Leaning Tower of … Niles, Illinois
Illinois’ second contribution to this list is another of those substitutes for better-known attractions in Europe.
The Leaning Tower of Niles is only half the height of the original in Pisa, at about 90 ft. compared to the Pisa tower’s nearly 180 ft. But the angular tilt is about the same, and if you stand back and look closely, well, you just might think for a moment or two you’re in Italy.
Built during the Great Depression (six centuries after the other Leaning Tower), the Leaning Tower of Niles is located in the Chicago metropolitan area about a 15-minute drive from O’Hare International Airport—and it’s certainly far easier to drive 15 minutes than to board at least two planes for the trip to Pisa.
RoadsideAmerica.com reports that the Niles tower was built as “a utility tower, made from steel, concrete and precast stone, designed to store water. A plaque at its base says it was built to honor the outstanding scientist Galileo Galilei,” who was a native of Pisa.
Niles, which prides itself on being a great place to raise children, currently has four sister cities: Leixlip, Ireland; Limanowa, Poland; Nafplion, Greece; and, oh yes, Pisa, Italy.
Meteor Crater, Arizona
Located about 40 miles east of Flagstaff—which makes it an even more appealing destination—Meteor Crater, according to its own website, “is the breath-taking result of a collision between a piece of an asteroid traveling at 26,000 miles per hour and planet Earth approximately 50,000 years ago.”
About a mile across, 2.4 miles in circumference, and over 550 feet deep, Meteor Crater almost brings to mind another gigantic wonder carved deep in the Grand Canyon State. “The spectacular result of the collision that rocked the American Southwest with the energy of more than 20 million tons of TNT,” Meteor Crater now is “an international tourist venue with outdoor observation trails, air conditioned indoor viewing, wide screen movie theater, interactive discovery center, unique gift and rock shop, and Astronaut Memorial Park at the modern Visitor Center located on the crater rim.” Meteor Crater comes complete with an RV park within easy driving distance of area attractions.
Once Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, wrote that Captain James T. Kirk was from Iowa. The super-small town of Riverside needed a theme for its yearly festival and the council thought, “Hey, why can’t Kirk be from our town?” and wrote Mr. Roddenberry to ask if it could be so. They received an official letter with his permission, and with that, Riverside became “The Future Birthplace of Captain Kirk.” A tiny, former beauty salon became the birthplace; a sad wooden plaque saying so is in the backyard. [Apparently they wanted to make a nice statue, but Paramount, which owns Star Trek, wanted $60,000 in licensing. So the wooden sign won’t be going anywhere soon.] The city also holds an annual “Trek Fest”, celebrating all things Star Trek.
Ronny: Great explanation. I appreciate the info.