Shedd
Aquarium &
The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry
Chicago, Illinois
February 4 -5, 2006
Past Trip Report
The
2006 Shedd Aquarium weekend was a fantastic trip. We started out by heading
over to the Aquarium for a fantastic time. The Aquarium is always a spectacular
place
to visit year after year and this year was not exception. Something new on
exhibit was a number of tanks containing
the species of animals that are invasive
to the Great Lakes. The exhibit was
interesting but kind of scary.
Also on exhibit was a fantastic display of cichlids from lake Tanganika, lake
Victoria and lake Malawai in Africa. Unbeknownst to most of us those three
lakes are as big or bigger than the Great Lakes. Some fantastic diversity and
fish that are not found anywhere else in the world are found in those lakes.
The Wild Reef exhibit was absolutely fantastic. The sharks
were very active and we all were able to
take some pretty cool pictures. The wild reef
exhibit made us all long for warmer weather and warmer climates.
This year we also spent
time with the Pacific white-sided dolphins and the Beluga whales. The
performance of the dolphins was very entertaining. The day at the aquarium was
super fun and we are all looking forward to next year.
That evening we stayed in
the city and had dinner (and dessert
J )
at The Cheesecake factory. The city was super fun at night even in the cold
weather. We all had a really nice time.
The
next morning we all walked around the
city for a while since
it was a really pretty morning. We
ended up visiting the water tower and the
nearby water
works pumping station. During the Chicago Fire of October 1871 these buildings
were one of the only ones in the area that survived the fire. The buildings are
now historical monuments.
This
trip we had a suggestion to visit the Museum of Science and Industry and
see the U-505. 
This submarine was captured during World War II in a very heroic action. One
of the people who went on the trip was from Germany. The U-505 was of special
interest to him. Having him with us gave us a unique perspective on the
different ways that people can interpret events. To him it was a melancholy
place to remember some of the terrible things that happened in the war.
The
U-505 was Huge far larger than other submarines I had seen. Much smaller
than today's submarines but incredible
for its time. The submarine was a fantastic example of German engineering.
Sitting majestically in its own area, this Type 9 U-boat was similar to the one
that was featured (sunk) in the book
“Shadow Divers.” We toured the outside of the vessel and then had a fantastic
tour of the inside of the vessel. The Sub was really fascinating and we all
wanted to spend a lot more time inside. The story of the submarine, its
history and the capture of U-505 can be found at the museum’s website.
The rest of the museum had
some fantastic stuff as well. They had some really cool models of some of the
ships of history. We also spent some time in Navy’s display of an aircraft
carrier and a nuclear submarine. The trip to the Museum of Science of Industry
was a perfect ending to a great weekend.
Because of the fun we had
on this trip we are planning making The Shedd and the Sub (and shopping) an
annual event. Look for this trip to be planned for next year around the same
time.
Click Here to be
redirected to the U-505 Website
Click Here to be redirected to the Shedd Aquarium Website
Call us! (734) 971 7770
