Visiting the Chicago Bean

Chicago is famous for many things (pizza, the Magnificent Mile, the Bears). My oldest son was excited to see one thing--the Chicago Bean. I had not heard of this attraction. But we were making good time on our trip and decided to check it out as we drove by the Windy City. Driving into downtown was easy since the highways run right over to Lake Michigan.

View from the highway to Chicago

We followed our cell phone's directions to Millennium Park, where the Bean is located. On the way, we saw Soldier Field where the Chicago Bears play their home football games.

Soldier Field

We arrived in the neighborhood and my wife let me and the kids off at a nearby stoplight. A quick walk around the fence led us to the park entrance. A nice lady made sure that we were wearing masks, then we could enter the park. The park has a fountain and a formal garden and an ice-skating rink (it was too warm to be open). We ignored all that and headed straight to the Bean.

Us at the Bean (my daughter took the picture)

The official name of the Bean is Cloud Gate. Sir Anish Kapoor designed it and initially didn't like the nickname "The Bean." He was imitating liquid mercury and saw it as a gateway through which visitors could walk. The shape does have a hypnotic quality. The high polish on the 168 stainless steel plates shows no seams. The reflection is amazing and fun, distorting both the skyline and the visitors.

Cloud Gate with a warped skyline

Reflection of us on the sculpture

The skyline around the sculpture is beautiful, making the location ideal for interesting mirror effects.

A nice set of buildings

A view of the buildings behind the bean

According to descriptions, visitors used to be able to walk underneath the twelve-foot arch in the middle. Maybe we will have to visit again. It was not clear if the fences were up because of virus concerns or general safety of the sculpture. 

On our way out of town, we drove under another famous part of Chicago--the El. The elevated Metra train is part of the mass transit system. We saw a train go by earlier but not when we drove by.

The El