Open Thread
By Logan Murphy Thursday Jul 02, 2009 7:30pm
CHICAGO – Visitors to the Sears Tower's new glass balconies all seem to agree: The first step is the hardest.
The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet in the air and jut out four feet from the building's 103rd floor Skydeck. Their transparent walls, floor and ceiling leave visitors with the impression they're floating over the city.
"It's like walking on ice," said Margaret Kemp, of Bishop, Calif., who said her heart was still pounding even after stepping away from the balcony. "That first step you take — 'am I going down?'"
Click here to see more images of "The Ledge." Would you walk out on it?
Open thread below...
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Nice view!
Not only would I WALK out on it, I'd probably jump up and down as well! Maybe bang my fists on the glass screaming, "Let me outta here!!! Let me outta here!!"
or $60 for a family of four. I've got a family of 5, so make that $75 for us. We're going to Chicago Land this Summer, so I'll likely get to see it first hand. And of course I'll walk on it. It can't be any more risky than the drive from Va. to Illinois, can it?
Va. to Illinois isn't too bad of a drive, especially if you drive the National Road, US Rt. 40 in most states. However, if you really want to take a scary drive, take Interstate 80 across Iowa. You really take your life in your hands.
HOW SO?
Iowa drivers have got to be some of the worst in the nation. Many of them start driving farm machinery at age 14 and develop bad habits, which aren't corrected by drivers training. My wife and I pulled into a rest area in Central Iowa one day. It was filled with bikers returning from the Sturgis Rally in South Dakota. While talking with them, one of the bikers, a semi-outlaw type in a denim vest with a club patch, told us that they were about half afraid to go back onto the interstate because the Iowa drivers were crazy. At the time we made trips to Nebraska about 3 times a year. We finally quit using I-80 and started using I-72/U.S. 36 through Missouri. It was a much safer drive, plus it was a lot more scenic.
My brother-in-law used to be an over-the-road trucker. He told us that truckers say I-O-W-A stands for "Idiots Out Wandering Around", or, "I Oughta Went Around". Both were totally appropriate.
I was thinking of taking 80 across the country.
...taking advantage of friendly, unsuspecting tourists. They're harmless, but quite manipulative...don't buy anything from them. There's many honest memorabilia shops all over the downtown Chicago area.
You bet I would. I walked out to the end of the cantilevered room at House on the Rock in Wisconsin. It was awesome. The room bounced when I got out to the end. There is a window in the floor where a person could look DOWN onto the treetops. I did have just a touch of vertigo, but, it passed. My wife wouldn't go out, and I doubt if she would go into the glass balcony.
But I suppose I could be persuaded to give it a try.
from my body - so I doubt if I'll be visiting that portion of Sears Tower.
over the Grand Canyon. I can feel my balls retreating back into my body just a bit...
But Hell, if I were visiting the place, I'd pony up the $15--why not?
Testicular Inter-Gravitational Levitation Effect (TINGLE)
Known as 'Helium Sack' on the street, can set you back at least 50 bucks, if you can even get it ala carte...
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How's it hanging? Long time no see!
:D
question to ask P2B.
:P
I'm afraid to use the above smilie with him!
of a little tongue...
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Thats 5000 ft to the bottom. It is great
How about the rides at the top of the Stratosphere in Vegas? 4 rides that are over nothing but air at 1200'.
http://www.climbing.com/print/reviews/alain-r...
... they did this because too many people were doing the Ferris Bueller's Day Off thing: climbing on the railings and leaning until their forehead was against the glass.
Probably too hard to clean all those high-up forehead-smudges all day long... they figured this way the mess would be at a reasonable level. Unfortunately, now they're gonna have to clean the floor and walls of those boxes every hour or so...
I was up there last year. That is so cool. If you're looking for a great vacation Chicago rocks.
I've been to the Sky Deck many times but I definitely have to go back for this.
If anyone is in Chicago there are many places that are on my must-see list. Among them:
* The Field Museum. Awesome permanent and temporary exhibits.
* The Art Institute. Some of the greatest collections of photography and paintings you'll ever see.
* The Museum of Science and Industry. One of my favorites. So many things to see here is hard to list them all, but be sure to check out the submarine exhibit. It will leave you speechless.
* Navy Pier. Lots of activities for kids here and a cool ferris wheel with an awesome view of the city.
