This thread reminded me of one of my favorite “sometimes you have to see it” stories. My husband was an administrator for a college located in downtown Chicago on Michigan Ave across from Grant Park. One of his work study students was from Panama and hadn’t visited the the campus before enrolling. Turns out he had been drawn to the school based on pictures of Grant Park that the school featured prominently in their brochures.
This is what he was expecting:
http://www.aviewoncities.com/gallery/showpicture.htm?key=kveus9064
This is what he got:
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-trafic-on-south-wabash-avenue-underneath-the-l-in-the-loop-district-50240642.html
He adjusted eventually, but it took a while.