Cloud Gate Monument

Address: AT&T Plaza, Millennium Park, 201 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60602 (Cloud Gate)

Website: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/millennium_park.html

Hours: Open 24/7

Admission: Free

Cloud Gate is a large, mirror-polished stainless steel sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor located in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. It is commonly nicknamed “The Bean” and was unveiled in 2006.

The sculpture’s seamless reflective surface creates continuous, distorted reflections of the surrounding skyline and of people standing beneath it; the central underside area known as the “omphalos” produces dramatic concave reflections. The plaza around the work is level and used by pedestrians for photographs and informal gatherings.

Cloud Gate was designed and fabricated by Anish Kapoor with engineering and fabrication partners and installed as a key piece in Millennium Park’s public art programme in the mid-2000s. Since its installation it has become one of Chicago’s most recognizable public artworks.

Cloud Gate sits in the northeast section of Millennium Park, just west of Michigan Avenue in central Chicago, Illinois, and is surrounded by pedestrian plazas, gardens and the nearby Art Institute of Chicago.

• Best Time for Photos: Best photographed at sunrise or after park hours when crowds are smaller and the plaza is quieter for reflections and low-angle cityscapes.
• Reflective Surface: The highly polished, continuous stainless steel surface reflects the Chicago skyline, park visitors and the sky, producing warped and panoramic reflections from most viewing angles.

Cloud Gate (the “Bean”) is in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago, adjacent to Michigan Avenue. By public transit take the CTA Red Line to Monroe (a 2-3 block walk east into Millennium Park) or arrive by Metra into Millennium Station and walk into the park; from most Loop stations it is a short walk. By road the downtown location is about 17 miles (≈27 km) from O’Hare International Airport via I‑90/94 (travel time depends on traffic); street and garage parking is available nearby but limited.

• Arrive at Cloud Gate right at park opening or after 8:30 p.m.-early morning and late evening offer far fewer selfie lines and cleaner reflections on the sculpture.
• Approach from the east (Michigan Avenue) side of Millennium Park to avoid the longest selfie queues that form near the Chase Promenade; then circle the sculpture to catch changing reflections and city backdrops.
• Visit after sunset on a weekday to see dramatic nighttime illumination and to photograph uninterrupted reflective cityscapes when daytime crowds have thinned.