Some of the other features of the John Hancock Observatory include the personal audio "Sky Tours", the "Windows On Chicago" computer driven photo tour of the must-see Chicago sights, the "Chicago History Wall", the "Soundscopes" that let you hear downtown Chicago, and finally the "Sky Walk" open air section of the observatory.

Visiting the Hancock Observatory really improved my sense of direction during our visit in Chicago by allowing me to see an overview of the city just like a Google Satellite Maps view. Whenever I got turned around or a little lost I could just look skywards, find the Hancock building and navigate my way back to the Westin Hotel on Michigan Ave.

Looking at the sights guide for the Lake Michigan view, I could see that more than a few military battleships, commercial ships and passenger cruise boats have wrecked close the Chicago shores. Some of the boat names included the "Evening Star", "Wells Burt", "Wings of Wind", "Flora Hill", "Jenny Lind", "Lady Elgin" and the "J. Loomis McLaren". I bet that the stories of these ships could be found on the "Wall of History" display in the observatory.

After we walked around the Hancock Observatory a few times, the sun began to get too intense. Since I had taken plenty of pictures with my trusty Canon Powershot SD110 digital camera,  we went to browse around the gift shop, and then headed for the express elevator back to the lobby.

Down below at the base of the John Hancock building are an assortment of cafes, eateries, and restaurants including Jamba Juice, and Cheesecake Factory. There was also an artificial waterfall, chairs for taking a break, and two American flags on very tall flag poles. Overall the Hancock Observatory was a great part of our Chicago trip and well worth the price of admission.