May 16 2012, Chicago

Waves were crashing on the shore of Lake Michigan this morning as the windy city finally lived up to its name. It was another sunny day, but the temperature was very noticeably lower than yesterday - I guess the wind has shifted round to the north.

After breakfast we rejoined the bus tour that we abandoned yesterday, but only travelled a couple of stops at first because we wanted to ride the "L" train, which we did for a while, joining the brown line at the Loop in the centre of the city, riding out to Fullerton and then crossing to the opposite platform and coming back. Bit silly, really, but the L is so famous that it had to be done.

After our customary coffee stop, we made our way to the Sears Tower. Officially, it's now called the Willis Tower since the British insurance brokers bought the naming rights, but the tour guide on our short ride on the bus this morning told us that many people still call it the Sears Tower. As the tallest building in the world for many years, and the tallest building in the western hemisphere for many more, the Sears Tower is considered a bit of an icon and there is now a movement afoot to get the name changed back to Sears. I even heard one American lady on a cellphone outside the tower telling someone, "I'm just at the Sears Tower", so it looks as if the name has stuck. The views from the top are great, as you would expect from the 103rd floor, and I strolled out into one of the glass boxes that hang off the side of the building - no problem! (Mind you, I did take Dave Sweet's advice and checked that there were no Americans out there with me at the same time - these things do have a load limit!)

After finally finishing the bus tour (today's live guides were all a massive improvement on the guy driving the trolley car yesterday) we did a bit of gift shopping up and down Michigan Avenue before returning to the hotel to rest up and decide where to eat this evening.

Jen's bit: The temperature has dropped by 20 degrees, sunburn yesterday and shivering today, just like home. Jx

Part of the great view from the sky deck at the Sears Tower.

About an inch of glass and 103 floors, straight down!

This not very attractive building, with slits for windows, is a Federal Correctional Facility (aka prison) in the city centre.

The NBC building in Chicago is a late art deco masterpiece, and this is the lovely main entrance.

This astonishing apartment and hotel building, the Aqua Tower, was designed by a lady called Jean Gang and opened in 2009. The wavy white bits are the balconies, and no two are identical in this 82-storey edifice. Their fluidity mimics the water on nearby Lake Michigan. We really liked the building!