Cusacks at the Shedd

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I haven't been to the Shedd Aquarium since I was a little kid. When I thought about what to do in the city, I decided the Shedd was the perfect choice. Oliver loves looking at fish and crabs and turtles in tanks.

My dad, Aunt Pam, Heidi, Oliver and I set out downtown on what might have been the hottest day of the year. Man, was it muggy, too! In a way, it felt nice; in another way, it was miserable! We parked at the museum campus parking and made the short hike to the Shedd (we didn't bother waiting for the trolley). We thought a Friday morning, shortly after opening, would be the perfect time to go. The line to get in was probably a block and a half long! Thankfully, we could go into the stroller entrance.

As a warning, the Shedd Aquarium is expensive (It was $80 for my dad, cousin, and me, and $19 for parking), but if you have the funds, it's definitely worth it. The place is filled with families and kids all having a great time. There are even areas where kids can touch star fish and other creatures.

Oliver was a bit cranky from a lack of sleep, but he was interested enough to check out some of the fish and turtles. We saw newly discovered fish species from the Amazon, we saw invasive fish species like the Asiatic Carp that are now in the Chicago River, we saw the largest turtle I've ever seen in my life, we got an upclose look at pengiuns, we got to see a baby beluga whale, we saw some rescued seals that had been branded in the wild, and we saw fish and eels that looked large enough to eat my baby.

We didn't get to really take our time and look at every exhibit since Oliver was feeling fussy, but we had a great time and got some nice views of the city as well (some of which I uploaded to my previous post, too).

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Photos

Going to the Shedd
I'm not exaggerating when I say the line to get in was a block or two long. Thankfully, there was a separate stroller and wheelchair entrance!

Aunt Pam & Heidi
A view of the city on our walk to the Shedd Aquarium.

Bizarre Fountain
My dad and Oliver stop in front of this bizarre fountain that greets the visitors at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

Oliver Checks Out the Duck
He was a little grumpy, but he still enjoyed looking at the fish.

Run Away!
Big fish! Big fish!

The Fish are Larger than my Baby
Baby on the bottom left. Giant fish at the top.

Grandpa Larry & Ollie Bear
My dad pushes Oliver around the Shedd Aquarium.

Invasive Species
I took a lot of pictures of fish, so I can't be completely certain what these are. However, I'm pretty sure this is a photo of the invasive fish species that are in the Chicago River. They're taking a lot of measures to try to keep them from getting into Lake Michigan.