Lis Welch, Vancouverite, visiting Chicago:
We were in Chicago on business last week, made a walking pilgrimage to Millenium Park, and are as enthused as you about the destination. The Bean, we learned, cost $30 million to construct, was done on site. You will have marveled at the seamless stainless steel and high quality of reflection: according to what we learned from one of the maintenance people, the Bean was polished so much that seams disappeared and the reflective image is so fine a quality. Skaters were having a great time on the ice, despite the balmy 67 Degrees. We hung around the area for a long while, so interactive and pleasant.
I then found this on an internet blog:
“The $270 million park was built with public funds, and then the Bean was donated by SBC [SBC Communications (one of the “baby Bells”, now AT&T], which got an enormous tax break (while the Chicago taxpayer inherited the upkeep bill).”