360 Chicago is what used to be John Hancock Observatory, atop the 94th floor of the skyscraper, John Hancock Center. A huge landmark in Chicago, the observation deck offers a glorious 360-degree panorama of the Windy City. 360 Chicago is also home to the city's only SkyWalk, and the amazing Tilt offers a unique view of the Magnificent Mile, titled at an angle of 30 degrees. There's an on-site cafe where you can retire for some snacks after the exhilarating experience, 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) up in the air. Open all week, from 9a onward, 360 Chicago makes for an unforgettable visit.
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This site is of great interest to Disney buffs and animation fans alike. Disney's father, Elias, had wanderlust in his bones, moving across the country in search of a better life for his growing family. In 1892, he settled on Chicago's North Side and built this house to his wife's specifications. Rumor has it that Elias was a carpenter on the World's Exposition. Walt Disney attended McKinley High School and later took classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. The city considers declaring this house a landmark building; however, the family who lives here resists the idea in the interest of privacy. Please use common sense, and do not disturb them on your visit.
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Once upon a time, before Potter Palmer relocated to the swampy North Side around Schiller Street, this was the premier residental street in Chicago for the social and economic elite. George Pullman, Philip Armour and Marshall Field are but a few of the luminaries who once dwelled on what was considered Chicago's Fifth Avenue. Stately houses with gilded lobbies and huge mansions were the norm before the turn of the century. Today, this part of the city is tired, ravaged by years of economic blight and poverty. Still, parts of this once fabled stretch of road are intact and worth a look. Tours are run by the Chicago Architecture Foundation and the Glessner House museum.
The Northwest Tower in Chicago is perhaps the best known example of Art Deco architecture in the city. Fusing together the natural elements from Art Nouveau and the angular, geometrically inspired motifs from the machine age, the visually triangular building is often described looking like a coyote howling into the sky. This is probably why, it is usually dubbed as the Coyote Building. One of the premiere landmarks in the city, the Coyote Building is where the famous Tower Coyote Gallery is located.
