"It is the artistic center, the artistic heart of this park," said Millennium Park Foundation Executive Director Scott Stewart, adding that "everyone wants to come to Millennium Park to touch the Bean."
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People also gaze into the bean's reflective coating, posing in front of it for pictures too. But Stewart said all that popularity quickly takes its toll.
"Oils on our skin would corrode that mirrored, polished surface," he said.
I asked Bean visitor Andrea Skaggs, from Aurora, what she thought it would take to keep Cloud Gate clean.
"A lot of people and a lot of Windex," she guessed.
Done guessing?
It's actually just a team of two specially trained cleaning crew members who keep the Bean clean.
As long as it's above freezing, the park staff brings out the hose and squeegees, according to Stewart.
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They'll "spray it down with some water to get everything moving off of the surface and then... squeegee it so you don't see any of the dry water droplets," he explained.
The meticulous wipe-down comes with its own set of beautiful moments, like shimmering rainbows arcing along with the Bean.
"Every day, two hours. It's one of the best workouts you can get in the city," Stewart added.
I gave it a try, hoisting the telescoping squeegee pole as high up the Bean's side as I could. It didn't take long for me to feel how heavy it was to keep scrubbing the piece of art.
Imagine doing it for two hours straight-and before the job's done: "everybody keeps touching it after they just cleaned it," remarked Skaggs with a laugh.
To get all of the dust and debris off on top, the park's team does an overnight cleaning with scaffolding a few times a year. But a thorough polish each morning is enough to help our city shine.