This posh lounge rests atop the 95th and 96th floor of the John Hancock Building in Downtown Chicago. If you're ever lost and want to know how to get there just look up for one of the colorful top floors among the buildings in the city. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the rim of pink lights circumvent the roof of this skyscraper.

Experiential Recommendations:

1. When looking of the entrance into the building, notice the weird Cheesecake Factory facade. Not what I usually see as the CF's usual decor. Maybe I haven't been to enough.

2. Entering the building, observe the mod paintings on the marble walls and make sure you follow the signs towards the correct elevator for the Signature Room. They're posted on the walls as well.

3. The elevators are bit old in structure and sort of feel like a socal earthquake. Otherwise, the levitation is quick and ear-popping.

4. Fear not the lines during the late nights. They go faster than you think.

5. Girls... go to the ladies' room and soak in the visual there. The city sites crazy cool. You can do the Ferris Buller's Day Off thing - stand on the step and place your head on the glass. Kinda feel likes you're flying. I could only take it for a second as the fear of heights soon overtook me.

6. Guys... sorry, but I heard the view there blows.

7. The drinks are bit pricey but you're there for the view and the ambiance, right?

That's all I can really say about this place. I would totally recommend it for a site-seerer, a blind date, and chill night out on the town.

Almost as tall as the Sears Tower but much more civilized the Signature room offers drinks (about $10 for a beer!) and food, with a breakfast buffet. Surrounded by windows the view of the city is spectacular, especially on a clear day. It is a pleasure to sip drinks while taking in the view of all sides of the cityscape - plus unlike the Sears Tower it is free to get in.

The Signature Room is a restaurant and lounge/bar on the 95th (restaurant)/96th (lounge) floors of the Hancock Building. Now, the Hancock Observatory is on the 94th floor. You do the math.

To get to the Hancock Observatory, you will pay $9.75 for adults, $7.75 for seniors 62+, $6 for kids 5 to 12, and free for kids 4 and under. To get into the Signature Room Lounge - it's FREE (with a one drink minimum).

We arrived around two on a Saturday, and found the long line to go to the Signature Room Lounge (separate elevator and waiting area than the observatory), but it only took about 20 minutes to get on the elevator. The elevator was nonstop and took less than a minute to get to the top. [Note: If you are going to eat at the Signature Room Grille, you have priority and can skip to the front of the line]

Once you are in the lounge, you are overlooking the grille below, and the view of Chicago through the windows is breathtaking.

Since it was Saturday afternoon, the lounge was fairly crowded, and we were seated in the middle, away from the windows (I saw one guy slip a waiter some cash to get a seat by the windows).

With the one drink minimum, you will need to buy a drink - a soft drink is $5, beer is $6.50, champagne is $9, and specialty martinis and drinks are $10-12. We each ordered a specialty martini, which was very yummy, but small.

With our table in the middle of the room, we could see out the windows, but only towards one side of the building - not really well enough to take any decent pictures. We got up and looked out the window, but I kind of felt I was invading other people's space.

After finishing our drinks, we decided to walk around, and found the other side of the Signature Room (through the hallway)! This is where you should go!! There was much more space with tables and a large bar in the middle. You could easily walk around, and the people were very friendly about letting you get close to the windows (which there were a lot more of - with three sides of the building to look out of). The atmosphere was much more casual and it was really sunny. Much better!

Also, the Hancock Observatory (94th floor) is only open (daily) from 9am to 11pm, whereas the Signature Room Lounge (96th floor) is open Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 4pm to 12am and Friday to Sat 4pm to 1am.

The Signature Room offers one of the best views in Chicago! Whether you go there for dinner or just a cocktail it is well worth the money. The best time to come is in late afternoon and then you are sometimes blessed with a majestic sunset. This way you also get to see the city in the daylight and at night! It makes the city look like two entirely different places.

The Signature Room in the John Hancock has it’s own elevator and rarely do you have to wait in line like the tourists do to go to the observation deck. An important thing to note is that I you are going there to eat tell them and the chance of you waiting for an elevator dramatically decreases.

There are two different bars to sit if you are looking for just a cocktail. Check them both out before you decide where you want to sit. Usually, the one by the dining room is more crowded and while there will be more people to talk to, the view might not be as good. In addition people who are eating dinner usually don’t appreciate you standing in front of them to look at the view.

The Lounge is on the 96th floor and there is often live jazz here Wednesday-Saturdays so you can make it an all night event if you wish to. If you are just going to have a drink, realize that many of them are cheaper than the price of the observation deck and remember you are in Chicago. So, while a martini may be $10 how can you complain when you are 956 stories up and overlooking Chicago!

Although there is no official dress code, please be mindful of other people, especially if you are in the bar by the dining room. A lot of people come to the signature room for special occasions (anniversaries, birthdays, special events, rehearsal dinners). Therefore, they often dress to reflect this; I am not saying that you must come dressed to the nines, but make sure that your shirt is tucked in and your shoes match.

Other than that, have a great time and enjoy the view and all that Chicago has to offer.