The shiny, metallic Chicago Bean – its actual name is “Cloud Gate” – was made by Indian-born British artist Sir Anish Kapoor, and the sculpture now resides as the centerpiece of AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park in Chicago. It’s free to visit, and certainly an attractive item.
But, that’s all it really is. You can take a selfie with your warped reflection in the background – it will go great on your dating profile – but crowds are dense, especially during the day, and other than photographic evidence and a story that starts and ends with “I’ve been there,” this attraction has little to offer.
It's a Prison! Take the Kids!
Wyoming is the least-populated state in America, but even they have some things to see. The Frontier Prison sits on the National Register of Historic Places, and was in use for eighty years, from 1901 to 1981. If you visit, they even let you take a seat in the gas chamber.
If you're a fan of the macabre, this dark, gloomy structure might be right up your alley. It even has an interactive tour. How interactive, you ask? Our reporter hasn't come back yet. Even if you do visit, maybe the kids should stay at home.
He's Pointing the Way Toward Funner Things
Vulcan was the famous architect of the gods in Greek mythology, and he's downgraded from Mount Olympus to make a new home in Birmingham, Alabama. It's a testament to the city's metalworking and construction history.
The statue is the world's largest iron-ore statue, standing fifty-six feet tall and weighing in at over eleven thousand pounds, more than ten and a half tons. It's in the middle of a nice park in this bustling city, but unless you enjoy craning your neck up to look at a statue that's been around for more than forty years, it isn't much of a draw.
Bred for Boredom
Churchill Downs is the spot of the world-famous Kentucky Derby and has been around in bigger and better forms since 1875. And during the Kentucky Derby, the place is packed full of race fans, tourists, gamblers, and even some celebrities.
If you aren't a part of any of those groups, or if crowds give you the fits, this isn't the place for you. It's a pricey destination, too, with fees reaching above a hundred dollars per person. While Churchill Downs does have numerous events throughout the year, the Derby is the big one, and it's the kind of place you really have to want to be.
He Just Wants to be Left Alone
This rock formation kinda looks like a dude, doesn't it? It's a series of five granite cliff ledges on Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and from the right spot, it appears to be the jagged profile of an old man, hence the name Old Man of the Mountain.
Unless you're looking at it from the right angle, there's nothing to see. Even climbing on the face itself doesn't look great. But we should have used the past tense – in 2003 the ridges collapsed, leaving a much more boring mountain to look at. Take this one off the list of places to visit.