Postcard from Chicago – Strange But Fun

Like any big city, Chicago has its share of unusual, sometimes strange objects you won’t find anywhere else. I am sure there are more than I know about, but here are three objects that I saw that were very unusual, but oh so much fun.

First, in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago, a short walk from the Chicago Institute of Art, is the city’s strangest, but most photographed object…lovingly known as “The Bean.” It is called that because it is shaped like a bean, and a giant one at that. It’s official title, given by the artist who designed it, is “Cloud’s Gate.” Sorry, fella, it is The Bean.

It consists of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, then highly polished to give it a reflective surface with no visible seams. Reflections off of The Bean are distorted to give you a strange, bent view of both the city’s skyline or of the people standing by it. It is interesting to take a picture of the skyline, or even of oneself from different positions to see what kind of distortions you get. I will publish more photos from the bean in a forthcoming blog.

Also in Millennium Park is Crown Fountain, two 50 foot towers made of transparent glass block bricks, standing at either end of a long, black granite plaza. Behind the glass bricks are high-tech LED video screens. When the screens are illuminated they show the faces of nearly a thousand individual Chicagoans. The faces move and blink, eventually puckering their lips, at which point of fountain of water shoots out where the mouth is. Very fun and a big hit with kids on hot summer days.

Finally, while wandering through Chicago’s most famous department store, Marshall Fields, I came across this interesting mobile hanging from the ceiling. It is three stories high and consists of five thousand balsa wood gliders, the kind you used to buy as a kid and sail through the air. It was an unexpected and unusual find, and I am sorry the photo cannot do it justice.

By the way, Marshall Fields has been bought out by Macy’s, but locals still refer to it as Marshall Fields. Many of us hate to see old traditions go away.