Now called the Willis Tower, the department store giant Sears once owned this Chicago landmark. The stepped-back upper floors were designed to yield a maximum window-to-floor ratio to make it attractive for tenants. Not having a gallery on the architectural ingenuity of the architecture of the tower is a missed Read more
When the John Hancock Building in Chicago was completed in 1969 it was the second tallest building in the world after the Empire State Building, but only if you include the height of its 350-foot tall spires. Today, it’s roof height of 344 meters is barely remarkable. The observation deck Read more
The MSI in Chicago is one of the better science museums I’ve visited in North America, it’s probably my second favorite on the continent after the Canada Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa and undoubtedly my favorite along the great lakes. Cleveland, Buffalo, and Detroit have nothing comparable to Read more
I had a field day at the Field Museum, it’s basically Chicago‘s museum of natural and human history. The entrance is graced by a titanosaurus skeleton composed of six dinosaurs looking over a pair of fighting elephants. The place is six museums in one. There are three special exhibitions, an Read more
The iconic salty and fatty pork bricks sold in over 40 countries around the world came from Austin, Minnesota. Each country sells and cooks Spam in their own way and the museum showcases the respective different packaging and recipe from major markets such as Korea, the Philippines, and China. Staff Read more
Austin, 90 minutes south of Minneapolis, is most well known to be the birthplace of Hormel’s Spam meat invented by George A. Hormel in 1937. His house is now a museum. Along with the Spam Museum, these two locations are the biggest tourism draws to the town. Parking is free Read more
There’s no place to have Buffalo wings like at Anchor Bar in downtown Buffalo which invented the dish. Hundreds of license plates hang on the walls that the restaurant claims are from visitors all over the world – just don’t ask how they drove back home without plates. Be sure Read more
Located in the south of Tacoma and just an hour away from Seattle, LeMay’s America’s Car Museum has over 300 classics on display from around the world. The main level has red Alfa Romeos, then you corkscrew your way down three floors before coming back up. The sloped design of Read more
Like the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, the Washington State Museum in Tacoma isn’t in its state capital but it’s not in the largest city Seattle either. If it weren’t for the museums, there would be no reason to visit Tacoma. The museum starts with a quick overview of prehistoric Read more
Tacoma isn’t just the name of a Japanese pickup truck, it’s a real place – a harbor between the state capital Olympia and the state’s largest city Seattle. The real draw to this city is its museums suck ass the maritime museum, the State History Museum, the LeMay car museum, Read more