visiting the bean in chicago mar 07

On Monday, Delaney and I took the Metra train downtown to take advantage of spring break and the unusually warm weather. Delaney did well on the train, but was too excited to go down for a much needed nap. We arrived in Chicago around 1:45, and headed towards Michigan Avenue. The walk took us a good half hour and finally allowed Delaney to get some zzzz's. The sun's rays and the relaxing lull of the stroller worked their magic and put little Delaney to sleep almost immediately.

We arrived at the Chicago Cultural Center around 2:15, just in time to meet our friend Janet for lunch. Later, our friend Tracy arrived, as Delaney was waking up. She was refreshed and ready to do some exploring! After chatting a bit, the four of us ambled over to Millennium Park across the street to see the sites and take a look at Cloud Gate, unofficially known as "The Bean". The Bean is a huge stainless steel sculpture in the middle of the park that is shaped like, well, a bean! It was Delaney's first visit and my second, although I hadn't been there since it was completed in 2004. For more info on Cloud Gate, see link below:

http://www.millenniumpark.org/artandarchitecture/cloud_gate.html


We walked all around it and inside it, and Delaney was awed by the reflections of the city, ourselves, and all the people milling about taking pictures. After awhile, we sat on the grass and watched Delaney play, enjoying the early Spring weather. Delaney had fun, as she loves being outdoors, people (and dog!) watching, and trying out new ways to climb up onto her stroller! We also did a little bird watching, and saw a very pretty cardinal high up in a nearby tree. Around 5:30, it was time to head back. We boarded the Metra at 6:15 and arrived home in Aurora around 7:00. It was a fun day-one that, as usual, went by too fast! We'll have to go back to The Bean later this summer, as one trip isn't enough.