Chicago-Photo.com

Orleans St Bridge

The Orleans St Bridge over the Chicago River.

Two more US Flags

Two US flags which I honestly don’t remember where they are. I might have been on one of the boats offering tours of of the city on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. One thing is for sure: you can spot one of the Marina Towers.

Wells Bridge

The Wells St bridge over the Chicago River seen from the Merchandise Mart Plaza.

Navy Pier View

A not so good view of the Navy Pier with the Ferris Wheel and the northern half of the Lake Shore Dr bridge over the Chicago River.

Water Taxi On The Chicago River

A water taxi on the Chicago River. I don’t really know how they work, but I guess if you really want to ride a water taxi, you could find one at ChicagoWaterTaxi.com or ShorelineWaterTaxi.com

Three US Flags

Three US Flags along the Chicago River. The one in the fore front is in the Merchandise Mart Hall of Fame Plaza. The other two are on buildings on the other side of the river along Wacker Dr.

The Centennial Fountain

Located at McClurg Ct and the Chicago River, the Nicholas J. Melas Centennial Fountain was built in 1989 for the 100th anniversary of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. The fountain goes off every hour during the summer months. The idea was to have an arch of water start on the north bank of the river and fall on the south bank. Unfortunately, when it goes off, there’s water all over the place. Some blame it on bad math and engineering, others on the fact that you can’t really completely control nature (water in this case). Anyway, when it does go off almost all boat traffic on the river stops. It’s not mandatory. All the tour boats that will end up around the fountain when it goes off and would have to go through the water, ask their passengers if they wish to just wait for it to stop or go through. If there’s an unanimous agreement to go through the water jet, the boat will. It’s pretty nice to watch.

333 W Wacker Dr

333 W Wacker Dr building seen from Merchandise Mart Plaza.

Clark St Bridge View

Eastbound view of the Chicago River from Clark St Bridge.

The Merchandise Mart

The Merchandise Mart seen from the Chicago River while on a boat tour of the city.

Merchandise Mart Facts

-the building occupies the entire block bounded by the Chicago River (on the North), Kinzie St (on the South), Orleans St (on the West) and Wells St (on the East);

- when it opened on May 5, 1930, the Mrchandise Mart was the largest building in the entire world;

- it was initially owned by the Marshall Field family;

- the building held the title of the largest building in the world in terms of floor space until 1943 when it was surpassed by the Pentagon

- from 1945 until 1998 the Mart was owned by the Kennedy family (Joseph P Kennedy Sr bought the building in 1948 for $12.5 million);

- the Merchandise Mart hosts an average of 20,000 visitors and tenants on a daily basis;

A Few Building Tops (Including Hancock)

The tops of a few buildings North of the Chicago River (including John Hancock Center).

Marina City Towers

The Marina City Towers seen from the Wabash plaza which is accross the Chicago River.

Art In Front Of The Museum Of Contemporary Art

One cool piece of art in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art. It has been on display throughout the summer of 2007. They did a great job making it look real.

This picture has been taken from one of the double deckers that give tourists a tour of the city. If you’re ever here visiting Chicago, I highly recommend you take one of these tours as well as one of the boats that take you on the river and out on Lake Michigan. They’re really worth their money.

On St. Patrick’s Day…

…the Chicago River dyes green.

State St Bridge

The Southern part of the State St Bridge over the Chicago River seen from the Wabash Plaza.

The Chicago River is the only river…

…in the world to flows backwards. The flow has been reversed in 1900 by the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal for sanitary reasons.

North-East Michigan Ave Bridge Tower

The tower on the North-East corner of the Michigan Ave bridge over the Chicago River.

The El (North Of The River)

The El North of the Chicago River as it switches from Franklin St. to Wells St. approaching the Loop.

Life On Michigan Ave Bridge

Daily life (for drivers read: traffic) on the Michigan Ave bridge over the Chicago River.