Posted on July 16, 2018
The bad news about Chicago's Millennium Park:
It opened FOUR YEARS behind schedule.
It cost $325 MILLION more than planned.
Critics say that the "behind schedule" and "cost overrun" problems were caused by poor planning and cronyism, which means that politicians awarded contracts to construction companies on the basis of "he's a friend!" and "they're my relatives" rather than to company's with good reputations and competitive prices.
But, there is even more good news to discover about this park:
It has won awards for "green" (eco-friendly) design.
It has won awards for being accessible to people with disabilities.
Private donors took on about half the cost of the the price overruns.
It's the world's largest "rooftop garden" - because it sits on top of a parking garage and a commuter rail station.
It is free to visitors.
It is in the Top 10 of tourist destinations in the U.S.
It is THE top tourist destination in the entire Midwest of the U.S.
The park replaced parking lots and rail yards - and it increased real estate values of the nearby communities a lot!
Critics rave about the completed park.
Millennium Park opened on this date in 2004. I bet it's more than made up for its cost in the last 14 years - and it has many more years to come!
Here are some cool features that I really enjoyed seeing in-person:
Cloud Gate (also known as The Bean)
The Jay Pritzker Pavillion
The Crown Fountain
The Lurie Garden
The BP Pedestrian Bridge
Wrigley Square
Being on foot, not having a bike, I didn't check out the McDonald's Cycle Center:
I was in Chicago in October, and I didn't get to see the McCormick Tribute Ice Rink:
It is in the Top 10 of tourist destinations in the U.S.
Also on this date:
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