I never made the time to see this black monolithic structure close up last October, so this would be one of my priorities this time around. The building is located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile at 875 N. Michigan Ave, surrounded by such sights as the Water Tower and Mall and it’s close neighbour, the intricately designed and swanky 900 N. Michigan Ave which at 871 feet is the city’s seventh tallest building.

The entrance to the lifts that whisk you to the observation platform is found below street level at the rear of a selection of stores selling souvenirs, t-shirts, jewellery, and suchlike. Noticeable straight away is how much quieter it is than the queue for the Sears Skydeck – there were no more than a dozen in the queue and no security checks. We paid our $9.95 and within 30 seconds, were hurtling up to the 94th floor.

The observation platform has recently undergone a major refurbishment and now features multi-lingual "soundscopes", a history wall detailing the city’s rise from small town to metropolis, and the "windows on Chicago" screens that let you explore some of the city’s other major sights at the push of a button.

The view here is staggering and for my money, better than the Sears for the John Hancock Building is more centrally located within its retinue of lesser skyscrapers and affords wonderful views of Navy Pier and Ohio St beach, the Magnificent Mile, Lake Michigan, and so much more.

This iconic building was completed in 1969 and, although pushed to third tallest in the city by the Sears Tower and the Aon Centre (by just 9 feet), is still nevertheless, one of the tallest buildings on the planet. It was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and eventually topped out at 1127 feet, not including the huge antennae mounted on its roof. With its massive, external diagonal braces, it appears almost alien in design with a brooding presence for, unlike the Sears which sends just two of its nine "tubes" to its summit, the John Hancock maintains its massive girth all the way to its roof, other than a slight tapering effect that makes the top floors slightly narrower than those below.

We stayed here for maybe an hour, using the 360- degree panoramic views as a showcase for the city on this warm and clear day. It was easy to see jets landing at O’Hare and Midway airports, to see cargo ships far out on the lake that ordinarily would be way below our horizon, and of course, the frenetic activity down on the Mag Mile although we could hear nothing of the car horns and traffic from our lofty perch. It’s quite surreal really and an experience that you could easily enjoy for hours, spotting various landmarks, buildings, streets, and Expressways from this city in the sky.

Opening hours are 9am – 11pm www.hancockobservatory.com. Tel. (312)-751-3681.

The Hancock Center was once Chicago’s tallest building and the world’s second tallest. Not for long—within five years it was locally eclipsed by the Aon Center (which entered life as the Standard Oil Building) and then the Sears Tower. Still, at 1,127’ and a round 100 stories, ‘Big John’ still makes a grand end to the Magnificent Mile.

And if you want to look out over the city, what’s a few hundred feet? Its Observatory may be 323' below its competition, the Sears Tower SkyDeck, but it sits closer to the lakefront, amid the city’s commercial district (while Sears is on the far west side of the Loop). And the Hancock is open until 11pm, allowing for a late, late night look (the Sears closes at 8pm Oct-April).

We gazed upward at the Hancock during our walk up Michigan Avenue, admiring its black exterior, a great example of graceful form following function. The building’s X-braces, the iconic series of exterior diagonal crosses, are part of the ingenious design of skyscraper architectural engineer par excellence Dr. Fazlur Khan (also responsible for the Sears Tower). These transfer a large part of the building’s load to the exterior, freeing up more interior space.

None of that was on our minds as we wound our way north, sprinting between awnings to avoid as much water and wind as we could. After a detour on the warm, indoor escalators of Water Tower Place, we crossed the street into the Hancock’s sunken plaza and the west entrance that leads to the Observatory’s ticketing area.

After paying ($10.50 adults, $7.25 kids), we had a brief wait amidst wall-sized blueprints. The 20mph elevators then took us from basement to 94th floor (or 95th floor restaurant) in 40 seconds.
Last view of the city
You exit facing the lake, and can walk completely around the 94th floor, which is all windows, floor to ceiling. The one exception is the skywalk along the south side, where you step outdoors on to a very securely screened-in patio, good for an extra dose of adrenalin if you, like me, suffer from agoraphobia.
Below and to the left were Navy Pier’s lights and ferris wheel; to the right stretched the Lake Michigan shoreline. The ladies who staffed the observatory were already bemoaning the limited visibility from the night’s clouds ("If you’d been here at 7, you could see 80 miles"). The increasing fogginess added additional difficulty to picking out landmarks, but we had fun circling the floor and enjoying the clouds and moisture that gradually reduced our view to zero.

In addition to the view, the Observatory features a small but decent history of Chicago on three or four large panels, a series of interactive video displays, and (of course) dollar bill-operated telescopes. Along the north side, a little booth lets you photographically record your career as a simulated window-washer, and a small gift shop will take your money if you just have to have a souvenir.

I like the Hancock observation deck a little better than the Sears Tower simply because it's closer to the water and you have fantastic views of the beaches and marinas up and down the Lake Michigan (it's all about the water). The cost is $9.75, plus a tourist fee (why can't they just give you a total that includes the tourist fee? Don't keep me guessing). The deck opens at 9am, and the earlier you get there, the shorter the line. When you're done, you can visit the Water Tower for shopping. The John Hancock building is a must-do for your Ferris Bueller day in Chicago.

The John Hancock Center Tower is maybe not Chicago's most beautiful building but is one of the most recognizable. After the Sears Tower, and the Aeon Building, the Hancock is the third tallest building in Chicago and in the US. While the Sears Tower is a place of business, the Hancock is a place to do business to but also to live. Yes, that 100 floors and 1,127 feet tall building has year-round resident. And I understand the prized apartment are the one where the windows are crossed by those X beams so characteristic of this building. It has everything you need too (Post office, dry-cleaning, newstand... even a grocery store! The ground floor has restaurants and business.

But people come here for the view, the best view in town. You have the choice, you can either pay the admission price for the observation deck (open from 9 am to 11 pm): Adults pay $9.50, Seniors (62+); $7.50 and children under 12-years-old; $6.00. The alternative is enjoying a drink or a meal at the Signature room on the 95th and 96th floor and 96th-floor (restaurant on the lower floor and lounge on the upper floor). It's not cheap (more than 6 bucks for a beer) but you can have a drink with a view! On the other side, if you really want a 360 degrees view, then the observation deck will be your pick. You may also notice that the building is... yes... swaying. Especially if the wind is strong. Don't worry though, the worse thing you can get is maybe a little motion sickness. I recommend going at sunset when the sun disappears and the Chicago lights are coming on, it's really, really a sight to see!

Seeing the John Hancock Tower was great. Once you get there, you ride up a very fast elevator to get the observatory. From the observatory, you can see the whole city. They also have tons of displays with historical information.