Well, I visited Shedd Aquarium this past Thursday. I was underwhelmed to be honest. I was hoping for some decent pics to go along with my post, but I suck at taking pictures of fish. They won't stand still and there's the glare off the glass to deal with.
The good:
Got to see a dress rehearsal for the Fantasea show. Now, I've seen performing dolphins and whales a bajillion times like everyone else, but it was still a very good show and entertaining. I enjoyed it.
They had lots of exhibits on freshwater fish. The exhibits were well lit, well, decorated, and most were well cleaned. There were a few that seemed to be growing algae of the sort that I seem to specialize in at home.
They incorporated non-aquatic critters like monkeys, snakes, tree frogs and ducks into their exhibits.
They had a very active octopus. Every time I've seen a Giant Pacific Octopus, the thing has been sitting there doing nothing.
They had a very impressive tank of jellyfish.
The bad:
They had a lot of exhibits on freshwater fish. I really expected more saltwater fish. I can see freshwater fish in the LFS. Yes, it's cool to see a school of 50 neons swimming through a flooded forest, but that's not what I came to the aquarium to see. I came to see exotic fish that I can't see anywhere else. It was like going to the zoo and seeing squirrels, rabbits, cats and dogs. It's not that I don't enjoy seeing squirrels, but I can see them in my back yard.
They had only two really large tanks of fish. This is what was least impressing to me. I guess I was spoiled by Monterrey Bay which I think may have been a bigger aquarium than Shedd. They had a large saltwater tank in the middle of the aquarium and a large reef tank downstairs that you had to pay extra to see. This what it. Monterrey Bay is worth the money just for the outer reef tank IMO. Aside from this, Shedd had a handful of smaller saltwater tanks that were very cool, just not enough of them.
The size of the aquarium for what you're paying was unimpressive to me. When I went to Monterrey Bay, I spent all morning and part of the afternoon. At Shedd, I spent approximately 2 hours.
I don't know. Maybe I was spoiled by my two visits to Monterrey Bay where they have the luxury of pumping saltwater into the tank directly from the ocean, but I don't know if I'd visit Shedd again if I went back to Chicago. It's a huge attraction that somehow attracted lines around the block on a Thursday, but I don't see the appeal.
The good:
Got to see a dress rehearsal for the Fantasea show. Now, I've seen performing dolphins and whales a bajillion times like everyone else, but it was still a very good show and entertaining. I enjoyed it.
They had lots of exhibits on freshwater fish. The exhibits were well lit, well, decorated, and most were well cleaned. There were a few that seemed to be growing algae of the sort that I seem to specialize in at home.
They incorporated non-aquatic critters like monkeys, snakes, tree frogs and ducks into their exhibits.
They had a very active octopus. Every time I've seen a Giant Pacific Octopus, the thing has been sitting there doing nothing.
They had a very impressive tank of jellyfish.
The bad:
They had a lot of exhibits on freshwater fish. I really expected more saltwater fish. I can see freshwater fish in the LFS. Yes, it's cool to see a school of 50 neons swimming through a flooded forest, but that's not what I came to the aquarium to see. I came to see exotic fish that I can't see anywhere else. It was like going to the zoo and seeing squirrels, rabbits, cats and dogs. It's not that I don't enjoy seeing squirrels, but I can see them in my back yard.
They had only two really large tanks of fish. This is what was least impressing to me. I guess I was spoiled by Monterrey Bay which I think may have been a bigger aquarium than Shedd. They had a large saltwater tank in the middle of the aquarium and a large reef tank downstairs that you had to pay extra to see. This what it. Monterrey Bay is worth the money just for the outer reef tank IMO. Aside from this, Shedd had a handful of smaller saltwater tanks that were very cool, just not enough of them.
The size of the aquarium for what you're paying was unimpressive to me. When I went to Monterrey Bay, I spent all morning and part of the afternoon. At Shedd, I spent approximately 2 hours.
I don't know. Maybe I was spoiled by my two visits to Monterrey Bay where they have the luxury of pumping saltwater into the tank directly from the ocean, but I don't know if I'd visit Shedd again if I went back to Chicago. It's a huge attraction that somehow attracted lines around the block on a Thursday, but I don't see the appeal.
