Butchered My Iowa Plans://Part 3~ Beans with a Side of Prairie Flowers

                 Date:7/3/2025-7/7/2025

Destination: Villisca, Iowa; Chicago, Illinois

Goal: Villisca Ax Murder House, Six Flags Great America, Chicago Culture

Distance: 641 Miles

Means of Travel: Driving

Potential Credits: 1

Last day of the trip, and we’re gonna make it a great one! Five hour drive home, but first, I’m not gonna just take Keely to Chicago and not show her around the Windy City.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A cityscape reflected in a large, curved, chrome surface under a blue sky.

I've been to Chicago a few times in my life, but very few of those instances did I do the whole city thing. Sears Tower, Navy Pier, Shedd Aquarium, and all that good stuff I did on a class trip in the sixth grade and ever since then it's been all Six Flags and airport layovers, plus one other time tagging along a work trip with my father. But one thing I'd not done, and it's a major one, was see Anish Kapoor's iconic Bean sculpture at Millennium Park.

We touched on this in the Villisca post, but Keely was expecting miles and miles of beautiful flowery meadow. She's from Upstate New York and grew up with Little House On The Prairie and always saw the Midwest through this romanticized lens, so she was pretty pissed when we got to Iowa and it was a bunch of corn. But I knew that in addition to Millennium Park's famous art piece, that it was also planted with prairie fauna native to Chicago before it was Chicago. She could still get her meadow, so Millennium Park was our choice for the day!

Day 3

We woke up and checked out of the hotel before getting stuck in hella Chicago traffic. Eventually we found some garbage parking garage with no accessible parking, leaving us to drive around in the dark. Fortunately, however, we found some empty spots right next to an elevator and went on up into Millennium Park.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A ring of red flowers and plants surround a white circle of concrete, with trees and skyscrapers rising high in the background.

My knowledge of this place is pretty surface level, but I understand it opened in 2000 and features different art installations in a setting plated with prairie flowers and grasses. And one of those art installations is a Chicago icon.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Jarrett and Keely, two adults in their 30s, smile into the camera with skyscrapers in the background. Keely wears sunglasses and a hat turned around.

Hello, Millennium Park!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A large sheet shows a map of Millennium Park.

We've got a map of the place, let's get going!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: At the base of some skyscrapers, a black brick monolith has water cascading down its side to a black granite base. A screen shows the face of a brown-skinned woman looking out of the block.

This art piece was basically two tall monoliths made of black granite that had waterfalls down their sides, and screens showing live faces looking out. They would like move and blink and stuff.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: At the base of some skyscrapers, a black brick monolith has water cascading down its side to a black granite base. A screen shows the face of a middle aged white man with glasses looking out of the block.

The two were supposed to be having a sort of staring contest with one another. Profound, but also somewhat humorous on a deep level.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A few skyscrapers rise out of some trees, one reads "Prudential."

This space does such a great job combining man-made pretty cityscape aesthetic with natural grown beauty.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: On the street of a wooded park, a rust-colored sculpture consists of wrinkled ribbons bent into the ground holding up geometric blocks.

This sculpture was supposed to be Stonehenge, apparently.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A concrete plaza has several people walking around a large round geometric sculpture with reflective coating, several skyscrapers rise overhead.

The iconic thing to do here, which like Nyhavn, Bruges, and Paris is swarmed with tourists from all over the world, is The Bean. A large chrome sculpture that reflects every ray of light that touches it, it distorts, warps, and beams back every building and flower alike visible in its reflective skin.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Two adults smile into the reflective skin of The Bean, a dark-haired woman holding an iced coffee sits in a wheelchair while a man stands beside her with a phone and points a camera into the reflection.

And also a couple of morbid motherfuckers with a camera! It also shines those back!

(And thankfully, not the creepy ghost from the ax murder house that followed us home.)

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A chromatic reflective blob reflects the skyscrapers in front of it, as more poke up from behind. A seagull flies in the sky off to the side.

This thing is a Chicago icon. If you're part of the United Airlines cult, you've seen this landmark on the gate screen for any flight going to ORD. B-roll footage of the city, this along with Sears Tower and Navy Pier are kind of the symbols of the city that are most widely recognized.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A reflective rounded sculpture sits in the middle of a plaza, as people admire and post with it.

Don't want to mention the man who made this because he is, sadly, a piece of garbage, but just to spill the tea like I spilled Keely's coffee by mistake...

A certain English sculptor, who shall not be named, is some super rich art douchebag that's expanded his studio into the views of low income housing flats and the like. He is best known for this work, he hates that people call it The Bean and not its actual name, which is why the given name will not be used and it is The Bean in this trip report.

He also gained internet notoriety for attempting to trademark Vantablack, a process that causes an object to suck 100% of the light out of it and turns it into a pitch jet black void. Another artist, Stuart Semple, created a black acrylic paint that does basically the same, is safer to use, and smells of coffee. It's great, I got my mom some for Christmas one year. And Semple explicitly banned The Bean's artist from using it this Black 2.0 paint, forcing you to certify that you are not The Bean's artist or buying it on his behalf to make the purchase. The two of them continued this in an entertaining back and forth on social media, but because the man who made this sculpture is a penis, I will allow this to be a free commercial for Stuart Semple and Culture Hustle. Check their products out!

