Chicago, Bird's Eye View

Excerpt from Wikipedia : "John Hancock Center at 875 North Michigan Avenue in the Gold Coast area of Chicago, Illinois, is a 100-story, 1,127-foot, (344 m) tall skyscraper. When completed in 1969, it was the tallest building in the world outside New York City. It is currently the fourth-tallest building in Chicago and the sixth-tallest in the United States, after the Willis Tower, the Empire State Building, the Bank of America Tower, the Trump Tower, and the Aon Center. When measured to the top of its antenna masts, it stands at 1,506 feet (459 m). The building is home to offices and restaurants, as well as about 700 condominiums and contains the highest residences in the world. This skyscraper was named for John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, a developer and original tenant of the building. The Hancock Center's observation deck facilities (called the Hancock Observatory) compete with the Willis Tower's Skydeck across town. The Hancock Center is in a commercial district, while the Willis Tower is in the financial district. The Hancock Center 94th floor observation deck displays exhibits about the city of Chicago. Maps explain the view in each direction and a special meshed-in area allows the visitors to feel the winds 1,030 feet (314 m) above ground level. "

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USA-Canada / USA-Illinois

Lat: 41° 53' 55.65" N
Long: 88° 38' 23.26" W

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.

Nikon D300 with Sigma 8mm f3.5. 23 handheld shots in portrait mode against the windows of the observatory deck. Stitched with PTGui Mac.

In 2009 I have made 435 panoramas . Among these, stunning panoramas made in Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, during travel in Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Austria, Spain and Portugal and USA, in towns like Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Berlin,Budapest and Timisoara, in Lisbon, Porto and Madrid, in Berlin, and Szeczin Poland, in Prague and Brno, in Hamburg and Dresden , in Chicago, Albuquerque, the Grand Canyon and Los Angeles, on top of the German Alps , in historic towns like Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany and many other places.

I have chosen the panorama made from the observatory of the John Hancock center in Chicago because of the stunning view on Chicago downtown. Due to the reflections on the windows there are a lot of visual flaws, but overall I like it because it gives you the feeling of being hovering over Chicago in an imaginary helicopter.