Sears Tower: "The Ledge"

I just saw a news article saying that the Sears Tower will open it's glass-bottom "Ledge" tomorrow. I had heard about this a while back and I'm actually pretty excited about the idea.

Personally, I think the Sears Tower is one of the coolest downtown attractions that Chicago has to offer. Not only is it one of the tallest buildings in the world, but it has a wonderful restaurant at the top and a cool view of the southern part of the city. I like the views from the Hancock center a bit more (it's closer to the lake), but seeing the Loop from 100+ stories up can't be beat.

Speaking of the Sears Tower... does anyone like it's new name(The Willis Tower)? Honestly, I think it's ridiculous. Everyone knows it as the Sears Tower, and I'm going to refuse to use its new name as long as possible.

2009 Taste of Chicago?

Is it just me, or has there been little advertising for the 2009 Taste of Chicago?

I haven't spent too much time downtown to comment on visual ads, but in terms of TV and Radio advertising I have seen virtually nothing mentioned about the Taste. In fact, I had forgotten about it until the ABC7 news mentioned it last night.

I hope the Taste of Chicago will be a success this year... anyone planning on going?

Do the Olympics really cost $500 million?

I just saw this article, which says Mayor Daley has guaranteed the city of Chicago will foot the $500+ million bill for the Olympics... assuming of course that Chicago wins our bid for the games.

Now, on the one hand I totally support the idea. Hear me out on this one: if Chicago wants the Olympics (an idea I actually like) we're obviously going to have to pay for something. I don't claim to know anything about the city budget, but it seems to me that the Olympics could make a lot of money for the city. Thus, in theory that $500 million might be a good investment.

On the other hand, $500 million is a shitload of money. I don't even know if that's a realistic estimate, or what exactly that pays for. Does the US government, the state of IL, or the international Olympic committee help us out?

Obviously, that $500 million dollars could pay for a lot of things in Chicago: fixing potholes, fixing/updating public transportation, buying corrupt politicians (joking...).

So what do you think about Chicago spending $500 million dollars on the Olympics?

2009 Chicago Urbanathlon

I just signed up for the 2009 Men's Health Urbanathlon, which takes place in Chicago on Saturday, October 17. Wondering what an Urbanathlon is? It's just short of a half-marathon (10.5 miles) with urban obstacles designed to slow you down.

One of the obstacles: climbing the stairs of Soldier Field. That wouldn't be so bad if we weren't also running 10.5 miles. And it's only one of like 4 obstacles.

I'm pretty amateur as athletes go, but I'm hoping this race is motivation enough to lose some weight and start some healthy eating habits.

This is the second year Men's Health magazine has sponsored this event. Did anyone do it last year? Anyone planning on doing it this year?

Chicago vs. Honolulu: Who has the better airport?

In my previous post, I mentioned I just got back from a vacation in Hawaii. After spending the better part of a full day in an airport or on a plane, I have some quick thoughts about my time in both O'Hare and Honolulu airports.

I've been in O'Hare airport more times than I can count over the years, and I could probably talk for a week about why I like or dislike some part of it. In general I happen to think it's a great airport, though it's certainly not without its flaws.

This trip was my first visit to Honolulu airport, so my opinion must obviously be taken with a grain of salt.

Things I like better about Chicago O'Hare airport:

• There's a million options for food. Hot dog stands are a plus.
• The ticketing area is indoors and air conditioned (Honolulu is open air, and very hot/humid).
• There are more TV screens in the terminals (I didn't see many in Honolulu).

Things I like better about Honolulu airport:

• Although the options for food are very limited, your options are almost all healthy.
• The outdoor walkways are very neat (when the weather is nice).
• The terminal seating is very comfortable.

Can anyone add some thoughts to this list of things to like/dislike about either airport?