Chicago: Cloud Gate

After playing for a few hours at the park, we walked around Millennium Park a bit and checked out Cloud Gate (aka "the bean"). This statue wasn't around the last time I was in Chicago and I kind of just thought it was a silly statue where tourists take their picture. But it turned out to be the coolest thing! The way the city was reflected in the bean at all different angles and directions was amazing and beautiful to see the images change as you walk around it. And I didn't realize that you could actually walk right under it and the reflections were so fun to watch. It was fun to try and figure out where your reflection would show up. We walked around it a few times and took lots of pictures. It's a fun place to people watch too and see people getting silly with their selfies.

The Blackhawks had just won the Stanley Cup so there was a lot of excitement around the city for that. Blackhawk helmets on the Institute of Art lions and "Stanley is Back" in lights on a building. 

Trying to keep warm. We didn't even think to bring sweaters and it got pretty chilly at night.

Chicago, you win.

We arrived in Chicago around 6:30 p.m. and headed straight downtown. We didn't have a plan other than to find a parking spot and wander around the lakefront a bit. We couldn't pass through Chicago without at least stopping. I hadn't been there for several years so it was fun to go back. It is such a fantastic city. As we were looking for parking, we passed by a playground that looked really fun (it turned out to be Maggie Daley Park, a fairly new park within Millennium Park) so we pulled into the nearest parking garage ($33 to park!! but worth it in the end) and headed straight for the park. The kids were THRILLED to not only be out of the car but exploring probably the coolest park we've ever been to. With so many nooks and crannies to discover, we all loved it. The sky was beautiful that evening and I couldn't stop taking pictures. The location was perfect. Lake on one side, skyscrapers and city on the other. The lake breeze and cool air were so refreshing after leaving our hot and humid North Carolina summer. It was a little tricky to keep track of everyone in such a huge place but we played for as long as we could and had the best time together.

Amelia and Ben taking a selfie.