* Restaurants galore. But make sure you don't miss the Chicago-style pizzerias like Giordano's, Uno's, Lou Malnatti's, or Gino's East.
* The Chicago Botanic Garden. I can't recommend this beautiful place enough.
The list goes on and on but these are sure bets if you want to experience Chicago's best.
This sounded like a terrible idea when it was announced, and it looks worse.
I'm obviously no fan of heights but, I'm just saying, I think most fellow Chicagoans would agree, it's free to go to the top of the Hancock Center, and they have cocktails.
For sure!
Looks like LAPD dropped the ball in sealing off Michael Jackson's place following his death:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_en_...
Please! This shit is unrelenting. MSNBC has lost reality now, going with non-stop looping snippits of MJ-this and MJ-that and this will and that will and the rehearsal coverage, that frankly sucks. It looks like a high school marching band rehearsing. And we're doomed to watch it in place of the news coverage we're trying to find.
I will try the deck with some friends...after getting hammered.
Btw, the park across the street from the Sears Tower is one of the very best places in the city for people(girl) watching. You can lay in the grass or use the many reclining chairs provided...tremendous lunch break viewing as the crowds march down Jackson blvd. or Wacker drive.
http://www.gulfnews.com/world/Philippines/103...
:)
Madoff.
Not unless they wanted that glass stained.
The Senate thinks you should be charged $1,000, if you can't afford health insurance. But if you can't pay for insurance, how would they be able to collect on the fine? I love the irony of Nazinegger saying, "Haven't we promised too much the last couple of decades?" Barry tries to show he's tough by bad-mouthing Putin. Meanwhile, he's working to make it easier for hospitals(but what about us?) to cut costs. More E. Coli hospitalizatons. Yes, we know the economy sucks, but stop making high-and-mighty promises, Bush-style, and start being more aggressive. Detroit teens
and a wife going to a dentist are the victims of gun-related crimes.
If legislation passes that will levy a $1000 "fine" on individuals who refuse to pay for health care insurance I think that might be the match that ignites a revolution in this country.
People already pay enough "taxes" and have nothing to fucking show for it except bloody, illegal wars and corporate ass-kissing.
Bad idea Congress. REALLY bad idea.
Better figure out a better way to "pay" for health care....like maybe cutting the Pentagon in a HUGE way.
The American people are literally "FED" up.
Wait till you start getting fined for not eating at McDonald's or not shopping at K-Mart. Free market?? Really?!?
How people will pay money to go up really high in buildings then put money into binoculars to get a good view of the small things down on the ground. Things they could have seen for free if they would have just stayed on the ground
great analogy.
Great view, but I'll pass.
My days of climbing mountains and sitting with feet dangling from the Grand Canyon of the Yellostone are part of the distant past.
Now I get nervous if my hotel room is more than 4 floors up.
in the Austrian Alps on a ski trip back in the 80s.
was at a book signing and Q&A in La Jolla, Ca. today talking about healthcare reform. I am doubtful it will do any good but people need to contact their congress critters and demand a public option.
I had the chance to ask Dr. Dean why it is easier for a big pharma lobbyist with a $250,000 check in hand to see Sen. Max Baucus then you or me without the check but with a personal story and a question about reforming the system? Dr. Dean's answer was the 4 zeros on the check make a real difference.
The SCOTUS has given the corporations them same status as a person. Why are they allowed to give such large contributions to members of congress when individuals are only allowed to contribute $2300.
.. cuz corporations have even more rights than people do!
(but you already know that)
I am so afraid of heights and me being paranoid, I would be afraid of slipping off the glass and falling down below body hitting head first onto the concrete. Sorry, this ain't happening.
I'm with you and with my luck the glass would give way when I was standing on it.
Hell, yeah!
Why would I want to?
It looks wonderful. While I might appear somewhat mild-mannered to some (??), I think, secretly (unbeknownst to myself), I am probably an adreniline junkie.
Why is cheney going "you have to commit the crimes i committed, or we will be attacked... just wait... you'll see!"
These attacks happen either way. The only difference is how this Cheney freak uses them for personal profit, to erode democracy, and to intimidate the prosecution.
If he was trooping through Afghanistan in his rubber pants i might take him seriously.
dont worry about the fall , rather the sudden stop .
WC Feilds ( sp , ayup having a nip myself ) said when I got " baby Leroy " drunk , ah the lads no sailor .
