The brutally cold winter months of Chicago sometimes make it hard to remember that we live in a wonderful city with lots to do and see. Recently I was reading some Chicago Mom blogs and came across a reminder that many of our fantastic museums have community free days. Being at home all day with a busy toddler is often a challenge, so I checked around and found that the John G. Shedd Aquarium was having a free day this past Thursday. Anabelle and I were on our way!
Thursday morning we jumped in the car and drove downtown, parking in the Soldier Field parking lot for a mere $16/4 hours (note sarcasm). We arrived at the aquarium around 10:15 and walked in not knowing what to expect. The line was horrendous!! We were going to be waiting for quite awhile. I strapped Anabelle into her stroller and gave her a snack while I brainstormed. I noticed the will call line was REALLY short. So I pulled out my cell phone and called the aquarium, asked to talk to the tickets office and asked if I could "purchase" a free ticket and have it placed at will call? The answer was no... You can do that, but you have to do it the day before. **Mental note for next time**
Then I noticed a nice older man who was an employee standing at the will call line. I gave him a big smile, and strolled Anabelle over. After some small talk about how crowded the aquarium was, and how he agreed that it was unexpectedly busy. I sympathized how hard that must make it for the employees and that they are so great for offering these free days to the community. I gave him a big thank you, and started to walk away. He stopped me and said, "Ma'am please take your daughter through the will call line, and have a great day!" Don't ever underestimate the power of a nice smile, kind words, and a simple thank you; it can often get you to the front of the line. I am certain Anabelle would not have waited through the hour long line pleasantly and we both would have had a worse visit because of it.
Once we were inside we walked straight to the center tank. A huge round tank, floor to ceiling, gives kids the opportunity see what the Caribbean reef looks like. It is full of colorful fish, sting rays, sharks, and turtles. Often there is a scuba diver inside the huge tank either feeding the fish, or cleaning the tank. It is pretty cool and I suspected Anabelle would like it the best. Here she is checking it out.
Notice the diver in the tank
After looking at the center tank for about 15 minutes we walked around the rest of the aquarium. Anabelle was in a mood where she didn't want to ride in her stroller, didn't want to be held, and didn't want to hold my hand and walk. It was very crowded and therefore I really couldn't let her walk around without holding my hand for the following reasons
1. I didn't want to lose her
2. She likes to grab other people's things (cell phones peeking out of purses)
3. She likes to touch other people and children
***Side note:
Anabelle will frequently try to touch other people's hair, noses, eyes, etc. I am always trying to stop her from touching random people. Today (Friday) we went to the mall play land, and a cute little boy was OBSESSED with touching Anabelle's eyes and kept saying "eye" to her. The mother was mortified, but I had to laugh and tell her it was karma because Anabelle always does that to everyone else. ***
So back to the aquarium... Anabelle wasn't being very cooperative in holding my hand, so our trip was a little more frustrating than I wished. However, she was able to see quite a few things, and get a close up view. Being that it was the first time she was seeing fish I'm sure she was thinking "what the heck are these things?" She seemed a bit freaked out by the fact that she could get so close to fish but not touch them. Why was this glass in her way? And some of the fish were pretty big, so I could see how it might be a little intimidating.
So after exploring a bit Anabelle finally had enough and it was time to head home for lunch and a nap. Overall, I think it was an ok visit; Anabelle is probably not quite ready for the aquarium. But it was free, aside from parking, and it was a good introductory trip. I learned some things for when we are ready for our next visit and most importantly; we got out of the house. Sometimes you don't know what your child is ready for and it's good to just try it out and see. Sometimes I am surprised at how well an activity goes and sometimes I get other ideas or useful information from the experience. 
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