Posted September 21, 201311 yr Hey everyone (and especially Chicago forumers)!!! Yours truly visited the Windy City for five amazing days and night in August 2013! After two great nights in Toledo, Ohio, took the Amtrak to Chicago! I took so many pictures on this trip, so I am going to divide the pictures up as evenly as I can. Day 1, part one of this trip include various pictures from in and around downtown, the loop and views from the Willis Tower. Shot of South Bend, Indiana from the Amtrak train Inside Chicago's gorgeous grand old Union Station Outside, looking at Union Station So nice to be back in the Windy City after about a year and a half! I am once again greeted with the presence of the Willis Tower ahead of me, just outside of Union Station View of the Chicago River and cityscape from the Jackson Boulevard bridge Chicago Board of Trade Building Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Buildings on Clark Street including the Clark Adams Building in the middle, built in 1927. Clark Adams Building again, with the Willis Tower behind it Sculpture in Federal Plaza, called "Flamingo" Citadel Center Building Made to State Street and found Louis Sullivan's 1899 landmark Carson, Pirie, and Scott building It is now a City Target store, which opened last summer. Looking north on State Street towards the landmark Marshall Field and Company building, built 7 years prior to the Carson Pirie and Scott building, in 1892. Entrance to the building, now a Macy's department store The famous Chicago Theatre on State Street, built in 1921 Made to Michigan Avenue… the building on the right is the Art Deco Carbide and Carbon Building, built in 1929, it currently houses Chicago's Hard Rock Hotel Base of Prudential Plaza Looking up at Two Prudential Plaza, the sixth tallest building in Chicago, at 995 feet in height, built in 1990. Looking up at Two and One Prudential Plaza The Aon Center, third tallest building in Chicago, built in 1974 with a height of 1,136 feet. Aon Center and the Fairmont Hotel Looking up at the Carbide and Carbon Building again on Michigan Avenue Looking up at the Old Republic Building, built in 1925 Looking up at the Art Deco 333 North Michigan Avenue Building, built in 1928 Looking northeast across the Chicago River from Michigan Avenue, with the NBC tower in the middle and the Sheraton Hotel on the right and the Equitable Building on the left Hopped aboard the CTA L Orange Line train in the famous Chicago Loop originally at State/Lake station to get to the Willis Tower... View of outside from inside the L train in the Loop, pretty much exactly like riding the Detroit People Mover, except this is heavy rail, not light rail Inside the train... Before realizing the Orange Line doesn't go all the way around. Had to stop at Adams/Wabash and wait for a Pink Line train to come… Looking up at the Willis Tower, the tallest building in the city and the second tallest in the United States (after the topped out One World Trade Center in New York, although it hasn't opened yet) Completed in 1974, standing 1450 feet in height to the roof and 1729 feet to the very tip of the building Entrance to Willis Tower Lego model of the Willis Tower, much larger than the one I purchased in the Skydeck ;) Elevators to the Skydeck Views from the 103rd floor Skydeck @ Willis Tower, this is looking southeast Looking south 311 South Wacker Drive, built in 1990 Looking southwest Looking west, that domed building in the middle is the United Center, home of the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team and the Chicago Bulls basketball team Closeup of the United Center Looking Northwest Looking down from one of the glass sky boxes on the 103rd floor... Looking northeast at River North and the North Loop… with the John Hancock Center in the distance on the far left, the Trump International Tower in the middle and the Aon Center on the right... More of River North and the North Loop John Hancock Center in the middle… Lake Michigan in the background Looking north towards the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Old Town, Rogers Park, Evanston, etc... Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs Chicago Sun-Times Building Merchandise Mart Building Chicago's REAL towers of power, the Wrigley Building on the left, the 35 East Wacker (aka Jewelers' Building in the middle), behind it is the Mather Tower, to the right is the Carbide and Carbon Building and 333 North Michigan Avenue Wrigley Building in the middle, just behind it is the Tribune Tower All of Chicago's towers of architectural power in one! Looking north towards Lake Michigan John Hancock Center on the left and the Trump Tower on the right... Looking west towards Millennium Park Millennium Park, Grant Park, and Museum Campus Museum Campus Field Museum Shedd Aquarium Adler Planetarium Looking south at U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox baseball team An obstructed view of Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears football team Back on surface streets Took the loop to the CTA red line subway, this is Quincy station, the oldest station in the entire CTA L train system and the closest to the Willis Tower and Union Station in the loop Hard Rock Cafe, where I ate lunch The cool neon guitar Inside the Hard Rock Cafe... Went back to check into my hotel, caught this shot of the Trump Tower, near the Hard Rock Cafe Wrigley Building, among others... Looking up at one Chicago's newest and most unique buildings, Aqua, designed by Chicago-based architect Jeanne Gang. At 82 storeys and 859 feet, it is the tallest building in the world designed by a female architect. It also happens to be where my hotel is, the Radisson Blu Aqua All the "waves" you see are uniquely designed concrete slabs on which each floor is situated... Inside the lobby of the hotel... Going up inside the elevators, I liked the blue lighting here... My room… outside... My hotel room, on the 11th floor (btw, the hotel occupies the first 18 floors of the building... Bathroom, talk about luxury... Making myself at home before the Chicago river architecture tour Views from the room, I was actually quite happy with this, on the far right you see Navy Pier and various buildings... Looking north at Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River Hope you enjoyed this first of a few photo tours to come! Coming soon: Chicago river architecture tour, Museum of Science and Industry, White Sox/Tigers game, Navy Pier, Wrigley Field tour and Cubs game, Hyde Park and Kenwood.
September 21, 201311 yr Great photos! I love Aqua- it's one of my favorite "new" skyscrapers. It's been way too long since I've been to Chicago, and this makes me want to get back even more! “To an Ohio resident - wherever he lives - some other part of his state seems unreal.”
September 21, 201311 yr Nice job! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
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