The Out-Of-Towners

This past weekend, I played tour-guide to some nice folks visiting from Texas. Frankly, it was quite an eye-opener for me in many ways, for most of the things we saw and did were things I’d never done before.


I’ve lived in Chicago for ten years and haven’t been to the Sears Tower until now. (Yes, it’s the Willis Tower, I know.) Here’s a photo I took, looking through the glass floor, 103 stories down.

What an incredible experience!

Every day, I walk across the Chicago River and barely notice the tour boats. We took the river tour that also went out into Lake Michigan. Oh my goodness, what a great skyline Chicago has! Who knew?

As the boat was waiting to go through the lock (a lock? There’s a lock between the river and the lake? I didn’t know that.) a mommy-duck and six baby ducks came swimming up to our boat. Sooo cute.

I had some Sun Chips with me and began feeding them to her – she liked the cheddar flavored ones – and a seagull swooped down. In a flash, that little mommy duck’s protective instincts kicked in and she bolted two feet up out of the water, snapping at the seagull. Quacking and squawking ensued. The seagull flew off and is probably afraid to venture any closer than Gary, Indiana now.

By the way, I get seasick at the drop of a hat and managed to get pretty queasy on the lake tour. Maybe I shouldn’t eat cheddar Sun Chips while boating.

I had never been out to eat Chicago deep-dish pizza before – only had it delivered.

Even though the Cloudgate sculpture (The Bean) is across the street from my workplace, I’d never been inside of the darn thing. It was really impressive.

I probably haven’t been on the roof of my apartment building in over a year. I took them up there and the full moon was shining across Lake Michigan. What a sight!

I should go up there more often. It’s really pretty.

I really should get out more. How many nights have I had deep-dish pizza delivered and sat at home watching the Science Channel? With the blinds closed.

Who knew this was such a fantastic city to live in?

I definitely need me some more out-of-towners around here. . .

The Ledge

Today, I took some out-of-town guests sightseeing around Chicago. It was a beautiful, clear day so, of course, we went to the top of the Sears Tower. (Yes, it really is called the Willis Tower now, I know.)

Here is a pretty picture from the top. See? What a gorgeous day.

There’s a new feature at the top called “The Ledge” which is a glass box that hangs out over the side. Yes, you are actually standing on glass, 103 floors up. I thought it would be exciting and I’ve been wanting to experience this thing since it opened last year.

I began recording it with my video camera. I walked up to the edge of the glass. A huge wave of adrenaline shot through me - - and I couldn’t do it!

It was really one of the most intense experiences I’ve ever gone through. Words cannot explain how frightening this thing is. (And I’m not afraid of heights.)

The friend I was with said I was incredible pale. I don’t doubt it. I felt pale.

Here is the video of my attempt:



Well, after a few more attempts, I finally got out on The Ledge. I really did it. For twenty bucks, they will even take your photo of you and your friends. So here we are, 1,400 feet up, standing on glass.

I can't wait to do it again.