I can see the ledge from my office. Pretty cool!!!

July 1, 2009 2:35 PM | 54 Comments | UPDATED STORY

Reporters check out the new “Ledge” at Sears Tower
(Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune) SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE.

For those who can stand heights, the new “Ledge” that will allow visitors to the Sears Tower Skydeck to look straight down 1,353 feet opens Thursday at 9 a.m.

The Ledge–actually enclosed glass boxes–extends about 4.3 feet from the building, according to the Skydeck Web site, and is touted to provide “never-before-seen” views of Chicago.

Video below: Tribune reporter Kristen Schorsch shows how it looks from the new Sears Tower “Ledge.”

An unidentified videographer from a local television station shoots from “The Ledge” today. The enclosed glass ledge juts out from the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the United States. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)

First opened in 1974, the Skydeck attracts about 1.3 million people annually. (And its location, the Sears Tower, is still the Sears Tower. Its name won’t be changed to Willis Tower until sometime later this summer, according to a building spokesman.)

The 1,500-pound glass panels used in the Ledge’s construction on the 103rd floor of the skyscraper were installed by MTH Industries, the same architectural metal contractor that installed the Cloud Gate sculpture in Millennium Park, according to the Web site.

The ledge was designed by Sears Tower’s original architects, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP. Each box is made of three layers of half-inch thick glass, according to the Web site.

“The Skydeck has evolved to challenge our visitors curiosity,” said Randy Stancik, Skydeck general manager. “You only need to see the forehead prints on the windows to know that visitors are constantly trying to catch a glimpse below.” Visitors will be able to see 1,353 feet straight down.

Some early visitors who got to get a sneak peek of the ledge were wide-eyed children, and adults, who gazed down at the city in amazement.

Adam Kane, 10, his three younger siblings and two friends walked all around one glass box, at times sitting with their legs crossed and talking about what they were going to tell their friends when they got home.

“When I look down it’s still pretty freaky,” said Adam Kane, who ventured to Chicago with his siblings and mom after learning about the Sears Tower in social studies class in downstate Alton. “I guess I just got used to the feeling.”

His sister Anna, 5, laid with her back to the bottom of the glass box, moving her arms and legs up and down as if she was making snowmen.

Darron Cooper, 30, of Atlanta, crept up to the edge of a glass box, eventually making his way inside.

“I’ve got a fear of heights and I’m looking straight down,” Cooper said. “It’s an experience you can’t pass up on. You’ve got to just chalk it up.”

Admission to the Skydeck, including the Ledge, is $14.95.

–Deanese Williams-Harris and Kristen Schorsch

Apartment living in Chicago is never really easy. You have to deal with the Stompinatos upstairs, the Yellingtons across the hall, and the morons who throw parties late into the night. Yesterday we had an incident that made all of them look like minor incidents.

Kristi and I rushed home to get dinner started and possibly get some laundry done. We opened up the door and it was pitch black. Normally I keep a light on for some plants we have. Kristi noticed it wasn’t on and asked me if I forgot to turn it on before I left. (It was on when I left, it’s always the first thing I do in the morning after I wake up) She then reached for the light switch by the door and got nothing.

Our power was out. I immediately went outside to make some phone-calls. I called Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) to report the outage. I looked at the other windows in the building and they all had power. Seems that we were the only ones affected. After that call, I went inside to try and figure out what to do next and to help Kristi search for her box of candles. (did you know that lightsabers make great flashlights?)

I went back outside to call the landlord. While I was on the phone with the landlord, they mentioned that a maintenance guy had seen ComEd in the building earlier in the day to shut off power to an apartment due to non-payment. After I got off the phone with the landlord, I called ComEd back. I started asking about service interruptions due to non-payment. The operator told me that nothing was scheduled for my address. Being that my building actually has 4 addresses, I asked about the other 3. Turns out that our accross-the-hall neighbors (formerly known as the Yellingtons) were the ones scheduled to have their power shut off due to non payment. ComEd screwed up and shut our power off.

The operator immediately dispatched a technician to come over and restore our power. As I was placing a call to have dinner delivered, the ComEd truck pulled up. 10 minutes later we had power back.

Never would I think that my version of Hell would be being forced to listen to a horrible morning radio team with no real option of turning off the radio or changing the station.

I discovered today that this would probably be the way I would spend eternity if I were going that direction if my expiration date was up. As of late the company that I work for has been putting us management types through training to take over union positions in the event of a strike.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve taken several training modules online. I’ve been even taken training in a classroom for a full week. Today is my first on-line, and hopefully only, “lecture” and it is hosted by a man and a woman who are approaching things as if they’re on the radio. This is horrible. It’s like one of those horrible radio commercials where they make it sound as if you’re still listening to the program.

The subject matter is bad enough without the bad humor thrown in.

If anyone is actually reading this, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve been quiet about the Blackhawks as of late. Well, to be honest, I didn’t really know what to say. As big as the rivalry between the Blackhawks and the Red Wings was, I knew that Detroit(sucks) was the better team. It’s a fact of life. In sports you have a winner and a loser. The Blackhawks unfortunately came out of this experience as the loser.

However, all is not lost. This season missed the goal by only a handful of wins. Lord Stanley’s Cup was just not in the cards this year. The Blackhawks made a gallant effort, but when it came to their quest, they let emotions get the better of them. The teams with more experience and poise, much like the current Cup Champion, Detroit(sucks) Red Wings, will win.

So how do I feel about this season? I feel rejuvinated as a fan. I feel that within the next few years the Chicago Blackhawks are going to bring home the hardware. At some point I’m going to be able to see the Stanley Cup without traveling to Toronto. (which I want to do sometime in the future)