This paper offers a guided tour through the various ways of accounting for soil-structure interaction from analysis of the total soil-structure system to analysis of various approximate models of the system. The focus is on two types of structures, tall buildings with several levels of underground parking and bridges on pile foundations. The results of the analyses of approximate models are compared with “best model” solutions and recorded response data. The comparison provides insight on the more important features of soil-structure interaction and guidance on the selection of approximate models.