Sears Tower

Tourists to Sears Tower in Chicago will soon be able to enjoy a view normally reserved for Spiderman. Glass balconies are being installed near the top of the tallest tower in America, offering dizzyness-inducing views 102-stories straight down. Bosses for the 442m (1,450ft) tower say there will be three layers of half-inch thick glass and that the balconies will be able to hold about five tons. The idea for "The Ledges" is said to have come from the hundreds of forehead prints left on windows at the top of the tower which attracts 1.3 million visitors each year. A spokesperson for Sears Tower said: ... Read Full Story

'WILLIS TOWER' | World's No. 3 insurance firm hoists its name onto nation's tallest building March 13, 2009 BY DAVID ROEDER droeder@suntimes.com Sears Tower is no more, made obsolete by a company with an edifice complex. The 110-story Chicago giant will be renamed Willis Tower under a leasing deal announced Thursday. The New York-based owners signed a lease with Willis Group Holdings Ltd., an insurance broker, for 140,000 square feet plus the naming rights. » Click to enlarge image The Sears Tower will be renamed Willis Tower under a leasing deal with Willis Group Holdings. Sears Roebuck & Co. has not occupied the tower ... Read Full Story

Some of these pictures were taken at the Sears Tower SkyDeck and outside the Sears Tower in Chicago,Illinois.I was really happy when I got there,I really could not believe that I was really there.Well,I never thought I could visit the Sears Tower because I have only seen it on movies and television.Sears Tower is standing at 1,450 feet and a 110 stories high.As of today,Sears Tower is the 3rd tallest building in the world (it used to be the first) and the tallest building in North America.It is Chicago's most visited and highest observatory.You will see the best view of Chicago from the Sears ... Read Full Story

Not content with having the tallest building in America , the owners of Sears Tower in Chicago have installed four glass box viewing platforms which stick out of the building 103 floors up. The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet in the air and jut out four feet from the building's Skydeck. Floating on air: Visitors get their first view from The Ledge, four glass balconies suspended from the 103rd floor of Chicago 's Sears Tower. Designers say the platforms - collectively dubbed The Ledge - have been purposely designed to make visitors feel as they are floating above the city. The reward is unobstructed ... Read Full Story

Chicago traffic on I-90 can be very heavy and so getting there can take a lot more time than one might expect. Also, a GPS may be helpful as the roads can be fairly confusing. Ticket pricing is $12.95 for adults and $9.50 for ages 3-11. Ages 2 and under are free. For $5.50 more, one could get an audio tour as well. Sears Tower parking entrance is at Franklin Street and it costs $20. A more economical option was the System Parking lot on 321 S.Wacker drive. Even though the outside sign says $18.95, the attendant charged only $10 till mid-night, may be ... Read Full Story