CHICAGO RIVER — Captain Doug Chyna likes to tell his passengers he has the only Downtown cubicle that floats.
The jovial and seriously punctual boat captain, who rocks a signature pair of dark aviator sunglasses and sports a thick Chicago accent, has long helped business people make their way to work and tourists soak up the views along the Chicago River.
Now, Chyna is back at the helm of his signature boat for the first time since the pandemic.
The Chicago Water Taxi fully reopened last month, with service to Michigan Avenue, Ogilvie Transportation Center and Chinatown’s Ping Tom Park. Tickets are $6 each way. The scenic trips will run “until the river freezes,” Chyna said.
The 50-foot, 30-ton boat that fits a hundred-plus passengers is obviously yellow.
“You can see me coming,” Chyna said cracking a wide smile. “It’s like driving Big Bird.”
The boat business was booming pre-pandemic, Chyna said.
Office workers loosened their ties, brought lunches aboard and “enjoyed a five-minute vacation,” Chyna said. Burnt-out business types would roll up their sleeves, take a few breezy deep breaths and “work on their tan before going back to deal with that stuff in the office,” Chyna said.
Wendella Tours & Cruises began offering the water taxi service in 1962. The service has had multiple names, including the Commuter Cruiser and Riverbus, according to Chyna and Wendella. In 2007, it rebranded to the Chicago Water Taxi.
Ridership tripled on the service after the company painted its boats yellow, Chyna said.
But the water taxi struggled to stay afloat when all its passengers were suddenly grounded at home. The taxi only operated on weekends in 2021 and 2022, during the pandemic-caused work-from-home era, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Chyna took his licks, scraped by on Wendella’s architectural tours and skipped Chicago winters to get paid to steer dolphin expeditions in Florida.
“But just look at this, Chicago is gorgeous,” Chyna said while finally back to cruising his pride-and-joy on a recent Friday morning. “Waves hitting the hull, breeze coming out the window, it’s quiet in the mornings and at night all the buildings light up. It beats working for a living.”
The water taxi business has slowly come back to life since the pandemic.
Chyna’s taxi went back into service Sept. 5 and for now is running a route limited to just three stops. He’s also the only water taxi steward that’s so far come back to the river.
The Chinatown route took off for the first time again Sept. 29, with a mostly empty vessel making the voyage.
With the water taxi back up and running, its captain hopes commuters are as eager to take to the water as he is.
“I hope the people come back,” Chyna said. “My philosophy is always glass half-full. Bruce Lee said ‘Be like water.’ And every day so far we’re getting more passengers.
“It’s just too hard to miss this boat coming down the river.”
Chicago transplant Paul Dennis brought his parents in from North Dakota for an early morning ride through the heart of the big city. Another passenger, 5-year-old Amara with bright green sunglasses and a matching waterproof camera, said she was having the best time ever.
“I think the yellow is cool and it’s also my sister’s favorite color,” Amara said. “I like how you can see the tippy top of the buildings.”
Chyna brought his small-but-cheerful crowd past the gothic Tribune building, by the eye-popping Marina Towers, under the iconic rusty bridges and around the gleaming, modern skyscrapers reflecting back on the river at Wolf Point.
A great blue heron perched on an empty dock near the city’s promised 78th neighborhood as Chyna got ready to pull into the pagoda at Chinatown’s Ping Tom Park.
The boisterous boat captain gets up at 3 a.m. every morning to drive into the city from southwestern suburban Minooka.
“I like it when there’s no traffic, the city’s somewhat peaceful, not a lot of boats and no kayakers to deal with,” Chyna said. “I’m just taking people back and forth from the train.”
Chyna grew up on Archer Avenue and Pulaski Road and bought his first boat when he was 18. The former fireman has been enjoying his second act on the river for two decades and counting.
“To be down here to drive someone else’s multi-million dollar vehicle, and be paid to do it,” Chyna said. “It’s pretty sweet.”
For now, the return of city’s most colorful boat remains its best kept secret. But after a long three and a half years, a captain and his boat are finally back together.
“People just associate boats with a good time,” Chyna said. “Everyone tends to be happier.”
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