20250830_150718Cloud 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.

20250830_130905Art 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.

20250830_143842Inside the Art Institute


20250830_134307“American Gothic” by Grant Wood (1930)


20250830_133642“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.

20250830_132433“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.

20250830_150718“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.

20250830_155631View 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!

20250830_174817Chicago-style hot dog and chocolate cake shake

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

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

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

  2. Mmmm… I love Vienna dogs!
    I didn’t know The Bean’s official name is Cloud Gate. That’s my something new for today!

    Do you travel solo? All for pleasure or part of (or add-on to) work?

    The Art Institute sounds wonderful!!

    If you end up checking out the new Lucas Museum, please blog about it. KCRW had a pretty negative take on it.

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    1. Gotta love a good hot dog! To be honest, the toppings are the best part 😆 I traveled solo for this trip, but I go on trips with my spouse and family sometimes. And I never mix work and pleasure; if I’m going somewhere, I don’t want to even think about work!

      My work is actually quite close to the Lucas Museum, so I’ll need to check it out once it opens! Will keep you updated 😊

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  4. I’ve never heard of a milkshake with a slice of fudgy chocolate cake blended inside, but it definitely sounds like an ultimate indulgence, dear Rebecca, and I, if I had a chance, would certainly order one, too. I love the unique reflection of the big Bean and how the polished stainless-steel surface warps the Chicago skyline and the faces of visitors into a giant mirror effect.  Thanks for stopping by, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Me neither! I didn’t know about cake shakes until I got to Chicago, but now, I’m ecstatic that I learned about it! Truly decadent, truly divine! Thanks for reading, Aiva, and more to come soon 😊

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    1. Very true! It was especially crowded at The Bean that weekend, as there was also a jazz festival there. The cake shake was something I hadn’t quite had before, but it was fantastic! Rich, yet cold and refreshing for those hot days!

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  6. I didn’t know that American Gothic is housed at the Art Institute in Chicago. It’s probably one of the most famous paintings by an American artist. I also like that painting by Gustave Caillebotte. There’s a realist, romantic, yet mysterious quality about it.

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  7. A chocolate cake shake from Portillo’s is truly the ultimate reward after walking miles through the Art Institute! 🥤 Chicago-style hot dogs get so much hype, but that blended cake shake is the real secret star of the city. Glad you pushed through the flight fatigue to enjoy such a iconic Chicago day, Rebecca!

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      1. You are so very welcome, Rebecca! 🏙️ It sounds like you had such a wonderful first afternoon exploring the city. There really is nothing quite like soaking in the sights and fueling up with great local food. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

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  8. We did so much when we were in Chicago that I can fully understand how exhausted you must have been from the flight and then exploring all day. I look back now and realise that although I took loads of photos I didn’t write about it which is a shame! BTW for some reason the pictures won’t come up on my Mac on this particular post, its probably me!

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    1. It was an exhausting first day in Chicago; I certainly hit the ground running upon landing! I think I’ve been having issues with photos showing up on my posts, as I’m linking them from an outside source; I’ll look into it!

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  9. The chocolate cake shake outshining an actual Chicago dog is exactly the kind of detail I love finding in a trip recap. And you’re right that the Bean is smaller in person than the photos suggest. We’ve learned the hard way that two hours is about the ceiling for a museum like the Art Institute before everyone’s done, so ninety minutes on no sleep is genuinely impressive.

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    1. To be honest, my limit on museums is about two hours tops! No matter how big or small, I get fatigued from seeing so much after a while before I need to call it quits. All the same, the Art Institute of Chicago was genuinely impressive, and I liked just how much classic American art it had!

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  10. I didn’t have time to visit the Art Institute when I was in Chicago but a friend did and was very impressed (I could have gone with her but another friend had invited me to tour Amish country with her and that ‘won’!) I also envy you your close look at the Bean as the area around it was behind hoardings when I was there for some sort of restoration works. I managed to see over them but it wasn’t the same 😀

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    1. Visiting Amish country definitely sounds more intriguing than visiting a museum; I would’ve done the same! The Bean was nice, but the crowds surrounding it weren’t; I admit, it’s more of a photo opp spot than a place to hang awhile– you probably saw all that there was to see!

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  13. Oh gosh, I can’t believe how many people were at The Bean. Glad you got to see it though. Dinner sounds tasty! I’ve had Chicago pizza but I didn’t know Chicago hot dogs were a thing. Guess I missed out.

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    1. The crowds at The Bean that weekend were insane! Way too overwhelming, so I bailed after taking a few photos, haha. Chicago-style hot dogs were lesser-known than, say, NYC’s, but still delicious!

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  16. I would have bought tickets for the impressionist exhibition too as it’s my favourite art style. I’ve not been to Chicago for years and the bean wasn’t there then. Hopefully I’ll get back there one day. When you order a food delivery does it come up to your room or do you have to pop down to the foyer to collect it?

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    1. I hope you can return to Chicago and check out The Bean; it truly is an icon of the city now! I think because I was staying in a hotel, it was a bit tricky for the delivery driver to bring it up to me; I just went downstairs to make it convenient for the both of us!

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  18. This brings back memories of Chicago. The last time I visited was in 2018 when I was in work hiatus. If I remember right, it was a free museum entrance day when I went to the Art Institute. I hope they still have free days as there’s a lot of good art that people can appreciate there.

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    1. Nice! You got lucky with free admission to the Art Institute– otherwise, the fee is pretty hefty at $30+ USD! I took a quick look online, and apparently, free entry is apparently limited to Illinois residents on certain Thursdays. Regardless, it’s a lovely museum which houses some of the American greats!

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  19. I could get on board with a chocolate cake shake! I’ve not come across those over here. I can relate to the sleep-deprived first day you had in Chicago. We arrived on an overnight bus from Toronto (with a passport control check in Detroit in the middle of our journey) and were lucky to see The Bean while there weren’t so many people around… but by mid-afternoon, my energy levels definitely slumped! You saw a lot and made the most of your time there, though. Looking forward to hearing what else you got up to 🙂

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    1. Overnight journeys aren’t ideal, but the upside is that they give you much more time to explore a place upon arriving in the wee hours of the morning. I was feeling the afternoon slump, and while visiting the massive Art Institute of Chicago was probably not best for my sleep deprivation, I still powered through and saw a lot!

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  23. It’s been years since I’ve been to Chicago. The Art Institute is one of the most notable art museums in the middle of the country, for sure. I remember riding the el and getting off in different neighborhoods just to walk a bit and check them out.

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    1. Chicago is a sprawling city with so many neighborhoods to check out; I barely scratched the surface during my visit, and it’s worth multiple visits to see something new every time! Hope you can return to Chi-Town some day 😊

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