The City of Chicago

The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum is America's first and oldest planetarium. Located alongside the Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum of Natural History on the shores of Lake Michigan, it was founded and built in 1930 by Max Adler and Philip Fox. In 1987 the Adler Planetarium was declared a National Historic Landmark.

Adler Planetarium hosts plenty of shows and exhibits that are sure to lure children and grown ups alike into astronomy. One of its featured attractions is Shoot for the Moon, a permanent exhibition that highlights exciting stories of space exploration and America's bold plans to return to the Moon.

Visit their website http://www.adlerplanetarium.org for more info.

One well known Downtown Chicago landmark is the Chicago Picasso, or The Picasso. As the name implies, it is a metal sculpture by Pablo Picasso, a Spanish artist best known for co-founding the Cubist movement. The Picasso stands 50 feet, weighs more than 160 tons, and can be found in Daley Plaza in the Chicago Loop. It has become a popular meeting spot among Chicagoans because of its unmistakable features.

What or who exactly is depicted in the Chicago Picasso is still debated. Some say it is a bird or an Afghan hound, and some even say it is inspired by a woman named Lydia Corbett, one of Picasso's models. A copper maquette of the structure is entitled Tête de Baboon, or Baboon Head.

The Shedd Aquarium, or more formally, The John G. Shedd Aquarium, is an indoor aquarium boasting 5 million gallons of water and roughly 2100 species of marine animals. Opened to the public in 1930, the Shedd Aquarium was once the largest indoor aquarium in the world.

Kids will surely enjoy the aquarium's various exhibits including Wild Reef, Oceanarium, Amazon Rising, Waters of the World, and Caribbean Reef. Some notable animals on display are Beluga Whales, Giant Pacific Octopus, Moon Jellies, and of course Penguins.

Admission tickets go from $8 to $27.50 and The Shedd Aquarium is open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays and up to 6pm on weekends.

The aquarium will hold a Reptile Fest this coming April 12 to 13. Lizards and reptiles will highlight the said event, plus a special presentation about Komodo dragons.

Visit http://www.shedaquarium.org for more info.

One of the most notable landmarks in Chicago, Illinois is the Chicago Water Tower. Designed in a castellated-Gothic Revival style, the Chicago Water Tower was built on 1869 and has achieved Chicago landmark status on October 6, 1971.

Located at the heart of the Magnificent Mile, this historic building was falsely believed by some to be the only survivor of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It is now the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau Visitor's Welcome Center.



Some Chicagoists see the towering building as a monument to Chicago's will to continue, survive, and prosper.