Maybe it has been talked before but I've just discovered last week this thing -the Bird's Eye View- and it's just amazing.. not one of those 3D abstract models but real pics from each direction (North/East...) at a quite high resolution for some big metro areas of cities around the world (well, for now Europe and America):

Wright's Guggy in New York:
North view - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=qsxfvh8v32qd&style=o&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=1640075&encType=1

Koolhaas' Library in Seattle:
West view - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=ry0zwn4t50yq&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=3695656&encType=1

Future Systems' amoeba-like Selfridges Store in Birmingham:
East view - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=srcpdvgv8147&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=7447060&encType=1

Foster's Swiss Re Tower in London:
East view - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=skk4j0gzt34q&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=12454209&encType=1

Mies' German Pavilion in Barcelona:
West view - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=qwvk76h5c7yb&style=o&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=12560935&encType=1

Coliseum in Rome:
North view - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=qzfj1vj16xhx&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=7473254&encType=1

Parthenon (what's left of it...) in Athens:
North view - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=q9vsv8jz9hd5&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=16004428&encType=1

Bruce Graham's Sears Tower in Chicago:
North view - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=qzd6fz7pxcpy&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=11385914&encType=1

Saarinen's marvelous insect-like TWA Terminal in New York:
East view - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=qs6wp88vjp8x&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=8727158&encType=1

Gehry's Disney Hall in Los Angeles (Bilbao is not available):
North view (in the others is in construction) - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=pp89gs54c83k&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=6953956&encType=1

Aalto's Finlandia Hall in Helsinki (Beautiful nordic green cooper roofs!):
West view - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=v0wcqgk2b13n&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=11653441&encType=1

Gio Ponti's Pirelli Tower in Milan:
North view - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=rkdtszhs0260&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=10670268&encType=1

Berlin's Potsdamer Platz:
North view - http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=srjgk0j3f3jj&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=12401001&encType=1

like I had not wasted enough time watching Charlie Rose' interviews with architects and now this... damn Internet! :)