Willis Tower: Skydeck and the Ledge

 

A trip to Chicago is incomplete without a trip to the Skydeck at Willis Tower.

WILLIS TOWER:  [formerly named and still commonly referred to as Sears Tower] is  the second tallest building in the United States. This 110 stories building, stands 1,450 feet above ground.. Here are some fun facts about the building.. click here..

When we are talking about a trip to Willis Tower, we usually mean trip to Skydeck, at 103rd floor of Willis Tower.

SKYDECK :  The Willis Tower observation deck, called the Skydeck, opened on June 22, 1974.  It provides a 360 degree view of the city, from the 103rd floor of the tower, from about  1,353 feet (412 m) of height . It is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Chicago.

 The LEDGE: Fully enclosed glass boxes that extend out 4.3 feet from the skyscraper’s Skydeck on the 103rd floor. [Pop-out glass cube]

 

 

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Chicago’s Top Tourist Attractions: I have been covering Public Art in Chicago for a long time. But when it comes to showing Chicago to a visiting family-member or a friend, the top destinations are not sculptures or Public Art, but the usual tourist attractions: Skydeck at Willis Tower, Navy Pier, Architectural Cruise, Millennium Park, Art Institue of Chicago, Shedd Aquarium… and so on. So I am adding a new category: Chicago’s Top Tourist Attractions.

In my view, a trip to Chicago is incomplete without a trip to the Skydeck at Willis Tower [103-floor of the Willis Tower / 1,353 feet above the city]

The main attractions to Skydeck Trip includes..

– The Skydeck Elevator and overhead TV, showing comparison as we pass the heights of the tallest structures of the world.

– The Skydeck Theater, with a 9 minute movie, Reaching The Sky

– The Skydeck, with 360 drgree view of the city, from about  1,353 feet above the city

– The Ledge: Fully enclosed glass boxes that extend out 4.3 feet from the  Skydeck..

 

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The SKYDECK ELEVATOR 

An overhead TV screen shows an interesting comparison as we pass by the heights of the tallest buildings, monuments and structures in the world, and reach the Skydeck at 103rd floor.

Willis Tower elevators operate as fast as 1,600 feet (488 meters) per minute – among the fastest in the world.  Trip to the skydeck only takes about one minute. That means we are travelling at 24 feet per second.

 

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SKYDECK  THEATER

“Reaching for the Sky”, a 9-minute movie telling the story of Chicago’s rise to the top of the architectural world. Learn how the tower went from dream to world icon..

 

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THE SKYDECK: Panoramic View of the city

The Willis Tower observation deck, called the Skydeck, opened on June 22, 1974. It provides a 360 degree view of the city, from the 103rd floor of the tower, from about 1,353 feet (412 m) of height. It is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Chicago.

For PHOTO GALLERY.. click here..

 

 

 

 

 

 

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THE LEDGE

Fully enclosed glass boxes that extend out 4.3 feet from the skyscraper’s Skydeck on the 103rd floor. [Pop-out glass cube]

 

 

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