I'd never been to the viewing deck at that Hancock Building before, so Greg and I decided to take the elevator up and get some pictures last Thursday. It is quite hard to take a picture of yourself with a camera, as Greg discovered.
When we got to the counter to buy our tickets, I asked the cashier if he had any discounts for teachers. I try to always ask, because in many places, I get discounts or free admission when I show my teacher ID. The man told us that no, they only had discounts for military personnel. Then, for no apparent reason, he gave us the military discount, so instead of paying $15 per person, we paid $5.50. Greg was surprised and uncomfortable when he saw the receipt. "Why did that guy do that?," he whispered as we waited to board the elevator. "That is really weird."
"Either he was just being nice, or I've still got it," I replied. He was probably just being nice. Sigh. But I do remember the days when free admission/drinks/etc. came my way more often. I'll take my discounts any way I can get them. Especially for a view like this:
I have to say that I like the view from the Hancock Building better than the one from the Sears Tower. For some reason, I felt like there was more to see. Perhaps that's because we were farther north and closer to the lake. One of the weird things I noticed was all of the swimming pools on the top of buildings. They seemed weird and out of place to me. Why put the pool on the top of the building, especially if it is thirty some stories?
I loved that there was a coffee shop up there. If being 94 stories up isn't enough of a high, you can get a caffeine high at the same time. Here's Greg having an espresso. I had a coffee with Bailey's--it's nice to mix just a little kick into the coffee.
One other neat thing that I noticed was the green rooftops. There were only a few, but they instantly drew my attention.
The view was incredible, and we stayed up there quite a long time. I, too, am trying to learn how to take pictures of myself. Very challenging.
After we took the elevator back down, Greg took us to a pretty little park on the west side of Lake Shore Drive. The weather was lovely, not too hot or too cold. But as soon as I saw that there was a beach across the street, I wanted to go. I absolutely love shorelines and beaches, and I'd never actually walked on any of the Chicago beaches. I love the way the waves come in on the shore and crash a bit, even though it's just a lake and not an ocean.
It was such a lovely day that I took off my shoes and walked in the surf. Greg, on the other hand, did not want to take his shoes off or enjoy the water. He insisted that the last time he'd touched water from Lake Michigan, he'd gotten mono six weeks later. So he stood around and looked impatient while I enjoyed the sun, sand, and water. Note my shoes standing next to him, empty.
I would've stayed on the beach longer, but Greg was bored and it was almost time to catch our train back to Palatine. Our trip was over.
ha...funny how they're bored when you're doing something YOU want to do. Nice to walk on a beach without tar balls, huh? Looks like lots of fun.
ReplyDeleteNo tar balls, but Greg would tell you all about how they sometimes dump sewage into the lake.
ReplyDeleteFunny how he wasn't bored when spending hours looking at piles of dirt in the art museum. ;)