It's a shame that the person who created this really cool and iconic artwork that sits somewhere so beautiful is a dick. This thing, and the place in general, are amazing in person.

UPDATE: Upon typing this and fishing for links, I have leaned that the man formerly known as Stuart Semple has legally changed his name to the name of The Bean's sculptor...

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A panorama of The Bean sculpture and the Chicago skyline surrounded by tourists.

The Bean was nice and accessible, to both of our surprises. There's a few steps up to the actual plaza, but it is flanked by two small wheelchair ramps on either side. I had no problem getting her close enough to see it.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: An abstract reflection photo in black and white, taken from the underside of The Bean and warping people and ground into a parabolic shape.

It's a selfie spot, but weirdly enough, you see just as many cameras pointed at The Bean to take group photos as you do selfies with The Bean in the background.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Jarrett and Keely kiss in front of The Bean.

Obligatory "couple on vaycay" photo.

There was this pavilion going on where they were practicing for some free concert, and the music was amazing!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: An orchestra on a concert stage is surrounded by large satin-finished metal panels curving out towards filled stands, similar to a wave.

The facility itself was also beautiful. There's a large lawn and these nice stands with accessible seating for anyone viewing a show here, and it sounds like it's good free public art from how they made it sound.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: On some clusters of small pink flowers, a black and orange butterfly spreads its wings.

We kept going where I saw this butterfly on these pretty flowers. And they were a total trooper and posed for a shot!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A planter filled with red and white flowers before a tall white skyscraper and cityscape.

Honestly, this place is just as much about the nature as it is the art. And stuff like this honestly isn't uncommon, but what makes it amazing is that it's local nature and it's right in the heart of one of America's largest cities.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Some Greek columns holding up an arc of concrete over a wall of names rises over a blue pond with a single water jet. A white skyscraper with a slanted diagonal roof rises over some trees.

This was Wrigley Square Millennium Monument, which had the names of benefactors who made Millennium Park possible amid this single water jet.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A grassy field before a Hellenic monument and skyscrapers has CGI palm trees decorated with lights and Latin-decorated benches.

There was also some weird AR feature to the park, which killed my phone battery almost as bad as those creepy ghost kids but showed off some palm trees on this artwork's little field thing.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A bus turns down a crowded city street at the base of several tall concrete skyscrapers.

We were burning daylight, so we hit the gift shop, got T-shirts and the like, and continued the five-hour journey back to Dayton home. Chicago traffic was brutal, but we managed to make it back to the Interstate and get a move on.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Keely sits in a pink wheelchair, smiling and holding a phone and a clear cup of iced coffee.

Keely ended up really liking a part of the trip she was going into blind. She loved how much there was to do and how much there was to see. And she loved that she both got her flowers and got to pet all the cute doggos that people take there.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A red and white checkered tablecloth holds some messy sandwiches, onion rings, and cheese cups. A cup reads "PORTILLO'S HOT DOGS" on a dog logo.

But first! We had to do food! How could I take Keely to Chicago and not take her to Portillo's? We stopped for some Italian beef sandwiches on the way out, and she loved it even though it's messy as hell.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A framed vinyl record cover shows a triangular chromatic tube against clouds and waves. "TUBULAR BELLS; Mike Oldfield" is written in red at the top.

This made both of us smile. She's a horror author and they clearly have a love for one of the greatest horror soundtracks ever made. I remembered Dad playing this during Halloween while chasing Trick-or-Treaters with a chainsaw as the Jeep was set up as a car wreck in the yard, fog and everything.

The Exorcist is believed to be a cursed film. This would line up beautifully with what would happen at home.

The drive home was honestly boring, as usual. Yes we passed Fair Oaks Farm, and the attached Fairfield Inn themed as a barn complete with a silo, so that's always a laugh. My boss texted me that we were off overtime and to not come in early tomorrow, so we could be up a little later, so that made for a nice, calm, relaxing drive home.

...until it wasn't! Leaving a rest area in Indiana, some guy was driving like an idiot in the parking lot and about pulled out into us, and would have hit our rental car had I not blasted my horn. In retaliation, Florida Man over here caught up to us on the highway, throws something at our rental car, and speeds off. Keely and I took down his plate and called 9-1-1, who had us confirm our car was not damaged but filled out a report because you can't just throw things at other cars on the highway. This is not Mario Kart! Though I'd rather eat a blue shell than drive through Indiana!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A shelf of miniature world landmarks. A Bean labeled "CHICAGO" sits between models of the Gateway Arch, Mont St-Michel, Nyhavn labeled "COPENHAGEN DENMARK," the Liberty Bell, a lego Golden Gate Bridge, a few Eiffel Towers, a CN Tower, a Sears Tower, a Washington Monument, and a silver Atomium.

But eventually we got home, I put my new Bean upon the wall of landmarks between Mont St-Michel and Nyhavn. And it's right in front of the Sears Tower, keeping two from the same city together.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Jarrett and Keely pose in front of The Bean, with Jarrett's hands on her shoulders.

Keely, thank you, thank you, thank you for going on this crazy, creepy, and corny adventure with me. We laughed, we cried, we had the piss scared out of us, your ghosts scared me as much as my coasters scared you, and I wouldn't have traded it for anything. I'm glad you got your bucket list trip, I'm glad you got your prairie flowers, thank you for going to Six Flags with me before they go completely bankrupt, and I love you so much.

Here's to many more? What do ya say?