Life List #179: Go to the top of the John Hancock Tower.
Sipping cocktails at the Signature Lounge at the top of the Hancock Tower.
After running the 5K together, my friend Emily looked over my life list and suggested a girls night out at the Signature Lounge — the bar at the top of the Hancock Tower.
At 100 stories — 1,127 feet — the John Hancock Tower is the fourth-tallest building in Chicago and the seventh-tallest skyscraper in the United States. While I’ve been to the top of the Sears Tower (ahem, it will always be the Sears Tower) several times before, I never went to the top of the Hancock Observatory. (Or 360o Chicago. Because it’s apparently not called the John Hancock Observatory anymore?) It’s terribly touristy, but one of those things everyone in Chicago should probably do at least once.
We decided to skip out on the observatory and instead go to the Signature Lounge.
Sure, you can pay the $18 admission fee to go up to the Hancock Observatory. Or you can go up to the Signature Lounge for free and buy a ridiculously expensive $15 cocktail. But you get a cocktail out of it.
Sure you can pay $35 for a fast pass to skip the long lines and get to the top of the observatory faster. Or you can just order another cocktail.
Sure you can pay five dollars extra to go on the Tilt, a brand new glass case that leans you out from the building. But WHY WOULD ANYONE DO THAT?
I’ll stick to cocktails.
I went with a “Paris to Rome” cocktail to celebrate my travels. I also got a Godiva martini. Because, chocolate.
Pro tip: with better lighting and wide open windows you can get better group shots from the bathroom. Might not work on a heterosexual date.
“Go to the top of the John Hancock Tower” was number 179 on my life list.
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Erick Velasquez
May 24, 2018at4:46 pmI am glad I found this post. I plan to visit Chicago and I would not have known about this if not for you. Best of wishes!