Chicago on a Shoestring: The Shedd Aquarium & Chicago Style Pizza

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On Monday, I took my kids down to the Shedd Aquarium (www.sheddaquarium.org) while my husband hung out with his cousin at his office. I have found that my husband's cousin and his children are just not that into musuems. Chicago is a city of world renowned museums but the in-laws aren't really that interested! Maybe since they live here they feel they can see them anytime they want. Either way, I was able to convince the children to come along today, but my husband's cousin was conveniently occupied at the office and my other half decided to join him.

We drove into the city and were very fortunate to find parking in the metered area the street between the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd. It only cost us $1.75 in quarters for the day which is a big difference from the regular parking lot which goes for $15.

We arrived at 1:00 in the afternoon which went against everything I'd read on the internet about Shedd plannng. Everyone always says go early because of the long lines. As I was walking to the aquarium I passed someone on the street and asked her to point me in the direction of the entrance. The lady showed me where it was and then complained about how long the lines had been when she was just there. She noticed I was pushing my youngest in a stroller and then said, "Oh, you've got a stroller, you can use the access entrance".

There is a seperate entrance on the side of the building for strollers and wheelchairs and the line is not as long as the front door. When we walked in, we only had to wait about 10 minutes to get our tickets. I also noticed that some people who were neither in a wheelchair or pushing a stroller had also found that entrance, and no one seemed to care if they were in that line or not.

At the Shedd, teachers and military are free (but not their dependents). Children cost $17.95.

We had a fantastic time here. This place blows our dinky little Niagara Falls Aquarium out of the water (pun intended). The quality of the exhibits was excellent. Our favorites were the beluga whales. They swim right up and look at you, as if they are saying hello. I was so close, it seemed like I could see their facial expressions! We also enjoyed the penguins(their exhibit rivaled the one I saw at Seaworld), and the dolphin show. My children spent the entire afternoon here and didn't get bored.

After the aquarium, we headed back to the suburbs for some Chicago style pizza for dinner. We ate at a place called Beggars (www.beggarspizza.com) and it was delicious. My sons stuffed themselves.

I'm so upset, I walked out of the house without my camera today so I can't show you any pictures, but trust me when I say it was a fantastic time!

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