Port

The smell of brine and rot rises off the surface of the Chicago River like a fog. Clouds of algae slosh back and forth on the brackish, green-grey waters. In the winter, the river freezes over and huge sheets of ice drift lazily beneath the many bridges spanning the waters. The Chicago River is, unfortunately, a dumping ground for the waste from nearby lumber yards, meat factories, sewage pipes, and glue, soap, and leather plants. The disgusting state of the river is something of a joke among Chicagoans, who satirically call it "America's most colorful river" for all the chemical and waste dumping that changes the colors of the water. It's still used as a main thoroughfare for industrial ships carrying goods throughout America.

Multiple factories, warehouses, and piers line the Chicago River, where they send out and receive shipments as well as dump waste. Residents mostly avoid the ports due to the fetid stench and the methane gases that rise off the river's surface. For that reason, the docks have become a good place to conduct less than legal business out of sight of law-abiding citizens.