"We're on a bridge to nowhere..."
Talking Heads song ala BP Bridge, circa Summer 2004... I recall the first time that we walked this bridge and my friend belted out that song, but substituting "bridge" for the true lyric, "road." This was back when this structure was first unveiled in July, 2004. In 935 feet, we found out that it took us over Columbus to....a grassy wasteland with nothing on the other side. Nowhere!
Today, that "nowhere" is "Maggie Daley Park!" http://www.yelp.com/biz/maggie-daley-park-chicago?hrid=jeBTIto4fGtO8j7aJs6RNg&utm_source=ishare
Although it was a ten-year wait, this pedestrian footbridge now leads to somewhere very special indeed. Unlessssss....it's icy or heavy snowfall! It's too sweeping a generalization to say "closed in winter" - it IS open if the conditions are not wintery - take today, for example, December 14, 2015, with a high around 60 degrees.
So why not open in wintery weather? The quirk in its otherwise magnificent-bridge-self is that the 20 foot wide walking surface is made of beautiful Brazilian hard wood that is not amenable to plowing or salting. This weakness in function is also its strength in design aesthetic. The soft hues of the wood blend romantically with the shiny stainless steel tiles that comprise the parapets. The wood softens the appearance while the stainless offers a reflective glimmer.
Frank Gehry designed it and despite its weather-related limitations, the bridge is overall reviewed as a success (from what I've read and heard.) The shape is "snakelike," curving somewhat - one could say - like Chicago's River. The bridge appears to have an innate momentum, again, attributable to those shimmery tiles. The city actually mandates that daily, the parapets be wiped clean of fingerprints and the bridge be swept and washed.
To access the bridge:
- From Millennium Park - seek the south area of Pritzker Pavilion's lawn, which is a straight shot if you're walking east on Madison into the park.
- From Maggie Daley Park - head to its west border, near the climbing wall.
You're on a bridge to somewhere! read more