Visitors

We rode the elevator to the observation deck of the Sears Tower as the sun was setting. It was a quiet weekday so there were not as many people. We walked around and around, watching the sun set on the buildings below and looking out over the lake. The 103rd floor was closed, so we stopped at the 99th. There was a gift shop.

From Above

The view of the city is amazing, almost unreal. The height makes the other buildings seem like toys on a stage just the other side of the glass. Never was the directionality of the day’s last rays made so clear as the orange glow on the high-rises showed. The sun dropped to the horizon as we walked around the tower. We stayed until dark. I was amazed to see bugs on the windows.

Newsroom

We strolled past the ABC studio as they were preparing for the 10:00 newscast. The have a really cool twisted LED display on the wall in front of the studio, and glass windows revealing the newsroom.

Feeding Time

One of our main reasons for the trip to Chicago was to take part in the Poolside with Penguins program. Joy got to take part in the prep work and feeding of the Humboldt penguins. She even got to pet one! She describes the feathers as sort of plasticy. There was a distinct odor to the birds as well.

Pictures

My job in the Poolside with Penguins program was to try to get better pictures than the pro. I succeeded.

Bears

We got to the bear habitat at feeding time. The bears like fruit and the water.

Water World

The dolphin and seal habitats are very cool. The view into the dolphin tank is cast in blue: the still dolphin is nearly invisible.