Willis Tower | Thoughts, Tales, and Whatnot

When I visited Willis Tower (formerly Sears) in 2013 and as of this writing, it is the 2nd tallest building in the USA and the 8th tallest freestanding structure in the world. It was in my to-do list when I visited the windy city because I read in a travel guide that when in its view deck, one can see three states of the USA.

This is the entrance where I was dropped off. Before heading to Jackson Boulevard, I took an ant’s point of view of the building.

I had a Chicago CityPass voucher so my visit to SkyDeck Chicago was most convenient. I skipped the long lines and was immediately accommodated on the Fast Pass Lane.

Before reaching the view deck, we watched a show about the history of this iconic building, and the information that stuck to me was this: At the time of its completion in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, and held this rank for nearly 25 years.

When we were finally at the view deck, I was amazed at the views I was having.

Just look at how this amazing city developed their spaces: tall buildings coexist with their parks and public spaces and gardens and with Michigan Lake.

Here’s a collage of my views of John Hancock Center (I also visited this iconic building and will blog about it in a future post) and Chicago Sun Times and the roadway below.

Here are more panoramic shots of my view at the deck.

It’s summer when I was there so the views were clear and stunning. I’m not really familiar with what I was seeing, but I overheard an American guy tell his children that the 4 states that can be seen are Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

My most memorable experience in the tower is stepping over the ledge, which was unveiled in 2009. These all-glass boxes allow visitors to look through the floor on the street 1,353 feet, 412 meters and 103 floors below. Whew!

This is a must-do when here. Just be prepared to wait because not everyone is up to the challenge. It was amusing to see people hold on to their family members as they wailed, “No, nooo, I can’t do this! I’m scared!” But there were daredevils too who, once on the ledge, would jump to their heart’s content and were unmindful of the dagger looks from the scared ones.

I exited on another side of the building and was lucky to chance on (okay, I admit it, I got lost, ha ha!) the part of the building with a huge Willis Tower signage.

What more, as I tried to find my way, I found this cool art installation of denims with flowers. And there’s a smaller Willis Tower signage too!

Willis Tower is located in 233 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States. Visit http://theskydeck.com/ for more information.

Pardon my looong hiatus from this blog. I was again swamped with work (yeah, I know, it’s always my work). But then, it is also sometimes because of my work that I get to travel.

This month, I was sent to Chicago to attend an event. Though I was there mostly for work, I extended my stay to accommodate discovering Chicago at my own pace and for leisure.

Here are bits and pieces of what I discovered about and experienced in this interesting city.

I watched an amazing show featuring beluga whales, became fascinated with a “cloud” that looked more like a bean, got drizzled by spews of water from a gargantuan fountain, spent some “me” time just looking out the lake, captured night shots from the pier and met a T. rex named Sue.

I also went to Willis Tower (formerly Sears), which is the second tallest building in the USA and the eight tallest freestanding structure in the world. In 2009, it opened its Skydeck with all-glass boxes that allow visitors to look through the floor on the street 1,353 feet, 412 meters and 103 floors below. Whew!

I also enjoyed watching the pastel sky turn into a riotous shade of yellow-orange at the Navy Pier.

And here’s a collage of the Chicago River, the Water Tower (I was told this was the only surviving structure during the great Chicago fire of 1871, but Wikipedia disagreed), and a view of the city’s skyline as viewed from the penthouse of Lake Point Tower, which is the only skyscraper in downtown Chicago east of Lake Shore Drive.

Lastly, here is a photo of what I saw at the Adler Planetarium and of Chicago’s skyline as seen from the John Hancock Observatory. And though I was there during the summer, I did experience Chicago’s punishing cold when I ventured out early in the morning to visit the museums. Even with my jacket on, I felt chilled and couldn’t stop my teeth from chattering. And oh, I went to the Chinatown too (there is always a Chinatown somewhere!) and just can’t resist sharing what my fortune cookie foretells.

You will spend your old age in comfort and material wealth.

Now, that’s something to look forward to. Te he.

More detailed posts later. For now, I have to catch up on some work that piled up while I was away (I just dropped a note since I felt like I needed a break.)

Till next!