More tanks for a fun visit

These photos include jellyfish...loads of them! You'll find creatures from oceans, lakes, streams and rivers all over the world at Shedd. I bought a new book at the gift shop that tells the history of the aquarium and has some amazing photos.
They wouldn't let me inside the tank (!) so this is the best I can do!

Tanks for Visiting!

These photos are just a small sampling of what's on display at Shedd Aquarium.
The big Caribbean Reef tank has sharks, rays, and lots of other creatures who swim right by your nose and keep the crowd spellbound.
The beluga whale and her calf were in the pool. The mother is white and the baby starts out a gray color, later turning white. As we watched them swim, the calf was swimming alongside the mother, nursing.

32,000 Fishy Friends

When I was growing up, we always took a two-week summer vacation.
My dad worked in a factory and the factory closed for the same two weeks every summer, so we would rent a cottage on Cape Cod.
My love of the water began there and I've had an itch to return to the ocean ever since.
I've lost count of how many times I've visited Chicago's Shedd Aquarium over the years, but I just had to get back to see it again.
It gets better every time, as you'll see in this post and the next.
The aquarium is located right on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, and you can look out over the lake from the windows in the large auditorium where the dolphins, whales and porpoises make their appearances.
Summer, of course, is peak season for visitors.

Does this woman do anything besides eating?

OK. So by 2 p.m. Sunday that breakfast just wasn't staying with me.
Lucky for me there was a Trolley stop in Greektown.
Two restaurants were recommended:
Pegasus and Greek Island.
The Trolley driver's top pick was Pegasus, so I headed there first.
"No, no," the owner said as I entered.
I thought I was underdressed.
But, no, the power was out on that block and so the restaurant was closed.
Off I went to Greek Island, where I had the traditional Gyros.
As you can see, it was another one of those mega-meals!
That was it for me yesterday!

Travels through the Ethnic Neighborhoods

Our West Trolley tour included stops in Little Italy, Chinatown and Greektown.
These photos are from Little Italy (The Joltin' Joe statue) and Chinatown.
I didn't hop off the trolley here, but the open window afforded a chance for some good shots!

Tourin' by Trolley

Sunday's adventure was a trolley ride all over town. The Signature Tour covers all the high spots downtown, including a cruise by Oprah's townhouse. Try as we might to coax her out, she wouldn't budge, and therefore we couldn't con her out of a free brunch, as much as our trolley driver had hoped we could.
I also took the West tour, which included Little Italy, with the Joe DiMaggio statue (there's that baseball connection again), Chinatown, and Greektown.
We passed Soldier Field on our way to the Shedd Aquarium. More on that shortly.
Here are some city scenes we encountered out the trolley window!

More South Shore!

Here's Linda Kennedy's lovely home, along with the beach nearby...