07/26/17 - Day 114 - Chicago, IL - Shedd Aquarium & Tall Ship Windy
For my second to last day in the city I kept the theme aquatic by visiting the Shedd Aquarium and sailing on the tall ship Windy. This was another big bicycling day as pedaled my way to and from each attraction.
The Shedd Aquarium is located in Museum Campus, next door to the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium. I found it to be a bit pricey - a single ticket is $40 and that's without any of optional movie packages, let along food or drinks. It's right on the shore of Lake Michigan so the views outside are nice.
Inside I ran into a bizarre looking paddlefish. These things are native to the Mississippi River. I'd never heard of them prior to the visit. They're filter feeders, so they swim around with their mouth wide open. It freaked out several of the little kids viewing the exhibit.
The saltwater exhibits displayed both cute and ugly residents of the reef.
The dolphins housed at the aquarium had a habit of swimming upside down within the tank. The museum signage said this way typical behavior, but didn't explain why. Maybe the lights were a little bright? Seemed ok to me, but I'm not a dolphin.
The aquarium included a brief show featuring the dolphins and a couple of other creatures (penguins and seals). It was ok, but a little preachy about saving the environment, etc. Almost half of the show was simply a video showing people talking about animals and climate change rather than real life animals. I get the idea but it's not what I paid for.
That said, the rest of the aquarium was well done. In addition to the requisite tanks they had displays featuring creatures who depend on the water.
There were a few different types of penguins
Some creepy looking crabs
And lots of coral displays
After the aquarium I made my way north to Navy Pier. I'd booked a groupon ride on the sailboat "Windy" for a sunset cruise around the lake. This was a good deal, only $22 for about an hour and half ride. I got there early enough to select what I thought was one of the best seats right up front.
Windy is a 148ft traditional four masted topsail schooner. She uses a diesel motor to enter and exit the port but once underway raises as many sails as the weather permits. The wind was almost dead calm, so once the boat switched from motor to sail we didn't exactly tear up the lake.
But the purpose of the ride isn't to thrill, it's to dazzle with spectacular views of the Chicago skyline.
It was also a little educational as I learned that there is a pumping station in the lake that's responsible for sending drinking water back into the city.
There are actually a few of these offshore, but only one is currently operating. Maybe they only need one? The crew of the boat wasn't sure. What they did tell me is that they were built after Chicago reversed the flow of the river so that it no longer empties into the lake. Prior to that the lake was too polluted to provide drinking water.
The sky was a little cloudy, but rather than cancel out the sunset it added some contrast to the scene.
After the ride I headed back home on the bike. Despite its size I've found Chicago to be very bike friendly and a heck of a lot less "exciting" than riding in Manhattan.
I was pretty worn out after the day and slept in for a while the next morning.
The Shedd Aquarium is located in Museum Campus, next door to the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium. I found it to be a bit pricey - a single ticket is $40 and that's without any of optional movie packages, let along food or drinks. It's right on the shore of Lake Michigan so the views outside are nice.
Inside I ran into a bizarre looking paddlefish. These things are native to the Mississippi River. I'd never heard of them prior to the visit. They're filter feeders, so they swim around with their mouth wide open. It freaked out several of the little kids viewing the exhibit.
The saltwater exhibits displayed both cute and ugly residents of the reef.
The dolphins housed at the aquarium had a habit of swimming upside down within the tank. The museum signage said this way typical behavior, but didn't explain why. Maybe the lights were a little bright? Seemed ok to me, but I'm not a dolphin.
The aquarium included a brief show featuring the dolphins and a couple of other creatures (penguins and seals). It was ok, but a little preachy about saving the environment, etc. Almost half of the show was simply a video showing people talking about animals and climate change rather than real life animals. I get the idea but it's not what I paid for.
That said, the rest of the aquarium was well done. In addition to the requisite tanks they had displays featuring creatures who depend on the water.
There were a few different types of penguins
Some creepy looking crabs
And lots of coral displays
After the aquarium I made my way north to Navy Pier. I'd booked a groupon ride on the sailboat "Windy" for a sunset cruise around the lake. This was a good deal, only $22 for about an hour and half ride. I got there early enough to select what I thought was one of the best seats right up front.
Windy is a 148ft traditional four masted topsail schooner. She uses a diesel motor to enter and exit the port but once underway raises as many sails as the weather permits. The wind was almost dead calm, so once the boat switched from motor to sail we didn't exactly tear up the lake.
But the purpose of the ride isn't to thrill, it's to dazzle with spectacular views of the Chicago skyline.
It was also a little educational as I learned that there is a pumping station in the lake that's responsible for sending drinking water back into the city.
There are actually a few of these offshore, but only one is currently operating. Maybe they only need one? The crew of the boat wasn't sure. What they did tell me is that they were built after Chicago reversed the flow of the river so that it no longer empties into the lake. Prior to that the lake was too polluted to provide drinking water.
The sky was a little cloudy, but rather than cancel out the sunset it added some contrast to the scene.
After the ride I headed back home on the bike. Despite its size I've found Chicago to be very bike friendly and a heck of a lot less "exciting" than riding in Manhattan.
I was pretty worn out after the day and slept in for a while the next morning.
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