This view is from the ground in front of Buckingham Fountain. The
tallest building to the left of the big red one is Sears Tower. The
next pic shows the reverse angle! Note the pinkish stone surrounding the
fountain.
This view is from the 99th floor Skydeck of The Sears Tower. An incredible
vista opens in front of you as you leave the elevator lobby and walk to
the windows. This view is available to you on the East side of the
tower. Looking close that large red building from the last picture
is reduced to toy size just about in the center of the photo.
Just behind it and partially eclipsed is ... Buckingham Fountain!
The breakwater just beyond is nearly empty of boats as it is late October.
Normally there would be hundreds visible. The overly bright appearance
of the lights is the product of a long exposure and nearing dusk.
This view is due south. My home town is somewhere along the horizon
and perhaps just to the left of center. The Chicago River is
running south in the center of this picture. The floor here is at
about 1,296 feet above street level, nearly 1/4 mile straight up.
This view is looking north. As it gets darker more of the city lights
become brighter. The most notable building in this photo is the tall
black one in the distance. The John Hancock Center. Decked
out in its orange band of light at the top for Halloween! At
the time of it's completion it was the tallest building in the world.
It is currently the 2nd tallest building in Chicago.
This view looks south and east along the lakefront. Centered, are
the red and green seats of Soldier Field. The Chicago Bears NFL football
team play there. The concrete runway of Meigs Field Municipal Airport
can be seen just to the left of that. The large white building
near the left end of the runway is the Shedd Aquarium. The
Field Museum of Natural History is directly between them.
As the sun dips to the horizon in the west Chicago really begins to glow
with the accumulated light of a million bulbs The Eisenhower Expressway
heads into the distance in the center of this photo.
A truly magical sight greets you as the sun sets further... Awe inspiring.
The high clouds of October glow bright blue as the sunlight dwindles away.
Thousands of cars glow like fireflies as they travel along the distant
roadways.
A view north and east again. Just before night settles upon Chicago.
Lights beginning to fight the encroaching darkness made brighter by the
long exposure.
With a cloak of darkness pulled down tight over Chicago the buildings glow
in their impressive splendor. This view is nearly the same
as the shot above but an hour or so later. The cool crisp nights
of October lend themselves to excellent sight seeing from the Skydeck of
Sears Tower.
Aerial
Chicago
Chicago's Tallest building is the Sears Tower. And although the Sears company no longer has offices in the building it retains its name. 110 Stories. 1,454 feet tall (443 meters). 1,707 feet (520 meters) to the tip of the antennas.
