Sears Tower Elevator Video - Is This Distasteful?
 

I recently returned from a trip to Chicago. while there my party went to the observation deck at the top of the Sears Tower. On the way up is a short video on a screen mounted above the door.<BR><BR>As you ascend the video shows the cables of the elevator car breaking and the car in an apparent free fall. Eventually you realize the car isn't falling but ascending at an uncontrolled rate, bursting through the roof of the tower, and shooting into space.<BR><BR>Almost everyone on the elevator car made a comment about the inappropriateness of this video.<BR><BR>Descending on the elevator the video show the car doors opening and a train headed towards you - it might as well have shown a plane fly towards the building.<BR><BR>Are we oversensitive because of 9/11 or should the Sears Tower pull this video for the foreseeable future?

Is this for real????? That is disgusting!

i'm sure it's all done in fun and not intended to offend anyone, but in these politically correct times there's someone out there who will find fault with just about anything. <BR><BR>

Has anyone else seen this? We are going to Chicago for the first time in 2 weeks and the Sears Tower was on our "to-do" list but this sounds so off-putting and totally inappropriate.<BR><BR>Shall we just go up the Hancock Tower instead?

Lets see some proof, x. Why have we never heard about this before, x? Ciao

I have no proof and no way I know of to proof it, hopefully someone else will verify this.<BR><BR>As the second "x" said, it was done in a sense of fun. And before 9/11 I can imagine that no one had a problem with this. In fact, I wouldn't have given it a second thought on September 10th. <BR><BR>To be more explicit. The video shows the cables breaking, what appears to be the car falling (actually ascending), then breaking through the roof and shooting into space past an astronaught and the space shuttle. Don't remember what happens next but you then hurdle back down, through the roof of the tower, and the video comes to the end as the doors open at the top of the tower).<BR><BR>I really found it interesting that nearly all the 20 people on board made a comment about the video - and none positive.

Argghhh! I hate when I type to fast as I always notice the typos as soon as I hit post - please excuse the "no way to proof it"...you all know what I mean.

Someone once said "fear will drive you to your own destruction"

There's too many x's on this board.

It has been a few years since I went to the Sears tower, but I don't remember this. <BR><BR>Rosemary, about your Hancock question - Chicago friends have told me that if you have all adults in your party, skip the Sears and go to the bar at the top of the Hancock. Enjoy a drink at twilight and see the city both day and night.

Too many x's and too little proof. If you're genuine, call Sears Tower and get a number we can call to verify. Post it. That shouldn't be too difficult. In the past, trolls normally stayed under the bridge, not atop some black tower. Lets see that proof. Ciao

Sheesh, L, if you don't believe me email [email protected] or call 1-312-875-9696 and ask. I would do this and post it but you still wouldn't believe it.

Sounds to me like another urban legend or internet hoax..

L - <BR><BR>Good grief - there's no need to sound so pompous. www.the-skydeck.com. It's under Visitor Information - "Elevators to the Stars."

Who cares what the movie shows? What's the big deal?

O.K., based on the info on the website it looks like we've got another case of "much ado about nothing" on our hands.

Thanks so much H.<BR><BR>To avoid pasting copyrighted material the exact website is:<BR><BR>http://www.the-skydeck.com/visitor_info/index.html<BR><BR>Les, this falls under the same reasons why you won't see Cast Away on an airplane.

You're dreaming, H. Checked it out - nothing. Afraid it's just another callous urban myth (you're correct). Enough of this nonsense. Ciao

Oh, you mean the harmless little NASA simulation ... what a lot of stuff about nothing. Why didn't you say so. Waste of time. Ciao

I'm so sorry, I was taken in by the troll - in this case it was L@x.<BR><BR>I stand by the original question - is this distasteful and should the sears tower stop this presentation?

Perhaps you may wish to recharacterize your original description before X asks for reactions. The simulation during the ride up is not strictly as described, per the website H lists. It is a NASA product depicting travel into outer space. Any relationship to another event is non-existent. Mr. x was the only troll.

I've seen the video mentioned and the description is at the top of the post is fairly accurate. We thought it was a little inappropriate - but not a big deal. They should probably rethink and show something else.

I routinely tell visitors to Chicago to skip the Sears Tower. First, there's all that PR puffery about the tower you have to go through unless you know how to get around it -- the film/video etc. is just a waste of time. The elevator video is just plain stupid, and they should be listening to the negative comments that a lot of people have. <BR><BR>Second, I like the view from the Hancock a lot better, anyway. You get a better view of the downtown area and a better angle on the rest of the Chicago/suburban area. Much of what's south of the Sears tower is railroad yards and industrial stuff and your angle on the Loop and north isn't as nice as the Hancock's.<BR><BR>(Plus the Hancock has food and drink if you want it, and you are in a neighborhood with lots of other things to do.)<BR><BR>

Well I've sifted through the huffing and puffing,trollery and x's (as you always have to do) and have come up with two useful bits of advice (yes, they're always in there somewhere) - thank you Laura and Mrs O'L - video or no video we shall skip the Sears and concentrate on the Hancock Tower!

And, your travel related question is...???????

In what possible way could the video you described be construed as Distasteful? Sounds like a perfectly harmless little joke. Some people REALLY try hard to read something into nothing! And relating it to 9/11?? Quite a stretch if you ask me. <BR><BR>To answer your question yes, you are oversensitive. If you are that hypersensitive you chould probably stay out of tall buildings altogether.

I was just at the Sears Tower last month with my family. I must disagree with some of the above on the Sears Tower vs the Hancock. The Sears Tower has a fabulous "history and culture of Chicago" wall that goes completely around the center at the top. So as you are walking around and looking at the various areas of Chicago-you are also learning things such as: Frank L. Wright's son invented "Lincoln Logs(toys), Afro-American history,<BR>candymaking(Tootsie Rolls,Brach,etc.)<BR>engineering and how they changed the<BR>Chicago River,famous people,<BR>sports of Chicago,food,etc.As a "native" of Chicago,the view from the Sears Tower is what really IS Chicago.From that view you see everything from Greektown and other small ethnic areas,transportation meccas,the museums,the Gold Coast,Lake,etc.It is so centrally located that Chicago is at your fingertips.As a former history teacher,I was amazed at the number of tourists(both foreign and domestic) that were intrigued with history/trivia of what makes Chicago the great city it is. As to the elevator video-I did not watch as I have a fear of heights and had my eyes shut as I was "breaking/holding" my husband's hand? I had not been up in the Sears Tower for over 12 years but the view still takes my breath away.

I for one would NOT want to be in an elevator watching a video of the cables breaking. Even if it's a pitch for NASA. And yes it IS related to 9/11. Remember, the Sears Tower was at the top of the list in the days following for possible terrorism. Too close for comfort.

I agree with Joan-that would be like flying and watching a video of a plane crash,sailing and watching The Titanic:),my imagination does a fine job on it's own, don't need visual aides for thoughts like this.