Macy's Baffling Window Display Shows Chicago Skyscrapers On Manhattan Island
By Emma G. Gallegos in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 12, 2015 9:50PM
Macy's latest display (Photo by Rachel Cromidas/Chicagoist)
The windows at the Macy's on State Street are already decked out for the holiday season. They tell the story of little Alex and Bella, who travel the world on holiday adventures. One display shows the flying reindeer up in the clouds with Alex and Bella hitching a ride in Santa's sleigh. Their last stop is the "best place on earth" and the "best place to celebrate in the galaxy." Down below is the Macy's parade winding its way through the streets of Manhattan.
But look a little closer, and you'll see that the island of Manhattan has some buildings that look awfully familiar. There's the Willis Tower with its antennae we'd recognize anywhere. And hey, that's the Crain Communications Building with its slanted top! Is that the Hancock Tower looming in the background? It doesn't look like the Empire State Building, that's for sure.
Macy's latest display (Photo by Rachel Cromidas/Chicagoist)
We have so many questions!
What's up with the Chicago skyscrapers being transplanted to Manhattan? Or are we inside some sort of sci-fi scenario in which the Macy's Day Parade been moved to a Chicago where the Loop is actually an island in Lake Michigan? Where is the best place on earth to celebrate the holidays? Chi-York? Have the inhabitants of this island reached any consensus about whether deep dish is an acceptable form of pizza?
We reached out to Macy's for comment on our burning questions.
Update 5:05 p.m.: Andrea Schwartz, a local spokeswoman for Macy's has responded to our query:
"We are thrilled to have a new theme and story to tell this year in our animated holiday windows, 'Santa's Journey to the Stars.' We have teams in NYC and Chicago who work on the creation of these 'imaginative' windows and not always are they true to geography. We hope people enjoy the newness."
She added, "We also wanted to showcase Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC - but wanted to make sure the viewer saw Chicago first."
So...Chi-York it is!