Framedlight

Michael and Emma joined Anne and myself and we made our way to the Hampton Hotel, just off North Michigan Avenue in central Chicago. We thought that staying here for a couple of nights would relieve the pressure on Michael's apartment and allow us to do more in the city. The Hampton Hotel uses the premises of the once Chicago Motor Club and has a wonderful art deco lobby which they have preserved.  Here are some views of the balconies that surround the lobby and the scene through our room window. I had developed a cold so retired early. The next morning I felt better and went out before breakfast to get some shots of an early Monday morning in downtown Chicago. I took my tripod so I could get some movement of people and cars. Perhaps it was too early as there were not that many people around.

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...