Destination: Chicago, Illinois (Getting Cultured at the Art Institute of Chicago, Visiting The Bean, and Trying Chicago-Style Hot Dog– PART 2)

Cloud Gate, aka “The Bean” (August 2025)

After having a hearty lunch of Russian food, I continued my visit of Chicago on my first day in town. Even though I was feeling the exhaustion having not slept on my flight over, I pushed through and still saw a lot that day. Having started from the north part of the Magnificent Mile, I spent the afternoon checking out the southern portion, also home to plenty of iconic sites in town.

I had a brief detour to check out a yarn store nearby, where I bought my partner some yarn as souvenirs before heading to the Art Institute of Chicago. This private, non-profit museum is one of the oldest in the United States, having been established in 1879 and is home to works of great international artists like Picasso and Seurat, but also some of the American greats like Grant Wood and Mary Cassatt.

Art Institute of Chicago

Admission fee is pretty steep at $32 USD (plus $5 USD for special exhibits), but all the same, I quickly booked my ticket online right outside the building before I went in, skipping the ticketing queue and scanning to go through. I spent about 90 minutes to two hours inside, and even then, I didn’t see it all– the Art Institute is a HUGE museum, and I admit, I got a bit lost trying to navigate the floors. I’m also by no means an avid museum-goer, but I do appreciate art and saw some famous American paintings which I’d only seen in books…in person! Goes to show that American art of the 19th and 20th centuries are just as iconic as those outside of the country.

Inside the Art Institute

“American Gothic” by Grant Wood (1930)

“The Child’s Bath” by Mary Cassatt (1893)

I’d also paid the extra $5 USD to check out the temporary exhibit of Gustave Caillebotte’s works, an Impressionist known for his realistic depictions of everyday life in Paris. I love Impressionist art, but admittedly, I hadn’t known much about Caillebotte until I came across this paintings, which were lovely and had a down-to-earth quality about them.

“Paris Street, Rainy Day” by Gustave Caillebotte (1877)

Soon enough, I exited the Art Institute of Chicago and walked a few blocks up Magnificent Mile to Millennium Park, which houses the iconic Cloud Gate, aka “The Bean.” Constructed in 2006 by British artist Anish Kapoor, the metallic sculpture drew inspiration from liquid mercury, and through its fluid, shapeshifting bend warps and distorts nearby objects in its reflective coating. The Bean is a huge draw for tourists to take photos of themselves reflected in the structure, along with the contorted Chicago skyline in the background.

“The Bean” at Millennium Park (so many people)!

Millennium Park was more-packed than usual, as there happened to be a jazz festival that weekend. Despite the crush of people, I managed to get in and take in Cloud Gate– it’s smaller than I’d expected in person, but still an impressive piece of art. I took a few photos of it and made my way out of the crowds and out of the park. While I wish I could’ve taken my time to admire The Bean, the throngs of people were just too overwhelming that day.

It was nearing 16h00 by then, so I headed towards the hotel I’d be staying at for the next few nights. I’d booked a historic hotel on Magnificent Mile, so it was a simple straight shot down from Millennium Park. I reached the hotel, checked in, and got settled into my room. The room was a bit small, but it had all the basic amenities and nice views of the Magnificent Mile– it did just the trick for my short stay in town.

View from my hotel room

I was utterly spent after a long day of travel and sightseeing, so I decided to shower and order delivery for dinner. I placed an order at Portillo’s, a famous Chicago-style hot dog institution. Chicago-style hot dogs are made from all-beef frankfurters and came by way of Vienna in the early 20th century. In fact, Chicago has made its distinctive type of frankfurter, the Vienna Beef, and is a popular takeaway food item, often served at baseball games.

Besides ordering the Chicago-style hot dog, I also opted for a chocolate cake shake, which is exactly what it means: a milkshake with a slice of fudgy chocolate cake blended inside. After a bit of confusion from the delivery driver finding my hotel, I soon got the goods and enjoyed a dinner in my hotel room. The hot dog was tasty, with a snappy frankfurter and plenty of picked veggies that added a pleasant acidity to it. However, the cake shake was the star of the show: it was thick, rich, and oh-so-indulgent, and it blew me away. Now that I’m writing about this, I could go for a cake shake right now!

Chicago-style hot dog and chocolate cake shake

That concludes my first day in Chicago– I’ll be recapping more of my visit soon! 🙂

— Rebecca