At one time the tallest building in the world, the Sears  Willis Tower is the tallest building in a city of tall buildings.  Finished in 1973, it’s actually separate buildings built together like a handful of drinking straws.  They don’t tell you until you’re in the elevator to the top and the famous Skydeck that there aren’t cables holding the elevator up, but pneumatics:  i.e., air.  WTF?  If it wasn’t 108 stories up, I’d’ve walked down.  As it was, my hands sweated the entire way.

For those of you who are way braver than me, there’s even The Ledge.  That’s right, a lucite box, suspended over… nothing at all.  Friggin’ A, man.  You just stand there with your feet out over God’s creation and hope that whoever nailed that puppy to the side of the building used REALLY BIG NAILS.

No.thank.you.

But seriously, this is a cool place to tour.  And, as tours in Chicago go, it’s not as expensive as an Architectural Tour, if you’re on a budget.  You can see clear across Illinois to Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, though I’m not sure about Iowa.  (That’s a couple hundred miles away, after all.)  The Skydeck has a wraparound series on the walls depicting the history of Chicago, and of course, there are the windows.  You should check out the website link I gave you in the first paragraph, because there are even video tours online that can whet your appetite.

Just don’t ask me to come out on the Ledge with you.  For that, Dear Reader, y’all’re on yer own.

~shudder~

Thank you for joining us for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave us a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

The theme at Noony’s blog, Explore the Worlds of A. Catherine Noon, is The A To Z of the Zoo.  Join her as she explores Brookfield Zoo and finds animals, birds, and insects from A to Z.

Noony’s theme on Knoontime Knitting – One Writer’s Journey Into 3-D craft blog is Letterforms In Nature and the Built Environment.

The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12^th to the 17^th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from Noon & Wilder; the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

Our friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and we’ll add you!):

• Darla M. Sands, Awakening Dreams and Conquering Nightmares with a Pen
• Kari Trenten, The Cauldron of Eternal Inspiration

Write on, and Happy Blogging!