Revisiting: Willis Tower

In my revisiting post this time, I would like to write about Willis Tower (formerly known as and STILL fondly called Sears Tower). According to its website, at 110 stories, it is the tallest building in the US. After its completion back in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world but only held this rank for about 25 years (Wikipedia) before our Petronas Twin Towers took over the title in 1998. As of 2012, it is the ninth tallest building in the world.

The Willis Tower from the ground. I almost broke my neck taking this photo.

I went there when my sister came down to visit me from Minnesota during her spring break. We stayed at my old friend's house at Bolingbrook that week and took the train to Union Station. I really wish that I actually jot down all the details such as ticket prices and the time it took to get from Lemont station (nearest train station from Bolingbrook to go downtown) but thanks to Google Map (LOVE IT) I can say that it'll take about 1 hour 7 minutes to reach Union Station by Metra Heritage Corridor line and costs $5.25 for a one-way ticket (for other ticket prices click HERE).

From Chicago Union Station, it's an easy 5 minutes walk to Willis.

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Our sole objective of going there was to go on the Skydeck, where we would be able to see the whole city from the 103rd floor! Just a tip before going up there, make sure you check the weather forecast as a cloudy day would definitely put a damper on how far you can see, if at all.

50 miles... and 4 states!

The Skydeck is open 365 days but the opening hours vary. It's open from 9am - 10pm in April to September and 10am - 4pm in October to March. It costs $17.50/adult for a basic admission. For other ticket prices or available discounts, do visit their website or perhaps subscribe to Groupon?

Our tickets. There have been 1,782,330 visitors before us -_-

At the lobby, you would go through various informative titbits about the tower. Such as these...

Try to spot KLCC!

Prior to going up, I was thinking of how much time it would take to reach the top by elevator. But guess what, it would take us less than a minute,! According to their website,"Willis Tower elevators operate as fast as 1,600 feet (488 meters) per minute - among the fastest in the world". More fun facts here.

The main attraction of Skydeck is The Ledge, a glass balcony which extends 4-feet outside the 103rd floor. I'm normally afraid of heights but hey, it's not every day that I get the chance to have a bird's eye view of Chi-town! My sis and I were holding on to each other until we saw a toddler who just walked onto The Ledge and leaned on the glass wall nonchalantly, enjoying the view. We instantly felt braver by 15%. We spent a good half an hour just taking in the view and taking photos of each other while sitting/leaning on the glass floor. I was tempted to have my trademark jumping photo taken but decided against it as more visitors started pouring in. I don't want to be the cause of so many deaths when the glass breaks y'know. Meh.

Yay we made it! Even though still takut-takut. hahah

Spot the John Hancock building, another famous building where you can go up and get a bird's eye view of Chicago

See if this guide can help you.

Definitely something you shouldn't miss when you visit Chicago!

Revisiting: Art Institute of Chicago

This is a 2-year backdated post about my visit to the amazing Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) where I got my first glimpse of Van Gogh and Monet masterpieces. My drawings are pretty limited to stickmen types, so it was mind blowing to be looking at the paintings with my own eyes. However my favourite wasn't by either artists, I forgot whatshisname by the time we left the museum. Heh.

*Random. Talking about masterpieces reminds me of the conversation between Will Smith and the Robot in the movie 'I, Robot': 

Detective Del Spooner: You are a clever imitation of life... Can a robot write a symphony? Can a robot take a blank canvas and turn it into a masterpiece? 
Sonny: Can you? 

My friends and I took the train from Elburn to Chicago Union Station and walked 10 blocks from Union Station to the museum in winter! Ok it wasn't really as bad as it sounds as it was a sunny day. It was a straight walk, made very enjoyable as we walked as a group. Map below:

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We all got in for free as the museum's entry fee was free for the whole month of February. It still makes me happy thinking about it. The free part. Must be an Asian thing, no? Regular price for tickets should be USD20 (approx. RM65) per adult but there are also free days weekly thus it's advisable for you to check their website regularly prior to your visit. Anyway I remembered that I really wanted to go again the same month before coming back to Malaysia in May that year but sadly never got the chance to. I went round Chi-town for the last time in March with my sister who came down from Minnesota but she wasn't keen on looking at dead men's paintings.Well, she didn't exactly say that but we had a great time at The Field Museum in March. Ah, a story for another day.

Willis shrouded in clouds.

This ceramic figure was actually really small. Around 15 cm in height.

 

A gay dance! As in joyous!

 

Self-potrait of Vincent Van Gogh, 1887. Left ear intact.

Bedroom in Arles by Van Gogh. According to Wiki (yah, I've been to the museum and I still had to wiki this information) this is the second version of this painting. The first and third version are in Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam and Musee d'Orsay, Paris respectively.

 

Oooh luckily I snapped a photo of the name of the artist and it's in the caption of this painting below. This photo doesn't do it justice. You just have got to see it in person. The painting seemed to come alive the longer I looked at it. I must have stood there for a good 15 minutes, just looking at it. I was certainly wasn't the only one because as soon as I snapped out of the awed-zone, I realised that there were also at least a couple of visitors also enthralled by the painting and stood looking at it behind me.

Fisherman's Cottage by Harald Sohlberg, 1906. Oil on canvas.

While there are many sculptures/paintings/installations that made me go "WAHHHH", there are also equally as many that just didn't make sense, especially in the Modern Art wing. Maybe because I'm just not artsy-fartsy enough (even though I dressed the part that day: beret, check. sling slouchy bag, check. graphic tee, check. scarf slung carelessly, check). Like these:

Looks like telur ulat.

This is a tissue paper box with a... vent? :-/

I dragged my two Indonesian friends across 2 different wings just to find the American Gothic. I mean, how could you miss this iconic image when you're already here? Ok, now you guys can go home.

American Gothic by Grant Wood, 1930.

I didn't take many photos as I've always felt that, sure photos are great for us to reminisce about the trip in the future, but most times I rather not experience my trip just through my lenses but rather remember the feeling, the sights with my own eyes, the sounds or even the smell of the place. Or I'm just too lazy at times.

More revisiting posts coming up!