Category Archives: Chicago

Jumping At The Bean- Chicago

Chicago, Cloud Gate, Jumping, Millennium Park, The Bean
a man jumping in the air in front of a reflective bean with Millennium Park in the background

On my trip to Chicago back in October the main purpose of visiting was to run in the 
O’Hare 5K Runway Run. Since I was heading to Chicago for the run, I decided to visit a few other sites. One of them I had been to on my first trip to Chicago with Kim a few years back. I had to check it out again.

Revisiting The Bean (Cloud Gate) in Millennium Park ranked very high on my list. There were a couple of reasons why I had to go back.

  1. I loved the sculpture the first time around. It’s a really fun and interactive sculpture due to the reflective surface it is made from.
  2. I had to go back to The Bean to get some jumping photos.

There once was a time when I didn’t take photos jumping all over the world. (I know, hard to believe, right?) My first visit to Chicago was during that time.

Here are some photos from my recent visit:

a group of people standing around a large reflective object with Millennium Park in the background
This reflection shows the park side of The Bean. You can see that it is inside the park due to the red trees (a bit hard to see) and lack of big buildings.

In the jumping photo at the top, you see the reflection of the street side and all of the huge buildings. 
a man taking a selfie
Almost as clear as a mirror
a group of men climbing a large reflective surface
Trying not to let go!
The next couple of photos are what I call Skydiving at The Bean.
a group of people in a city
Free falling
The best part of visiting The Bean is having fun with the varied photos you could take. With a little effort and help from the reflective surface you can have a great time. 
While doing some jumps, we started trying some different things. Instead of facing the camera, I faced The Bean and jumped. With a little timing, these were the results. 
It looks like I was free falling or sky diving in the photos!
a man jumping in the air
Coming in for a landing

A couple of more interesting photos:

a close-up of a metal object
The bottom of The  Bean
a group of people standing around a large reflective object with Millennium Park in the background
Side View

Find out more about The Bean and Millennium Park on the City of Chicago website HERE

Chicago O’Hare 5K Runway Run- I’m Going!

5K, Chicago, Milepoint, O'Hare, ORD, Radisson, Runway Run, SkyMiles, United Airlines
a logo with a plane and a road

I’ve already done two 5K runway runs this year and tomorrow my third one is coming up at LaGuardia Airport (LGA).

My brother mentioned the idea of taking a quick trip to Chicago to run in the O’Hare 5K On The Runway about two weeks ago. He saw a post about it on Milepoint (a frequent flier site we are both members of).

Kim and I went to Chicago a few years back and had a great time. We’ve wanted to go back but this will be a quick visit with my brother. (I’ll definitely miss Kim and Lucas while I’m away!)
We leave from New York for Chicago early in the evening on October 18 and head back home in the afternoon on October 20. We’ll have a little over a day and a half in Chicago and plan to make good use of our time!

Trip Planning:
To make this brief trip happen our goal was to keep the trip costs as low as possible. We looked at quite a few options for our flight and hotel. It seemed like we took more time planning the trip than the time we will be away!

  • The Flight: After going back and forth with a variety of options, we ended up booking our flight with Delta using miles. We each used 25K Delta SkyMiles and paid $5 tax to fly JFK-ORD roundtrip.
  • The Hotel: The debate was staying at an airport hotel vs. staying downtown. Each option had it’s pros and cons but due to the 5K starting so early on Saturday morning, the airport won. The decision became even easier thanks to the Radisson 1 for 1 promotion– Stay 1 Night, Get 1 Night. We each booked one night at the Radisson Hotel O’Hare which cost $98. (We found a code which brought the price down from the original price of $135) With the 1 for 1 promotion we will each earn a free night at any Radisson Blu or Radisson hotel in the US, Canada or Caribbean. 

The Runway Run: 
The Chicago Department of Aviation and United Airlines are hosting the O’Hare 5K on the Runway and Community Day.

A little about the runway run (from the race website):

The event will be a one-of-a kind opportunity to experience the runway like few people do and share in a Community Day after the race filled with fun for the whole family, entertainment and food. The course will feature the display of a United Airlines aircraft. The Day s festivities will begin with a brief program to start the race. Following the conclusion of the race, a portion of the course will be open to the community for viewing and photo opportunities in front of the United aircraft.

Some Details:

  • The race benefits Wounded Warrior Project
  • Walk & Photo-op on the Runway
  • Strollers are allowed on the course
  • Free entry to Community Day
  • Entry includes a T-shirt
  • Free parking

The run takes places on October 20 at 8:00am
Find out more and sign up for the O’Hare 5K on the Runway HERE