The Signature Lounge: Drinking and dining in the clouds
Reaching the 96th floor of John Hancock Center radiates a postcard panorama view of the city where on a clear day, parts of Michigan can be spotted. Soaring to such great heights as 1,300 feet, eat and drink at the apex of the city.
It’s free to take the elevator to the lounge, but not to the observatory. Right below the lounge is the Signature Room, a full-fledged pricey restaurant with the same spectacular view. During the day and night, the lounge offers cheaper snacks and cocktails on a first-come-first-serve basis. An elevator line forms in the lobby of the Hancock but usually moves briskly.
After everyone crams into the elevator, it quickly roars up to the 96th floor, ears popping all the way up. The lounge sprawls over one large floor, but sometimes a small queue occurs, especially on busier summer nights.
Patrons can either sit at the bar or wait for a small table. Some tables are situated right in front of the windows, but there really isn’t a bad spot in the entire lounge. Specialty cocktails start at around $12, but the drinks are stiff and come with a souvenir Hancock building stirrer.
Snack on bar fare like mini burgers and more sophisticated fare of chilled jumbo shrimp and crab legs. The dim lighting lends itself to a romantic setting, and for those special occasions, a $500 bottle of Dom Perignon and other bubbly are on the menu.
The view during the day features Navy Pier and Lake Michigan, but at night the lake appears as a dark patch and the city looks the way it does when flying over it with miniaturized buildings and a snaking highway.
HelloChicago Tip: The best view can only be seen from the ladies room (sorry, guys), so women flock to the powder room just to capture the panel windows overlooking the shimmering city.
Posted by Garin Pirnia
