photo courtesy hippie via creative commons license
Don’t think about bringing any balloons filled with helium to Millennium Park in Chicago. Security will tell you to HIDE the balloon. A visitor to the park recently left a comment on one of my blog posts about their experience with the ban:
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Today we took our toddler to Millennium Park just to have some fun. We got ridiculously surprised when one of the security people from the park approached us and politely asked to hide a helium filled balloon that was tide to our son’s stroller. We were told that for some reason helium filled balloons are not allowed in the park. Does someone know why they make such ridiculous rules? People who witnessed the conversation with security guard exploded with laugh ! Does that make sense to anyone?
Posted by: Ag on Sep 28, 08 | 7:25 pm
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I can’t tell what’s more ridiculous, trying to hide a balloon or why helium balloons are not allowed.
Here are four ideas why security bans helium balloons at Millennium Park:
- Lift-off
If someone gets too many balloons, the person will lift off–causing a security threat.
- High-pitched voices
Someone will inhale the helium causing the person to speak in a high-pitched voice. If a crowd of people start enacting in this action, the result will be a crowd of high-pitched speaking people. They might even start to sing, or imitate Michael Jackson. A crowd of Michael Jackson impersonators? Beat it!
- Sky pollution
A child might accidentally let go of the balloon, causing it fly away into the sky that is owned by the investors of Millennium Park. “Our sky! Our sky! Our precious sky!”
- Illegal photography
Someone might take a photograph of a helium balloon and try to sell it.
Do you have another reason why helium balloons are banned? Leave it in the comments below. Thank you.
Helium balloons get loose, and either get stuck in trees and make the park look sky littered, or fly out to sea and kill sea turtles when they eat them (true story). So, my guess is an eco-friendly city council has decided to ban fun in the park.
Cart has hit the nail on the head: the ban is for environmental reasons. Helium balloons are completely environmentally irresponsible. I saw one floating around the other day and said a prayer for the bird it was eventually going to kill. Sure, it might look cool, but eventually the balloon is going to come down and more likely injure or kill that bird or animal than just become liter.
Carto, your reason sounds like the real reason. Let’s label that one number 5: environmental reasons. Let’s consider another reason, #6: Bean resemblance. Anything that looks remotely like the Chicago Bean is banned from the park. Balloons kinda look like a bean, thus are banned.
Tom, do helium balloons floating in the sky actually kill birds? Does a bird see the balloon and think, “Gee, wouldn’t it be fun to fly into that object in the sky?” I guess if it’s nighttime, there’s a chance the bird won’t see the balloon and fly into it. Birds do that with buildings way too often, but don’t birds fly into the buildings because of–oh crap, what is it? The lights? That’s not it. There’s some strange reason birds fly into buildings. The wind currents or something?
Even professional ornithologists don’t really know why birds fly into windows [more common than flying into the building itself”> though some people suggest that birds don’t see reflections and that they see windows as a portal. Oddly enough some buildings are more susceptible to having birds fly into their windows than others [flight patterns?”>. My mother has a neighbor who has a black construction paper bird on her window as a detractor to her window’s unusual penchant for attracting birds. My building downtown also attracts the poor things. At first I thought my weekly sighting of a dead bird on the sidewalk was West Nile until I realized the poor things were doing themselves in. As far as the balloons, birds are more likely to suffer their fate after the balloon has descended into a tree or hit the ground [deflated”>. The spent balloon is most-likely to kill them by suffocation.
Could also be that some people fill balloons with nitrous oxide and get high. They’re called whip-its. Not sure why someone would go to the trouble of bringing a nitrous-filled balloon to Millennium Park though.
Speaking of balloons, did anyone see the massive amount of Mickey Mouse balloons they were giving out in Pioneer Court yesterday? I totally should have gotten one. Argh!
Lisa S, let’s make your reason as reason #7: covert nitrous oxide balloons.
There seems to be a huge amount of speculation regarding balloons and not evidence regarding the green issues. Banning Balloons seems a little harsh. Can the Balloon manufacturers and people who are concerned about the environment get together and talk to see if an environmental balloon can be produced ? Banning things is not t he answer.
There is a helium shortage too; though I don’t see how banning them in Millennium Park would positively or negatively affect that. The park would have to sell the balloons and then ban the sale. That’s what makes me thing the ban is an environmental issue. Are helium balloons banned in all Chicago parks?