourism has influenced the availability of Fine Art being available to view or purchase online.