"The Bean"

....not a coffee bean, nor the beans in your chili, not even Mr. Bean :-)..... I want to talk about OUR Bean in Chicago - one of the major attractions of Millennium Park. It is simply known as "the Bean", officially named Cloud Gate, and you have probably seen it -somewhere- before.

This sculpture was inspired by a drop of mercury, and created by Indian born British artist Anish Kapoor. The cost of creating and transporting it went from $6 million to $23 million. It is made from 168 stainless steel plates welded together and polished.

People have lots of fun taking picture of it or themselves with it, reflected in it...you name it. I think it is unique and fun!

 

 

Millennium Park

Millennium Park is one of my favourite places in Chicago, and is 10 years old this month.

 

It was open on July 16, 2004, and replaced Illinois Central Railroad tracks. It is basically a huge rooftop garden built over an underground parking garage, covering nearly 25 acres!

Today it is the second-most-visited tourist spot. There are many attractions, and I will go through them all in my next posts.

  BEFORE...

AFTER...