Millennium Park. Cloud Gate

Chicago's beloved lakefront park has transformed a railyard eyesore into one of America's most successful public spaces, its free concerts, public art, and gathering places drawing millions annually to the downtown core. Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate—universally known as 'The Bean'—reflects and distorts the skyline in its polished stainless steel surface, creating the interactive photo opportunity that has become Chicago's defining image. The Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Crown Fountain's video towers, and the Lurie Garden complete a cultural landscape that demonstrates how ambitious public investment can revitalize urban centers.

The Art Institute of Chicago

One of the world's greatest art museums houses Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, American Gothic, Nighthawks, and the definitive collection of Impressionist paintings outside Paris in its Beaux-Arts building and Renzo Piano-designed Modern Wing. The museum's encyclopedic collection spans Chinese bronzes, Japanese prints, medieval armor, contemporary installations, and virtually every other artistic tradition humanity has produced. The lion statues guarding Michigan Avenue have welcomed visitors since 1894, while the free Thursday evening hours democratize access to collections that rival any museum on earth.