Skip to main content

Chicago Weekend - Day 2

Image
By
The following day in Chicago was a perfect clear autumn day.  After checking out of the hotel, we head back to the Museum District as our base of operations for the morning.  Our first stop was a lengthy walk to see "The Bean."  Officially known as "Cloud Gate", the beloved piece of art was officially dedicated in Millennium Park in 2006.


Designed by Sir Anish Kapoor, the stainless steel sculpture is 33' x 42' x 68' in dimension. The sculpture earned its nickname, "The Bean", from local writers.  Something that Kapoor was not found of.


The day before, my wife kept going on and on about "The Bean".  I, of course and to the amusement of our Uber driver, had no clue what it was.  I wasn't really sure why we were walking the mile and a half or so to see it.  But I definitely will admit that once I got to The Bean, I am glad we ended up doing it.


The sculpture is a lot of fun, and all of the visitors at Millennium Park were having a good time.  The reflections and distortions of the skyline on the surface of The Bean made photography a lot of fun.  You can also walk under the center of the sculpture which everyone present enjoyed.



As you can see in the photos, it was a pretty much a cloudless day.  So capturing images of the Chicago Skyline on the walk to and from Millennium Park was ideal.




And of course with the better weather, getting that skyline shot from the Museum District was even better today.


Upon returning to the Museum Campus, we visited the Field Museum of Natural History.  The current site of the museum opened in 1921; however, its history dates back to the 1893 World's Fair (Columbian Exposition).  After the World's Fair ended, Marshall Field donated $1 million to preserve and house the nearly 65,000 artifacts that were on display during the Exposition.  The Field Museum, then called the Columbian Museum of Chicago, opened the following year in 1894.  Today, the museum is home to over 40 million cultural and natural artifacts.


After touring the museum, it was time to leave Chicago.  We headed east to South Bend for the Pitt/Notre Dame Football Game before heading to Indianapolis for the night and home to Charlotte the next day.

Though our visit was brief, Chicago is a wonderful city.  I can't wait to get back there.

All photos taken by post author.

 To visit the entire collection of photos on flickr, head here.

Site Navigation:
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

By
Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.   Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.   Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works  during its Centennial Edition.  The or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 50 and the South Lincoln Highway from Folsom east to Placerville

By
The corridor of Folsom of Sacramento County east to Placerville of El Dorado County has been a long established corridor of overland travel dating back to the California Gold Rush.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor was once part of the path of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road which became the first California State Highway and later the South Lincoln Highway.  In time the South Lincoln Highway's surface alignment was inherited by US Route 50.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor also includes the communities of; Clarksville, Shingle Springs and El Dorado. Part 1; the history of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, South Lincoln Highway and US Route 50 through Folsom-Placerville Folsom is located on the American River/Lake Natoma of eastern Sacramento County.  That lands now occupied by the City of Folsom were part of Rancho Rio de los Americanos prior to the finding of gold at Sutter's Mill during 1848.  During the California Gold Rush the lands of Rancho Rio de los Americanos were p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old NC 10 - The Central Highway: Old Fort to Black Mountain through the Royal Gorge

By
A unique way of tracing the remnants of the Central Highway is through the mountainous terrain of Eastern Buncombe and Western McDowell Counties.  From the east on US 70, you reach the base of Blue Ridge Mountains at the town of Old Fort.  Old Fort is a tiny rail town that the old Central Highway and now US 70 goes through.  The Central Highway can be followed via a right onto Mill Creek Road from US 70.  Follow the highway as it takes you closer to the mountains.  When Mill Creek Road bears right to head towards Andrews Geyser stay straight until the road ends at a gate.  The nearby Piney Grove Church can be used for parking.  At this point, the old Central Highway began a 3.5 mile climb of the mountain to Swannanoa Gap.  NC 10 and later US 70 travelers followed this road for over 30 years until a new and modern four lane US 70 was built to the south.  This same four lane road would eventually become Interstate 40.    The Centra...
Post a Comment
Read more