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 Looking south - Sears Tower at
distant right by Bwana_Brown, 4 more photos
Having read that it can be cheaper as well as more enjoyable to skip the 94th floor observation deck in favour of the 96th floor Signature Lounge cocktail bar, I marched through the lobby to the special elevators that will whisk you straight to the top! Another gentleman turned up as well, just before the elevator arrived, so I hit the Signature Room button and off we went. However, on the short journey up I realized that would take me to the 95th floor restaurant, so I also punched the button for the Signature Lounge. The gentleman asked me if that was where the good views were and I said it was - being the big expert! We chatted a bit as we continued upward, turned out he was from France and had been teaching history in Quebec, so I asked him to join me for a beer while we enjoyed the views from our window seat in the Lounge.
We had a great spot looking out toward the south where all the major skyscrapers are located and also took a stroll to the north side where we saw the Oak Street Beach along Lake Michigan's shore (2nd photo) as well as looked down onto the 871-foot 66 story Bloomingdale's skyscraper (3rd photo). The service in the Lounge was very fast and friendly as we relaxed in plush seating, sipping on Guinness and Heiniken beers as we discussed quite a number of things. It was a great way to spend an hour or so and the beer wasn't all that expensive either at $9 - especially since it costs $12 just to get into the Observation Deck! Leave a Comment
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 My first view of the
distant John Hancock
Center by Bwana_Brown,
2 more photos
I made special note of the heavily reinforced look of its exterior (2nd and 3rd photos), with X-braces climbing up the side of the building to give it extra structural strength. I still remember the problems the John Hancock Insurance Company had with its 60-story all-glass exterior tower built in Boston in 1976. Whenever the winds exceeded 45-mph, large 4x11-ft panes of glass weighing 500-lbs had a nasty habit of popping out to fall hundreds of feet to the sidewalks below! Another little problem was the tendency of the top floors to sway in the wind giving that motion sickness feeling to their tenants. While investigating these various problems, it was also discovered that a certain type of wind shear could cause the entire structure to fall over. In the end, the glass panes all had to be replaced with stronger types, two 300-ton mass-dampers had to be installed on the 58th floor to counteract the forces of the wind and steel cross-braces similar to these exterior ones in Chicago had to be added to reinforce the frame of the building. Altogether, it was an architectural nightmare that cost the company more than a $100 million to fix. Leave a Comment
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The 100-story John Hancock Center was completed in 1969 and at 344 m tall, it is currently the third highest building in Chicago. The Hancock Observatory is located on the 94th floor of the building and offers a great view of downtown Chicago. At $15, tickets are a bit more expensive than those at the more popular Sears Tower's Skydeck, but it's usually less crowded (there was no line-up at all when I showed up). The elevator ride to the observatory lasts 40 seconds, and there's a funny pre-recorded message that helps take your mind off the fact that you're traveling at 32 km/h. Once you reach the Observatory, you can walk around the floor to take pictures, although I was a bit disappointed to find out that it's nearly impossible to take pictures on the skywalk, the only portion of the floor that is screened. Everywhere else there are windows, which makes taking night pics quite difficult if you've got an automatic camera like mine. The good news is that for an extra $3, your ticket can give you access to the Observatory the next day if you want to take both day and night shots. Another nice feature of the Observatory is that there is some interesting information about the history of Chicago along the walls, as well as a souvenir store.
The Hancock Observatory is open every day from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm. Leave a Comment
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 John Hancock Center by deecat
The John Hancock Center is one-hundred stories high and is a multi-use tower which tapers from bottom to top. The towering television antennas give it a height of 1,476 feet. It's exterior "skin" is made of aluminum and glass. (I would not want to wash all 11,459 panes of window glass!) It has 46,000 TONS of steel in its construction.
Commercial spaces occupy the base of the tower while parking, office, and residential zones rise above.
It sits just off Lake Shore Drive and is surrounded by huge, residential high-rise buildings, but it faces the city's most attractive commercial street: North Michigan Avenue.
The great thing about the observatory on top of the building is that you can see spectacular views in all directions:
East: Beautiful Lake Michigan.
North: Lake Shore Drive and Lincoln Park.
South: Chicago's Loop
West: Pattern of city streets and neighborhoods.
On clear days you could see up to four states:
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
The John Hancock boasts of the "world's fastest elevators which whisk passengers non-stop from below ground to the observatory in 39 seconds!"
The 95th floor has a gourmet restaurant.
The 96th floor has a bar and lounge.
The Observatory is open:
9 a.m. to midnight
7 days a week.
Members of the armed forces in UNIFORM are admitted free.
