Our purpose for going to Chicago was to see the Body Worlds 2 exhibit, but the tickets we had were for 5:00pm, so we had the entire morning and early afternoon to do other things. We decided to go to the Shedd Aquarium first. We left the hotel about 9:00am and arrived in Chicago about 30-45 minutes later. I was amazed at the amount of traffic--in some places it was bumper to bumper! I never dreamed we would have any traffic problems with it being the weekend--my small-town upbringing showing it's face, I guess. :) I was in awe of the buildings--we have NOTHING to compare here in the UP. Believe me, I had the slack-jawed, wide-eyed look that anyone could read as 'tourist.'
After only ONE wrong turn, we finally found our way to the parking garage for the aquarium, Field Museum, and Soldier Field. When we walked past Soldier Field--which I was told is where the Bears play--I saw the dedications to the veterans and realized why it was called Soldier Field. That was kind of neat. As we walked up to the entrance of the aquarium, we got a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline--the first thing I took pictures of.
Quite impressive!
The aquarium was featuring their lizards and komodo dragon exhibits, so the entrance was covered by a lizard canopy.
As you can see, we were there at a good time--we just walked in and only had to stand in line for a few minutes to get tickets. When we left the aquarium at 1:30-2:00, the line to get in was all of the way down the stairs and way out in front of the lizard's head!
I, in no way, like to do anything on or in the water. You will not catch me swimming, water-skiing, surfing, boating, etc, etc. BUT, I love being around the water and love sea creatures. If I had the space and money, I would own a ginormous salt-water aquarium--so Shedd's was a fantastic adventure for me. Unfortunately, you couldn't take flash pictures in the place, so many of what I took just didn't come out. That, plus despite what I said about no crowds outside, there were enormous amounts of people inside and the opportunities to get decent pictures were few. I did get some okay ones, though.
I was able to get a great picture of the komodo dragon. He was rather beautiful, in a reptily sort of way. I didn't realize just exactly how green they are--and he was very big. He weighed over 100 pounds. A piece of info: komodo's have saliva that will cause infections in whatever they bite. Their saliva, also, has one bad stench--possibly the worst in the animal kingdom. They also are quite cranky--the handlers won't go anywhere near him when he is eating, as he could attack at any time.
We watched the dolphin show--nothing too great. No pictures of the dolphins--they moved too fast! I was surprised to see at least 13 trainers during the show. Now THAT would be a fun job. We also got to see the Beluga whales--there was a baby born not too long ago. Penguins, Pacific otters, sharks--they all were there. I was in heaven!
In one spot, there was a display in the floor. The display was covered by a clear piece of plastic and you could watch the rays swimming right under your feet. Very neat.
I was very disappointed that the pictures I took of the sea horses and sea dragons didn't come out! I didn't even know there was such a creature as a sea dragon! They really aren't all that big--just 6" or less--but they are quite impressive. Here is a pic I found online:
More pictures I took--a moray eel, some starfish, sea anemones, coral, and various other underwater creatures.
This is just one of many varieties of eels that were there--some of them were quite impressive in size! I wasn't aware of the many different colors and patterns they come in. This one is one of the prettier ones:
Starfish are so neat--and who would have known that they come in various colors? Of course, if you look closely, you can see the sea urchins, too.
This was most impressive , as it just waved in the flow of the water. A camera can't capture the true beauty of the colors, though.
Coral is just so awesome--to think a living creature is behind all of that beauty! The aquarium even grows their own!
Salt-water fish are the most colorful there are. Again, a camera can't show the real beauty of the colors.
If you look closely those are--for real!--two fish in the middle of the picture! Most of the pictures I took were of the pretty sea life, but these two guys were just way too interesting to pass up!
We stayed at the aquarium for about four hours and I could have stayed there for four DAYS! A most impressive place. I can't wait to get back there again.
Shedd Aquarium-Chicago
