Hi, I'm Leyla!

I'm a local Chicago historian & tour guide. I've been leading tours since 2011. I've had about 15,000 guests (give or take a few) take tours with me!

I have worked as a tour guide at the Chicago Theatre, Atlas Obscura, Mysterious Chicago, & multiple local tour companies. I've been researching, developing, & leading my own Chicago history walking tours since 2015.

My main historical interests are movie palaces/old theatres, strange deaths & disasters, neighborhood history, & just the weird stories you can find about different buildings by digging through historic archives. I love spending time doing historic research to share with others so that we can all better understand the city around us.

I also post Chicago history tidbits regularly on TikTok.

If I'm not doing research, you can find me playing cello, trying to photograph cool birds, or on the flying trapeze.

Come take a tour with me!