Chicago day 1, the end of a long day
When we left the Tribune Tower the evening was starting to draw in. Our plan was to go to the top of the John Hancock Centre where there is a bar with a view out over the city. The Willis (Sears) Tower has an observation platform which, like the Shard, is expensive. So we figured we could get a couple of drinks for less than the cost of the Sear's admission if we did the Hancock instead. We walked north up North Michigan Avenue, passing the the Allerton Hotel, a brick building which was under construction at the same time as the Tribune Tower (1924). When Chicago was razed to the ground by fire in 1871, the only thing left was the Gothic stone-built Chicago Water Tower and Pumping Station (1869 designed by W.W. Boyington). This became a symbol for the renewal of the city and it still stands, although now functioning as a tourist information office. It is rather dwarfed by the buildings around it, especially the Park Tower to it's rear. We were rat...