Here's a daytime view from our hotel room. The tall building with two prongs in the background is the Willis Tower, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, at 1451ft (442m).
The El (elevated train) is rather noisy as it rumbles along, day and night, carrying its mix of commuters, tourists and homeless..
Being Sunday, we decided to attend a Gospel church service. We hopped in a taxi and drove for 15 or so blocks to the Pilgrim Baptist Church, well-known for its Gospel singing. I gather this place was used in the filming of the classic Blues Brothers movie a few years back, however in 2002, the Church suffered significant fire damage and the services are being held across the road in a hall for now.
These guys were an impressive bunch to listen to. The real McCoy. And so very friendly.
Just sitting here watching the day go by...
Then back into the downtown area to find the start to Route 66. It was surprisingly easy to find. Here 'tis.
After a bite to eat we decided to head out on a walking tour of the city - for six hours. There were just two in our tour party. Nige and I. We didn't have a guide...
This city grew on us over the course of the day. Very pretty and well presented, mostly.
Millennium Park is a 'must stop', should you partake in a self-guided walking tour of the Chicago. This huge screen displays various movies that are mirrored in a shallow reflecting pool.
Here's the famous Cloud, often referred to as 'The Bean'. This was really quite cool, as the shiny polished metallic surface reflected the cityscape with amazing clarity.
Security staff evacuated the area as a thunderstorm passed overhead so we wandered over towards the lakeside to shelter from the rain before we walked back into the city. (We ended up getting drenched in the process).
Back in the city, we were never too far away from the El.
Under the El....noisy and dark.
Being a rather large city, sirens were commonplace. They do, however, need to work on the sound made by the local ambulances. They sound a bit like drunken cows.
Right, now for a bit of action. We walked over to Willis Tower and shared a lift with (what seemed like) 50 or so people to the 103rd floor observation deck. The views up there were spectacular.
The tall black building towards the centre rear is the Hancock Observatory. It's about half the height of Willis Tower, and the third tallest in Chicago.
The cool thing about Willis Tower is this little perspex outcrop, hanging out from the side of the building. Many people found it very difficult to step out on to the transparent floor. Not a problem for Nige, though - in fact he was so comfortable with the concept, he tried to have a little nap.
Cumulonimbus
clouds were brewing as we ascended the Willis Tower – and right on cue, as we
approached the observation deck, we were given a wonderful display of
lightning, as the cloud drifted slowly towards us. This building’s well earthed, right?
Check out the helicopter in this sequence of three shots.
Watch for the helicopter approaching from the centre right.
Right - back to business.
Back down on ground level, we found this large statue of Marilyn Munroe. 
We stumbled upon this interesting building with 'bricks' from famous buildings and structures from around the world. This stone is from one of the Giza pyramids.
Anyone know a good linesman?
McDonald's is flash here and a bit retro.
Lots of these water tanks around the city...some are painted with bright advertising slogans.
The Chicago...
ChiIf there's one thing that makes this town stand out from other large cities, it's the incredible architecture of the place. Massive sky-scrapers that are (mostly) beautifully designed are a pleasure to behold. You find yourself constantly looking upwards at the ever-changing skyscapes, shapes, colours and designs.
Detroit tomorrow. See you then.
No comments:
Post a Comment