A repost. As originally published as a feature story in the centerfold of EV Mail News for the week of August 1-7, 2011.
The Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois is one of the tallest buildings in the world. In 2009, it changed its name to Willis Tower after it was bought by the Willis Group Holdings, Ltd. It was built in 1973 and was the tallest building in the world at that time until 1998, when it was surpassed by the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Willis Tower is still the tallest building in the United States today and it ranks the fifth tallest in the world.
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So understandably, it's one of the most recognizable structures in the famous Chicago skyline. Towering at 1,450 feet and 110 stories high, it's difficult to miss this famous landmark. In 1982, the building antennas were added to the structure increasing its total height to 1,704 feet, and by the year 2000, one of those antennas was extended to a total of 1,729 feet.
After living in Chicago for more than 6 years now, my family and I finally decided to play "tourists" as we visited the Willis Tower for the first time on the Memorial Day weekend, a U.S. holiday. It was Sunday, May 29, and the day started out to be stormy, foggy, cold and gloomy. But since we've already decided to do our "outing" that day, we proceeded no matter what the weather was like.
We began our "field trip" at Chinatown in Chicago where we had a huge lunch of Korean fried rice, ox tail noodle soup, lemon grass fried chicken wings, fried whole snapper with sweet and sour sauce, and three different kinds of smoothies for our drinks. I had a green tea smoothie, my husband chose his favorite, "ube" or taro smoothie, and my son got the biggest mango smoothie I've ever seen in my life! It came in this gigantic champagne chute-like glass complete with the long stem. It was a sight to see. All our smoothies came with tapioca pearls, of course. After lunch, we were so full we were literally leaning, tummy side down. It was just too much. Remember, gluttony is a sin. I will make sure to think of that until my next meal!
We began our "field trip" at Chinatown in Chicago where we had a huge lunch of Korean fried rice, ox tail noodle soup, lemon grass fried chicken wings, fried whole snapper with sweet and sour sauce, and three different kinds of smoothies for our drinks. I had a green tea smoothie, my husband chose his favorite, "ube" or taro smoothie, and my son got the biggest mango smoothie I've ever seen in my life! It came in this gigantic champagne chute-like glass complete with the long stem. It was a sight to see. All our smoothies came with tapioca pearls, of course. After lunch, we were so full we were literally leaning, tummy side down. It was just too much. Remember, gluttony is a sin. I will make sure to think of that until my next meal!
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| © Copyright, MMD Images, 2011 |
Then we decided to drag ourselves to our next destination, the Chicago water taxi station from Chinatown to downtown Chicago. Downtown is nicknamed the "Loop" because of the loop-shaped train tracks circling the area. We went to the taxi pick-up station but because of the stormy weather, the water taxis were not operating on their full schedule that afternoon. We ended up taking the train instead.
After we got off the train, we had to walk a little bit going to the Willis Tower. I was already feeling butterflies in my stomach, anticipating the height and the experience we are about to have up there at 1,400 feet. And by the way, I'm a little scared of heights but just a little.
Then the weather started to let up, the gloom was beginning to fade. There was clear, cloudless sky and the rain finally stopped. By the time we got to the entrance of the building, we were happy that everything was falling into its perfect place. The weather was fine, the crowd was thin, and the line of people going up to the viewing place was short and quick. The viewing spot is at the 103rd floor of the building and it's fittingly called the "Skydeck."
Then the weather started to let up, the gloom was beginning to fade. There was clear, cloudless sky and the rain finally stopped. By the time we got to the entrance of the building, we were happy that everything was falling into its perfect place. The weather was fine, the crowd was thin, and the line of people going up to the viewing place was short and quick. The viewing spot is at the 103rd floor of the building and it's fittingly called the "Skydeck."
When we arrived at the 103rd floor, it was already past 5 in the afternoon. It was the perfect time to go up since we could enjoy both times of the day. We get to see the view during the daytime when it's still light out and we get to wait to see the sunset later in the evening. I didn't realize though that we had to wait a little bit longer for the sunset that night because in the summer, days are much longer. Here in Chicago, at 8 in the evening, it still looks like it's 4 in the afternoon and the sun is still out in full force.
We took hundreds of pictures and we marveled at the sights and oohed at the great views. We were literally on top of the world. We can see up to four States from up there (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin). The cars, boats, trains and all moving vehicles down at the streets looked like matchbox cars. We couldn't even clearly see any people down there because they all looked like specks from where we are. It was such an amazing experience.
Then it was time to try out the famous or "infamous" Glass Ledge, however you want to refer to it. For me, it is infamous for its offering of a daunting "adventure." These all-glass, almost hanging ledges were opened to the public in 2009. It's like stepping on air or thin ice at 1,353 feet above the ground and 4.3 feet away from the walls of the structure. I was shaking when I made that first step into it but I had to do it for posterity's sake. I had to have at least one picture on that ledge but I couldn't even look down for more than 2 seconds because it was too scary! My husband and my son were just fearless. But I have to admit that it was also exciting.
Then it was time to try out the famous or "infamous" Glass Ledge, however you want to refer to it. For me, it is infamous for its offering of a daunting "adventure." These all-glass, almost hanging ledges were opened to the public in 2009. It's like stepping on air or thin ice at 1,353 feet above the ground and 4.3 feet away from the walls of the structure. I was shaking when I made that first step into it but I had to do it for posterity's sake. I had to have at least one picture on that ledge but I couldn't even look down for more than 2 seconds because it was too scary! My husband and my son were just fearless. But I have to admit that it was also exciting.
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| © Copyright, MMD Images, 2011 |
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| © Copyright, MMD Images, 2011 |
Then we started to see the transformation of the skies and the whole city from day to night. Despite the gloomy start we had that day, we were rewarded with the most glorious sunset. The sky was changing colors every minute. From clear blue, to dark blue with tinges of yellow and orange, then a dramatic change to different shades of red, yellow, orange, gold, amber and purple. It was an unforgettable sight.
People were going crazy taking pictures before the sunset was over. Although people were moving about and getting around trying to get to the best spot for photos, I noticed that everyone was hushed. The sunset has literally taken our breath away. And at 1,400 feet, the sunset lasted much longer that it would have been on ground level. It was simply spectacular.
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| © Copyright, MMD Images, 2011 |
In perfect sync with the gorgeous sunset, the city also started to light up for the night. Fluorescent lamps, bulbs, street lights, spotlights, building lights, and vehicle lights started to illuminate the whole city and beyond. The famous Chicago skyline was starting to don its evening attire. It was an amazing transformation.
We stayed for a bit longer to enjoy the sight which was a whole world different from the daytime view we just saw more than a couple of hours ago. We were transfixed with awe. It was a perfect ending to a not-so-perfect start of our day. And then, it was time to go home. We were glad we got to do the "Skydeck experience" and to add another adventure into our stack of memories that we will remember and will surely last for a lifetime.
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