Cats and Trails and Garden Tales

Greetings from the Windy City!

I meant only to send a few postcards, but as often happens, I found I had a lot to say about them!

First of all, did you know that Chicago is home to the world’s first skyscraper? Well now you do!

So no trip to Chicago is complete without an Architecture Tour, and we’ll start by heading up the Chicago River from Lake Michigan.

There are many notable and historic buildings that line the river but I’ll only share a few of my favorites, starting with the tall, wavy building on the left, the St. Regis Chicago.

Isn’t she a beauty? At 101 stories, it’s the world’s tallest building designed by a woman, architect, Jeanne Gang. It’s also the third tallest building in Chicago. Though it only opened recently, I can’t imagine the river entrance without it.

Here’s a view from the other side.

Next is the Wrigley Building built in 1924. William Wrigley Jr, you may recall, was famous for his chewing gum. Back in the day, he had the market with his spearmint, doublemint and juicyfruit gum. His name is also affixed to one of the country’s oldest and most iconic baseball stadiums, Wrigley Field.

Across the street is the Tribune Tower, an iconic gothic structure, where Ann Landers finished her career answering your questions (she took on the role of advice columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times in 1955.) I grew up reading Ann Landers in Seattle’s P.I, rather than her equally famous twin, Dear Abby.

Next up is, dare I say it? Trump Tower, the second tallest building in town. Surprising isn’t it, that he would allow his name to be attached to anything ranked second? Still, it’s a fine looking building.

Next is the smaller but more sophisticated Carbon and Carbide Building, which I thought looked like a giant tube of lipstick.

Built in 1929, and according to our tour guide, resembles a Champagne bottle to protest Prohibition. The top is covered in a (very, very) thin sheet of 24 karat gold, the height of luxury and excess.

I’ve shown you the second and third tallest buildings in Chicago, now here’s #1, the Willis Tower. When built in 1973, the ‘Sears Tower’ as it was then called, was the tallest building in the world, at 110 stories, 1,451 ft. tall, and it remained the record holder for nearly 25 years.

That will do from the river, but I still have a few more pictures to show you. The Water Tower is one of the only structures remaing from before the great fire of 1871.

In fact, it was the fire that turned Chicago into a blank slate, for architects to build upon.

Next door is the Hancock Tower, the fifth tallest in the city and the only one I’ve been to the top of, on previous trips. The observation deck is on the 94th floor and the views are great. It’s still possible we’ll make it up again before we leave town.

Before I go, here’s another shot of the Skyline from the lakeshore, at the Shedd Aquarium, where the ‘Sears Tower’ dominates.

And that will conclude our tour!

At least for now.

– Susanne