Illinois 2012

July 31, 2012

View from 103 stories

On the new ledge of the Skydeck

Drove into Chicago, it’s about an hour drive from Joliet.  Found a place to park the car near the tower, it’s very expensive to park in downtown Chicago, $26 for 1 ½ hrs.    We decided to take a tour of the Willis Tower, more pointedly the skydeck.  

 You supposedly can see 4 states and most of Lake Michigan, however it was overcast and we could only see part of the city and lake.    We had had a major storm blow thru around 4:00 AM and clouds had not burned off.    Within in the last couple of years they have added “the ledge” on the West side of the skydeck.   Here you can see 103 stories down to street level thru a glass floor and walls.   There are 4 areas, each about 8 feet wide by 3 feet deep.   I must say, it was nerve racking to stand out there for me….I thought about crawling, but sucked it up and stood out there.   Believe me, Bobby was laughing the whole time.   He’s not afraid of heights!

View from Navy Pier

Navy Pier

We then headed to the Navy Pier…it’s an amusement pier.  They have many stores, rides, theaters, restaurants and of course you can get a boat ride on the main tour boats.   We parked the car in a lot near the pier ($21 for all day) and walked up and down the pier.   Looked at the shops, took pics from the end of the pier, looked at the boats, had a drink at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville and toured the stained glass museum.   

Old Joliet Prison

Around 2:00 PM, headed for home, along the way, we stopped and had lunch in Joliet at Panda Express.   Then we headed to the Old Joliet Prison.   Too bed but they do not offer tours, in fact it’s basically condemned.   We spoke to a local policeman and he told us it’s full of asbestos and more than likely will never be reopened as anything, too bad, as it’s a beautiful structure.

We then drove out to Chicagoland Speedway, had hoped to take a tour but we were too late in the day.   The tour lady was extremely nice and gave each of us a goody bag with stuff from the speedway.

On the way home, we drove over the Illinois River and noticed the locks.   Stopped and watched a barge and its load come through, very interesting.

Tomorrow, we head for Altoona, IA

July 30, 2012

Left Port Clinton, OH around 7:45 and arrived in Joliet, Il around 2:00.  Ride was uneventful.   We are staying at the Hollywood Casino, there's a nice RV park on the same grounds that has electric and water only.   Had lunch at the coach and then went over to the casino…spent their $10 and then came back to RV.    Tonight we’ll stay in and watch the Olympics.   Tomorrow, will head into town and see some of the sites.