You'll find that the Merc lives up to its PR. On any given day, the foreign currencies and exchange floor looks like nothing so much as a large frat party without beer, if such a thing is imaginable. Runners in yellow jackets give each other backrubs, frisk each others' pockets for bid cards, and fling waste paper aside while traders fling themselves around the pit, conducting their business by the time-honored means of "open outcry."
Well-integrated racially and in the balance between the sexes, the Merc seems to be the most egalitarian of the financial institutions that power Chicago's Loop. Dressed in cheesy polyester jackets that identify their business on the trading floor, the people of the Merc are consummate Americans: noisy, cheerful, pragmatic, and diverse. The din on the floor is deafening, as traders shout out their wares or desired contracts. Arcane hand signals confirm often inaudible trades, giving a further impression of lunacy to an already chaotic scene.
If you know what's going on, you'll love it. If you don't, the Merc gives you ample opportunity to find out, with their publications and an energetic, straightforward, if somewhat dated infotainment film and didactic panel. They may be too busy to pay much attention to these amenities: the dollar value of contracts traded on an average day is a whimsical, if staggering sum of money, reported at several hundred billion dollars. A ton of paper is recycled daily. All the exchanges tout themselves as being the biggest, most, richest, or fastest something; the Merc really seems to justify its claim to superlatives.
Greater
Miami is comprised of a diverse assortment of distinctive neighborhoods,
each with its own unique collection of attractions and hotels. Miami and the
Beaches offer an immense selection of distinctive lodging that can suit any
personality or budget. From the lavish hotels that line the streets of South
Beach ....more
Swissotel Chicago Hotel compares well with the 209 hotels in the city. An
excellent location. Delight in unrecorded piano Monday - Friday. In Chicago,
Overlooking Lake Michigan Swissotel Chicago can be found at 323 E. Wacker
Dr. Quaint and comfortable guestrooms .... more