Having sailed in some pretty heavy winds and seas in small boats 60 + knot winds , 25 foot seas etc . What about these people who use " squirrel suits " , my ex's brother was an extreme skier ( Utah , Idaho and Montana ) the way I see it , you do these extreme sports and its over in seconds , thats not the case when you are a thousand miles offshore in a big blow which can last for days on end , and if anyone here has been offshore in heavy winds , they will tell you the same thing , its a blast .
Would I want a ( berth ) bed like this guy ( person ) no not really , what would be the point ? .
Not a chance in hell I would walk on that thing. I can barely handle looking at the picture. Just thinking about it makes my stomach feel funky.
Ever been in the Sears tower?
Or even that high up? It's breath-taking. You get to see a section of the city covered with shadow from a passing cloud, while the rest is bathed in sunlight. It awes me.
Nope, never been there. Doubt I will be too. My fear of heights is so strong that even the thoughts almost make me sick to my stomach. I must have fallen off of something high in another life or something.
is considered "elevation"...
Mornin' PoP--hope you're well. Been doing paperwork all night in CA, got to get some zzzzs.
Hope you have a good 4th...
Then you would be perfect. The best natural highs occur when we face and conquer our fears. The stronger the fear, the greater the satisfaction you will feel once you realize that there was nothing to fear at all.
The CN Tower in Toronto has the same thing, since 1976:
http://www.vacationsmadeeasy.com/TorontoON/ac...
Climbing on a ladder is enough of a charge for me.
Night Night, fastfeet. So far, Friday is beautiful here. The 4th means cooking on the grill and hoping to hell some idiot doesn't set our house on fire with fireworks. Funny, around here everyone bitches about having no money but they can figure out a way to waste a hell of a lot of money buying things that blow up in about a minute after they are lit. Only in America.
You just explained the budget for the US military!
Yeah, I guess I did.
Haji Akhtar Mohammad, from Gereshk village now living in Helmand's capital of Lashkar Gah, said the U.S.-led force will not have community support in the region weary of any foreign interference.
"It is difficult to tell who is Taliban and who is civilians," Mohammad said. "They all have the same face, same beard and same turban," he said. "It is very difficult to defeat them."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_re_...
Sounds a bit like Korea. All right, who here is North Korean? Hmmm...looks the same.
I fail to see your point. You compair the North Korean populous to the Taliban and the U.S. forces in opposition against them. I don't get that. Care to elaborate?
you had a North Korean and a South Korean together, could you tell them apart? If you had an evil Taliban, and an Afghan together could you tell them apart? If you had an Iraqi "insurgent" and a peaceful Iraqi together could you tell them apart? What are the visual differences? Now if you can't tell them apart, how does a Predator drone tell them apart? Could you tell the difference between an Afghan wedding, funeral, or militant gathering? Well, neither can the US military and neither can a bomb.
the military assumes that there at least one of the wedding party is Taliban. Then God sorts out the rest. Sort of like "witches float", but when they drown, God saves their souls.
I guess that's why they have to torture them: tell me who you are.
Can you tell a red-stater from a blue-stater? Or an Albertan from a British Columbian, or Ontarian?
PS The Koreas have been separated long enough you can tell when they speak-- very different!! (Even this "foreigner", here, can.)
last night i read the afghanistan thread. you requested links re: the debate over the validity of the bin laden tapes.
here are 2 links from the guardian. interesting to note the dates; quite a ways back, before many of us (myself included) had internet...
Swiss scientists 95% sure that Bin Laden recording was fake
US urged to detail origin of tape
a lot of folks also believe bin laden's been dead for a long time, but that's a topic for another day...
The Fake 2001 bin Laden video website
nice piece called the great american bubble machine over at rolling stone.
where is lord rothschild? it's been so long since he weighed in with his sage advice...
where are you, lord? why have you forsaken us?!
Been to the observation deck. Never in a million years for the glass floor.
Your Place for Politics? Hardball leads off with "the evolving Jackson saga"
Ditto for Countdown and Maddow, I tune in for serious news and I get corporate tabloid crap and deliberate dumbing down of America, they should be ashamed. Remind me again why I pay for cable?
like MJ's music and talent, but enough already. Though, I really think it's still wall-to-wall because it's a holiday week - the anchors are all on vacation and many folks are at the beach, or in the mountains, local park, or the backyard.
ever heard of the guy who walked a tightrope across the wtc?
. She's resigning from the governorship! :|
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFee...
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