Story and Video
by Daria Sokolova
by Daria Sokolova
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Esteban
Ortiz looks at the sinuous ripple the Shoreline Taxi leaves in the water of
Lake Michigan. His eyes are fixated on the boat until it blends in with the
jagged Chicago skyline. As the boat goes out of sight, Ortiz
starts singing his rhymes, trying to boost the dwindling number of customers --
the first hint of the ending season at the "Shoreline Sightseeing". Established in 1939, now the largest
touring fleet in the City of Chicago, "Shoreline Sightseeing" became
a family for over 300 seasonal crew members who work for the company from March
through November. "I
know one thing, we all have the same shirts on. You can see us from miles
away," says Greeter Tom Manuszak. Dressed in a radiant neon polo -- the
"Shoreline" signature uniform, he sticks out from the crowd of suit –
clad folks headed for lunch.
On
a balmy mid-September afternoon, Manuszak greets people at the Union Station
stop. His throaty deep voice echoes two blocks away as a slew of passers-by
walks on the Adams Street Bridge.
Manuszak's echo is accompanied by
the soft rhymes of Ortiz, a frizz-haired 26-year-old location manager whose
tangerine-rimmed sunglasses match the collar of the polo shirt that peeks out
of his indigo sweater.
"Boats here, folks, feel the
cool lake breeze, I've got b-b-b-boats, kiddies. Travel in style down the Windy
City Nile, even see Magnificent Mile. Boats departing from Navy Pier, you can
get your tickets right here," Ortiz yells out his rhymes habitually as an
interested customer approaches him with a question about the fare.
"You lose your voice,"
says Kieran Fitzgerald, another member of the deck team who has been a greeter
at the "Shoreline Sightseeing" for the last four summers. Fitzgerald says he has made bonds with a lot of his co-workers at the
"Shoreline".
"We are friends, we get
together after work too," Fitzgerald says. "And especially now, I've
been working four years here, so I really got to know a lot of different
people."
As early fall days bring fewer
customers and slim revenue growth for the "Shoreline," they also
carry relief to the employees who sometimes work from six to 12 hours a day in
the peak season. "We are a family but we also
sell to a lot of families, so once the they [families] are not out of the house
anymore, we are never busy at this time of the year," Fitzgerald says.
A family business, "Shoreline
Sightseeing" is operated by Chip and Matt Collopy, third-generation owners
who have successfully brought a fleet from 10 to 19 boats since 2002, making
"Shoreline" the largest tour boat company in the city, according to Chicago Grid -- Chicago business
magazine. But apart from worrying about making
a revenue, "Shoreline" employees pass their professional knowledge to
one another and make sure everybody's doing OK.
"Tom is like my grandpa almost
and you learn to care for each other," says Dee Scott who has been shifting between a ticketer and
a greeter for the last four seasons. "When we are working on really hot
days in summer, I look out for him. I'm a lot younger than him and I take that
role on: Are you OK, you need to sit down, [air] conditioning? There is
definitely a family feel like having fun and making bonds. That's part of the
reason we enjoy this job.
Ortiz says members of the
"Shoreline" team sometimes take on a different role when they have to
give directions to those who visit the city for the first time. "I'd say one thing that we
share in common is our love of the city," he says. "Most people who
work here are the people who have lived here all their lives or have some connection with it. They know directions to
places, ideas for places to go to eat or what to do in the afternoon."
In May, 2013 the occupancy rate at
Chicago hotels was at 81,2 percent as reported by "Choose Chicago",
the official tourism organization responsible for marketing the Chicago area
among tourists and investors. The news came after Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Press
Office released the information about a record 46.2 million visitors the city
saw in 2012.
But what does "Shoreline
Sightseeing" a touring fleet that served almost 1 million people in 2012,
according to Chicago Grid, do to
boost these numbers?
"By operating docks at top
tourist locations such as Navy Pier, Michigan Avenue, Museum Campus and Willis
Tower, "Shoreline" has become a part of the Chicago experience,"
says Amy Hartnett, the director of sales and marketing at "Shoreline
Sightseeing". "We provide local and visitors with fast, fun, and
convenient way to get around while enjoying great views of Chicago from the
water."
"Shoreline Sightseeing"
offers tours, charters and taxis on Lake Michigan and its main artery --
Michigan River.
Among them are Architecture Cruises,
Firework Cruises, Night Architecture Cruises, Skyline Lake Tours, Sunset
Cruises and Water Taxis. The prices range from $11 for Skyline Lake Tours that
depart every 15 minutes to $49 for Special Event Tours that run only on
designated days such as St. Patrick Day.
As the afternoon sun fades away, the
harsh sound of the John Deer Marine Engine interrupts the clamor of the crowd
gathered on the deck of the Union Station stop. Captain Todd Martin, a man with
a youthful face in a blue baseball cap, climbs down the steep stairs of his
cabin and greets the incoming horde of passengers who quickly fill the sun-lit
boat.
"These strangers that I've seen for the
last five years, are probably the most frequently seen strangers that I've ever
dealt with," Martin says about his co-workers. "I speak to these
people at least once in hour and half the time we don't even know each other's
names but there is a bond and respect for the occupation."
While Martin is
driving the boat toward the Michigan Avenue stop, manager Darren Morgan is
passing out the brochures to people on the Adams Street Bridge.
"I like the fact that everything is run
very personal: they [management] care about their people. You do good for
“Shoreline” – “Shoreline” will do good for you, " says Morgan who started
with the "Shoreline" as a captain and became a manager in 2007.
In the middle of workday, Morgan
braces for the incoming crowd that he hopes may bring new boat riders to the
"Shoreline".
"The
feeling you get at the end of the season is almost like when you go to
amusement park and when it's time to go home, people slowly leaving,"
Morgan says.
After another boat leaves the Union
Station stop, a concrete deck becomes cold and impersonal. Ortiz heads back to
the Adams Street Bridge where he starts signing his rhymes, trying to get customers for a new boat that will come in 15 minutes.
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