Sunday February 9 - John Hancock Observatory

Today dawned bright and sunny with not a sign of snow and it should be a good day for photos from the John Hancock Observatory. I set off a little after 11 am and headed straight to my favourite Starbucks close to Trader Joe’s. 

As I walked in a couple were coming out and he said, “I like your hat”, as per usual I was wearing my NZ beanie. I said, “I live there too!”. This started a lovely conversation, as they have visited NZ and have often thought of moving there permanently. Her brother lives there and their mother is currently visiting him. He lives about 3 and a half hours drive to the south of where I live and they know of Napier. 

This IS such a small world, the more I travel the more I realise this.

After coffee I headed to the John Hancock Observatory via the information centre to purchase a City Pass. Apologies to those that I misled with the name in a text message, lol!! 

As I walked along I saw more warnings to watch out for falling ice. I have still not worked out what we are supposed to do – walk around with our head up so we keep a look out?? Is it best to walk close to the buildings or as far away as possible?

I also noticed a lot of water/dirty slush along the main streets where the snow had melted. I have to remark that while the snow ploughs keep the roads clear they actually create hazards for pedestrians with snow often piled across where we are supposed to cross the road!! Oh well!

When we showed our tickets on entry to the Observatory, we were told that the outside area was closed so I calmly made a remark about the cost staying the same! Smart Alec guy in charge said I could go somewhere else, must have had comments from others is all I can figure!! Still, he is the first rude person I have met this far so I had to find one I guess, lol!!!

It takes 45 seconds for the elevator to reach the observation floor, tip take something to chew on if you usually lose your ears on fairly rapid ascents/descents!! 

The view was breath-taking and it looked so beautiful with all the snow and the ice that is part of Lake Michigan this year. There are a few stretches of open water but there is much more ice visible. 
The sandy beaches are all covered in snow and I was able to look down on the Navy Pier where I was yesterday as well as the Adler Planetarium where I will be on Tuesday.


I also saw the first McDonalds to feature a two-lane drive through as well as the Hard Rock Café. Unexpectedly, I was to see these again later on my way home! 
The views are astounding and they have interactive displays at various points so you can touch on a highlighted location, it will zoom in and tell you what it is. Trouble is, there were no instructions so I had to help a few people as I had worked out how to use it!! I still prefer the old-fashioned method of a landscape picture with arrows to indicate what is there!

I continued to wander round and enjoy the view, although to the northeast it was getting very hazy and what appeared to be some low cloud as well. I asked someone to take a photo of me just to show I am really here!! The sun continued to shine overhead and all in all it was a great experience. Although I have to say that I thought the Columbia Tower in Seattle was better due to the 360 degree view and the fact they cleaned the windows regularly, it was also cheaper!!

I went back downstairs and decided to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory situated on the ground floor. This is my third visit to one of these and those who have been with me might like to have a guess at which cheesecake I decided upon!! I had Buffalo wings as an Appetiser and they were enough for me, not sure I will have them again as they were very hot and the sauce was one I had not tasted before and not sure I really liked it!! So I ordered my cheesecake to go and will be eating it once I have finished this blog. Oh yes, it was the Cherry Cheesecake!

I then walked to the Walmart Express and bought a few items and it was on the way back to my hotel that I saw the McDonalds/Hard Rock Café. The temperature was 16 degress F at 4.45 pm so not that warm yet!! A beautiful moon was also making its appearance over Chicago. I walked around another 3 miles today so at least I am getting some exercise. Tomorrow I am taking a day off from sightseeing and intend to get some feline therapy as I am off to visit PAWS. It is not too far away and the nearest stop, less than a mile away, is Armitage which is on the Brown or Purple line. It is only about a 5 minute walk to the nearest station from the hotel!

Below, are two of the panoramic views I took!!