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We booked a gangster tour on line last night so we walked to the train and caught it downtown. We walked a few blocks to the meet up place and hopped on. The driver and tour guide were dressed as gangsters from the 20's and spoke like them too. It was two hours of touring all four areas of Chicago being regaled with stories from prohibition and beyond. Most of the actual buildings where things went down are gone but here and there evidence of that period remains if only the hole in the side of a church wall from gun fire lol
We were returned to the pick up point after the tour which was outside a Maccas. Opting for the cheap and easy late lunch option we went in and grabbed a salad for me, the usual burger for Pete. There was a commercial being filmed on the upper level where we chose to eat.
We checked on the maps and decided we'd walk the half hour or so to our next stop, the Willis Tower.
Our walk took us over the river, through the banking district and past some towering skyscrapers.
We got to the tower, formerly known as Sears and despite all the literature warning of huge queues we walked straight up to get tickets. Unlike the Rockerfella in NYC they don't give any discount for ex veterans - top of the Rock was free for Pete!
Onto the lift and up we went, over 100 floors to the viewing area. Again comparing unfavourably with the top of the rock in that it was fully enclosed in glass, zero areas where you're actually outside :-(
For all that the views were amazing with it being a clear sunny day. One of the four ledges you can go out on to get pics was taken up by their "professional" photographer selling expensive pics that they take for you.
I say "professional" cos I doubt
she was 18 lol anyway, the queues were not too long to get to one of the other three ledges but once we got there it was fun to stand out completely surrounded by glass above, below and on three sides. We took the usual goofy shots and left to let others have their turn.
Back down on the ground we walked to a metro station and headed back up to our hotel for the night. The train was not too bad when we got on at the 2nd or 3rd stop but quickly filled to capacity for most of the trip. Many got out to head to the stadium for last nights Cubs game.
We had some left over bits and pieces for dinner, watched the two hour season premier of L & O SVU.
Tomorrow we move on. Originally we had planned on heading south towards Texas but the weekend marine event in Omaha
has changed all that so instead we will go west.
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