City Hall: Nucleus

The City Hall represents the nucleus because it is the center of town and controls the actions of
the city. The nucleus contains the coded instructions for making proteins. The city hall in this
analogy contains the instructions for producing steel. The nucleus is the most important part of
the cells activities including growth, intermediary metabolism, protein synthesis, and
reproduction.
City Wall: Cell Membrane
The city wall protects the city and allows residents and visitors to enter and leave the cell. The
cell membrane is composed of proteins and phospholipids. The cell membranes main functions
are to keep the organelles of the cell together and allow things to enter and exit the cell.
Factory-filled Streets: Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
The Factory-filled streets contain factories for producing steel like the rough endoplasmic
reticulum contains ribosomes. The ribosomes are important in the synthesis and packaging of
proteins. The rough ER packages proteins and sends them to the Golgi apparatus.
Empty Streets: Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
The Empty Streets contain no factories but do contain a bakery. It has a bakery because the
smooth ER makes lipids and acts as a storage organelle. It is very important in the creation and
storage of lipids.
Post Office: Golgi apparatus
In the post office, materials are sorted, modifies, and packaged. This is the same as the Golgi
apparatus packaging lipids and proteins for the cell. The Golgi apparatus gathers simple
molecules and combines them to make molecules that are more complex, It then takes these large
molecules and packages them into vesicles.
Cars: Vesicles
The cars are way of transportation through the city that can move materials. Vesicles are able to
move things between cell organelles, from the cell surface. This is similar to cars being able to
transport people and things through out a city.
Mitochondria: Power Plant
Power Plants are able to provide energy for the city. The mitochondria are able to take in
nutrients, break them down, and create energy rich molecules for the cell. Mitochondria are the
working organelles that keep the cell full of energy. The energy released is stored in ATP which
the cell used to work. Power Plants provide energy a city to function like the mitochondria
providing energy for the cell to function.

Garbage Truck: Lysosome

The garbage travels around the city collecting waste. They lysosome is an organelle that contains
digestive enzymes to help digest things. Lysosome float in the cytoplasm until they are needed.
Lysosomes can carry digestive enzymes to vesicles or engulf particles.
Grocery Store: Vacuole
A grocery store serves as a place where people in the city can get their food. Vacuoles are large
structures that can store materials like water, salts, proteins, and carbohydrates. Vacuoles are able
to hold onto things that cells might later need to survive like humans need food to survive.
Factory: Ribosomes
The factory in this city produces steel. Ribosomes are the protein builders of the cell. When a
cell needs to make proteins, it looks for ribosomes. When this city needs steel, it looks for the
factories to make it. Ribosomes are located freely around the cell and the rough endoplasmic
reticulum.
Mayor: Nucleolus
The mayor regulates the city hall and makes decisions for the city. The nucleolus could be
thought as the brain of the cell. The main function of the nucleolus is to rewrite RNA and
combine it with proteins.
Roadways: Cytoskeleton
The roadways give structure to the city and act as a way of traveling through the city. The
cytoskeleton is a web of proteins in the cytoplasm. It also provides mechanical support that
enables the cell to carry out essential functions like division and movement.
City Ground: Cytoplasm
The city ground is where city structures are located and held together. Cytoplasm is the fluid that
fills a cell. You can find, enzymes, fatty acids, sugars, and amino acids in the cytoplasm that are
used to keep cells working. The cytoplasm fills the spaces of the cell.
Protein: Steel
Steel serves as the product in the city. It is able to get the people in the city money and provide
them food. Protein is used in cell to give energy to make sure the cell is functioning correctly.