This is the easiest Where in the World: Public Art contribution yet. I like to start the month with a gimme.

Here are some clues to help you guess where this public art is located:

1. The town is known for pizza.

2. It’s windy.

3. Wilco and Harry Caray.

4. Da Bears.

I really hope you’ve figured it out by now, but if not the answer is Chicago, which is my kind of town.

Chicago is one of the coolest (and often coldest) cities in America. Any visit should include a ride on the world’s first Ferris wheel, a pint from Goose Island Brewery and a boat tour of the city.

The public art shown above is called Cloud Gate, but everyone knows it as The Bean. I’m not sure why it isn’t called Da Bean, but what do I know from art? It is located in Millennium Park and was created by artist Anish Kapoor by welding 168 stainless steel plates together. The wonderful thing about this piece is that the view is always different — not that it moves, but the skyline and people reflected in it are always in flux. If art can be considered fun, The Bean is it.

This post is part of UpTake’s Public Art Series.

Photo: Bosc d’Anjou via Flickr

Chicago Rocks Music Tour

Chicago’s blues and jazz history attracts lots of attention but the Windy City’s extensive rock and punk history often slips through the cracks. Chicago Music Tours remedies that situation with two interactive tours that supply all the little known stories about Chicago rock stars and their music. Read More »

House on the Rock in Wisconsin.

Sometimes vacationers want to visit an attraction just to be able to say that they’ve been there. Some destinations are whimsical, silly, or downright odd. Others are firmly tied to the nostalgia and history of the area in which they reside. Here’s a list of the top ten(*) “novelty” destinations to visit in the United States. Consider checking them out if you’re ever in the area!

10 -The House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Unruly architecture that engages all of the senses, complete with exhibits, gardens, and displays that flow into one another with no rhyme or reason. Schedule at least three hours to do the self-tour, because the more you look the more you’ll see.

9 – The Mitchell Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. This is the Mecca for corn enthusiasts (if there is such a thing). There is an annual festival, murals made of corn that are eaten by the local birds and replaced annually, and decor consisting of over 275,000 ears of corn. The Mitchell Corn Palace is home to area stage shows and sporting events with a year-round calendar of events.

8 – The World’s Largest Yard Sale headquartered in Jamestown, Tennessee. Also known as the “127 Corridor Sale”, this yard sale extends 675 miles from Hudson, Michigan to Gadsden, Alabama. The Sale always starts on the first Thursday in August and continues through the following Sunday.

7 – America’s Stonehenge in North Salem, New Hampshire. No one knows who built the ceremonial chambers, walls, and meeting places of this 4,000 year old complex. Oddly enough, the location also boasts a growing herd of privately owned Alpacas. Visit Stonehenge, buy an Alpaca. Makes perfect sense to me!

6 – Dog Bark Park Inn in Cottonwood, Idaho. The inn… is shaped like a dog. A beagle, to be exact. It’s a full-service bed-and-breakfast, and pets are welcome (of course). And if you’re a fan of chainsaw art, this place will supply you with more wooden dogs than you can shake a stick at (har).

Read More »

Downtown Oklahoma City is doing a bit of construction and expansion (it shouldn’t disturb your travel plans), and rather than surround the work with blank walls or annoying advertisements they’ve gone the artsy route. Kid art to be exact. It looks awesome.

The designs were created by OKC area children and are so much nicer than the graffiti that would have surely wound up there under different circumstances. Nicely done, Oklahoma City.

This post is part of our Friday Family Series.

Photo: rkrichardson via Flickr