Seniors and children pay special rates.
Sometimes, there is a line to enter, but it is worth it for the wonderful view. Leave a Comment Address: 875 North Michigan Avenue
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A visit to Chicago is not complete without visiting the John Hancock Observatory. The view is just incredible and spans for about 80 miles seeing 4 states from the top.
Entrance is $9.50 for adults, $6.00 for children and Senior Citizens pay $7.50. Leave a Comment Address: 875 N. Michigan Avenue, ChicagoPhone: 1-888-875-VIEW (8439).Directions: Traveling South on Lake Shore Dr, exit at Michigan Avenue.Proceed South on Michigan to Delaware Street, turn left and unload at the first building entrance. The escalator in the Delaware lobby will take you directly to The Observatory entrance.Website: http://www.hancock-observatory.com
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 hancock building by willy_wonkaLeave a Comment Address: north michigan ave
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While admiring the Hancock Center from the outside, be sure to go in and enjoy the view from the inside. As in the 94th floor. The Hancock Observatory is open to you, to enjoy this amazing city from 1000 feet high. Make sure you visit on a clear day (my day was a little hazy - I'll have to go back sometime).
Big windows open your view of Chicago from all four sides. Look down and see what those little ants (I mean people ) on the street are doing. Check out the Skywalk, an open-air viewing area (it does have barriers though, just in case). See a display on Chicago's history. Or take a personal audio tour.
Most of all, enjoy what many say is the best view of Chicago, at the Hancock Observatory. It's open every day, 9am-11pm Leave a Comment
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The voice in the lift up the 314 meters to the Hancock Center's observation deck boasted that the skyscraper was the "most recognizable building in the world". Now I think the Hancock Tower is a fantastic looking building, but if they think it is more recognizable than the Taj Mahal, the Empire State Building, or the Eiffel Tower, to name a few, they must be living in some alternate universe that I've never been to.
Personally, and this may be due to my gross ignorance, I only recognised the Hancock Tower because I mixed it up with the other great black monolith in Chicago, Sears Tower. I'd never previously have been able to put a name to the building, only say "yeah that's in Chicago!"
The Sears Tower is also the Hancock Center's greatest competitor. They both have skydecks that offer grand views of the city, and they are both extremely tall buildings. Sears Tower obviously wins out in terms of sheer magnitude, but many in Chicago seem to think that the Hancock Center offers the best views. What cannot be argued with is that the Hancock Tower has the least queues. I also prefer its clean lines to the "staggered cigarettes" shape of Sears Tower. My personal view is that you should go up Hancock Tower for the love of great views, and the Sears Tower for the damn bullheaded desire to chalk off one of the record breakers from your list.
At least those were my reasons for going up both :).
Cost: $10.25 (plus local taxes = about $11). Leave a Comment
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Of the three tallest buildings in Chicago, if I had to choose one to go up to take a look at the city from above, I'd choose the Hancock which at 1,127 feet and 100 stories is the 3rd tallest in Chicago.
The 2nd tallest building in Chicago, the Aon building, doesn't have public access.
Why choose the Hancock over the Sears Tower, the tallest building in Chicago and the US? The Hancock is located right in the heart of the tourist area on Michigan Avenue, the Sears Tower is in the business district. The Sears Tower often has a long line and a security check. But the main reason is that I think the view from the Hancock is better, you're right on the lakefront and Michigan Avenue.
You can pay the admission fee to go to the observatory or you can go have a drink at the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor. The drink is as much as admission but you got a drink! This used to be a local secret but not anymore, on a Saturday night we waited 20 minutes in line for a table. Try to go near sunset, for both the day view and the night view, both equally stunning!
Ladies, check out the women's bathroom in the Signature Lounge, the view is amazing! (sorry guys!)
Included on the City Pass and the Go Chicago Card
A few more facts if you're not bored yet:
The elevators are among the fastest in the world, making the trip to the 94th floor in about 39 seconds.
Built in 1969, floors 4-12 are parking, 13-41 are office space, and the rest up to 92 contain some of the most exclusive condos in the city.
It was financed by the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, hence the name.
The Hancock is featured in at least 2 films-Risky Business and Poltergeist III
Chris Farley died at age 33 in his 60th floor apartment of a drug overdose.
If you are athletically inclined, there is an annual fundraiser called Hustle up the Hancock where you can climb up 1,632 stairs up to the 94th floor. Leave a Comment
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 by jmhenry1123Leave a Comment Address: John Hancock Building at Pearson and Michigan AveDirections: Gold Coast/Magnificent Mile. Enter the lobby of the John Hancock building.
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