Quirky Chicago

Here are some quirky aspects to Chicago. The first is the built-in mail chute at our hotel which is no longer used. There are slots on each floor where letters could be posted and they would fall down into this letterbox.

Thirty four million birds are killed each year in the US when they fly into urban buildings and skyscrapers. The Aqua Tower in Chicago is an exception. The curved balconies and positioning of the windows stop the birds from flying into the glass.

The Aqua Tower was designed by Jeanne Gang and her Studio Gang Architects. The Vista Tower is another of her designs. This building comprises three interlocked towers to help reduce wind shear. It will be interesting to see whether this one is bird friendly.

Two of the strangest buildings are these 1967 twin towers which have large spiral car parks at their base. After cars kept plummeting into the river the City made it mandatory that all cars in those buildings be valet parked.

A lot of buildings in Chicago are built over railway lines and rent is paid to the rail companies. One railway line is no longer used and the rail bridge crossing the river is left up, except for one day each year when it is lowered to maintain its status as a rail line, and ensure continuing entitlement to the rents.