Chicago - Skydeck

http://www.theskydeck.com/

Chicago has been very important in the history of architecture, including the history of skyscrapers, so it makes sense to have a very tall building there.

Skydeck is an observation deck at the top of the Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower. Yes, that is all about corporate naming rights. I know when we were planning the trip, we were thinking that we needed to see the Sears Tower, and as I looked up the address it looked familiar, and I saw that it was the same as Skydeck, thus we already had tickets through our City Pass. That may indicate some branding issues.

It is nonetheless very popular. The place was packed, and I am pretty sure that will always be the case. I suppose it is something that you have to do. I totally recommend the City Pass, and not only does that include a ticket, but it is an Express Ticket, eliminating some wait time, so you totally should do it.

I guess that is sounding like faint praise. You do get a get view, and it was interesting seeing all of those places that either we had just visited or were going to visit. You can see four states, and Lake Michigan, which is at least interesting. It's just sort of that there is all there is.

Looking at the photos, the most disappointing one is on the clear floor, pointing straight down, and there is no real sense that it is that high. That may just be me, because I think I felt similarly about the CN Tower in Toronto. It's not that it's bad; it's just that I kind of look and it's down. Some people feel the same way about the Grand Canyon.

I don't really have any photos of the building from that day, because when you are outside you are too close to get a good shot. We thought about going to the John Hancock Observatory, and we might have been able to get a good shot of the Willis Tower from there, but we did not end up having enough time.

http://jhochicago.com/en/

The Willis Tower is a regular office building, with business being transacted. Skydeck is kind of its own thing. It has its own entrance at street level, then you go down one level where you can get tickets, go through security, and take the elevator to the top. You return to this level after coming down, and there is a gift shop, restaurant, and small displays of items from Chicago's history, like Lincoln Logs and items that survived the Chicago Fire.

The next few posts are going to take place in that basement level part of the attraction.