"Cloud Gate"

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to spend an entire afternoon lounging around Chicago’s Millenium Park. The grounds themselves are quite fantastic (spanning almost 25 acres) but the highlight for me was seeing Anish Kapoor’s “Cloud Gate”, a massive bean-shaped sculpture that seamlessly reflects the Chicago skyline.

Drawing its inspiration from liquid mercury, Kapoor's installation was constructed out of stainless steel plates so people could “see the clouds kind of floating in, with those very tall buildings reflected in the work.” Brilliant, how the background comes to the forefront, allowing pedestrians to become active participants in the magnificent view that surrounds them. Best of all? Lone tourists never have to worry about being excluded from a photograph.