Chicago River - Chicago, IL

It's known as the "Windy City." As winter winds blow off the vast expanse of Lake Michigan and whistle through the downtown streets of Chicago, you can appreciate the nickname and why the city needs a system of underground passageways to shelter pedestrian traffic. Surprisingly though, the "windy" moniker is derived from longwinded oratories attributed to Chicago's politicians. All those associations seem remote on a balmy spring day in this lakeside metropolis when I was on a break from a conference on dental implants. The juxtaposition of a contemplative soul, under an overpass stretching between two handsome edifices, provided a pleasing visual diversion from the conference lectures. I was happy to return home with this image.