On every trip that you take, there’s bound to be at least one iconic thing that you’re expected to see. If you don’t, you will be berated for the rest of your life whenever you discuss your trip with anyone who is in the know. In Paris, it’s the Eiffel Tower. In Chicago, it’s going to the Skydeck of the Sears Tower. It’s the highest observation deck in the United States.
The building itself is 110 stories, and 1451 feet tall, and for 25 years it was the tallest building in the world. Now it’s the 3rd tallest in the western hemisphere, and the 26th tallest in the world. The Skydeck is at 1353 feet, which is plenty high enough to confirm that this building is freakin’ TALL. Needless to say, this provides you with spectacular views of the city, weather permitting.
And let’s get something straight. I’m well aware that this building is now officially called the Willis Tower, but no Chicagoan worth his salt calls it that, and I can’t bring myself to do so, either. It was the Sears Tower for 36 years, and that’s that. Mainly this loyalty is due to tradition, but it’s also due to the fact that Willis Group Holdings doesn’t even own the tower. They just lease 140,000 square feet of the 3.8 million square foot building, and are paying a million dollars a year for the naming rights. Earlier this year, Blackstone Group, the tower’s current owner, valued the whole building at 119 million.
Basically, they’re paying a million dollars a year to piss off an entire city, although I’m sure that was not what they intended. That deal is currently only effective through March, 2025. Who knows what it will be called after that.
Anyway, in light of this scandal, Dear Husband and I made our way to the Sears Tower. You can purchase your tickets in advance at the Skydeck Website, but for real savings (to the tune of 48% at this and several other venues), I urge you to purchase a Chicago CityPass. That’s what we did.
As a bridgetender, I’m embarrassed to admit that I am afraid of heights. (Please don’t tell my coworkers.) Once we arrived on the Skydeck, any time I got near the windows I felt a little queasy. I was relieved that I didn’t feel a distinct sway like I did when I visited the Empire State Building in New York, but still, this bears repeating: This building is freakin’ TALL.
It’s exceedingly strange to watch the weather pass by with the clouds at eye level. On a clear day, they say you can see four states. That must be amazing. I enjoyed seeing several of Chicago’s drawbridges from above as well.
We also stood out on The Ledge. In 2009, the building’s renovation included 4 (now 5) glass boxes that extend 4.3 feet beyond the edge of the building. You stand there, with 1353 feet of empty space between you and the extremely hard and deadly ground. These boxes are supposed to be able to withstand 5 tons, but on two different occasions the floor cracked in the same box while people were standing there. No injuries, but I’d have soiled myself. Falling dreams are bad enough without experiencing them while awake.
Even if I know these glass boxes will (should) hold up on an intellectual level, on an emotional level I was still freaking out. Here are some pics (including one we paid an outrageous amount for). You can tell by our facial expressions that it was scary. (Have I mentioned that this building is freakin’ TALL?)
But I think my favorite part of this experience was standing in the exact same place that Ferris, Sloane, and Cameron did in the movie Ferris Beuller’s Day Off. I even pressed my head against the glass and looked down just like they did. (In fact, I was standing in Ferris’ spot!) I was kind of glad I didn’t have to climb up on the railing like they did, though. The railing no longer exists. As Sloane so aptly put it, “Oh, God…”
I’ll leave you with some more pictures we took during our visit. After looking at those, be sure and check out the live skycam at the bottom of that linked web page for a nice view, especially of the city lit up at night. It’s wonderful. It turns out that some iconic things, at least, definitely should not be missed.
I wrote a book. How cool is that? http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
Leave a Reply to The View from a DrawbridgeCancel reply