Cloud Gate "The Bean" in Chicago, IL

Photos by Debra K Gutierrez





Cloud Gate -- referred to by locals as "The Bean", for obvious reasons -- is a public sculpture by talented British artist Anish Kapoor. Cloud Gate weighs in at over 110-tons, and is 66 feet long and 33 feet high. "The Bean" was created using a huge number of individual stainless steel plates -- Cloud Gate's seamless surface is the result of thousands of hours of polishing. sculpture has the appearance of a giant drop of liquid mercury, and mirrored surface offers an amazing reflection of city skyline, even more breathtaking on a bright, clear day.Visitors can walk underneath the Cloud Gate, which is surprisingly concave. Kids especially enjoy the fun house mirror effect that this creates.