Skydeck VS 360 Chicago
I don’t have a drone, so I have to do it the old-fashioned way—finding the highest accessible observation decks in each city.
In Chicago, there are two—Skydeck Chicago and 360 Chicago. I couldn’t resist the little pleasure of seeing the city from both. To get different perspectives, I visited the decks at different times of day—once during the day and once at sunset. I recommend doing the same.
Sorry for the photo quality—all shots were taken through windows, and it was cloudy during the day, with the top of the skyscraper slightly in the clouds.
360 Chicago
- Located on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Center.
- Height: about 305 meters.
- Price: from $30, skip-the-line tickets available online.
What you can see
- Panoramic views of the northern part of the city, including the famous Chicago waterfront and Lake Michigan.
- Views of Michigan Avenue, Oak Street Beach, and historic neighborhoods like the Gold Coast.
Highlights
The observation deck features an attraction called “TILT” – a glass structure that tilts outward, giving you the sensation of literally “hanging” over the street.
Skydeck Chicago
- Located on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower.
- Height: about 412 meters.
- Price: from $40, tickets available online.
What you can see
- Panoramic views of Chicago and Lake Michigan; on clear days, visibility reportedly extends across four states.
- Views of the southern and western parts of Chicago, as well as the surrounding suburbs.
- From this observation deck, you can also see the John Hancock building.
Highlights
Here visitors have a different attraction—“The Ledge” – glass boxes that extend 1.5 meters beyond the building, allowing you to look straight down at the city from a dizzying height.
Which is better
I enjoyed both, but…
Skydeck Chicago in the Willis Tower is generally more popular. That’s because the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) was the tallest building in the world from its completion in 1973 until 1998. Its height is 442 meters (527 meters including the spire).
Today, the Willis Tower is the second tallest building in the United States (after One World Trade Center) and the twenty-third tallest in the world. The top spots are dominated by skyscrapers in the Middle East (UAE) and Asia (Malaysia, China).
