Kathy and I spent most of this past Friday at one of our very favorite places – Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. Evidently, half the population of Chicago and its outlying suburbs had the same great idea because we stood in line for 45 minutes just to get in the front door – and once we were in, the place was packed with people, elbow to elbow. But despite the crowds and the occasional temper tantrums, what a blast to see some of the most amazing animals on the planet. What made us especially anxious to visit Shedd this time around was a special, temporary exhibit on Jellyfish, which have to be among the most beautiful and enigmatic of God’s creatures. (One of the headlines of the exhibit says “95% Water. 100% Amazing.” That refers to the fact that the typical jellyfish is 95% water. Incredible.) Add to that such wonders as moray eels, lionfish, seahorses, sting rays and snapping turtles. . . plus the incredible oceanarium show with trained dolphins and beluga whales. . . and it’s no wonder that so many people stream into Shedd each and every day. In fact, the first time I ever visited the place many years ago, it was pouring rain- but fortunately we had some sort of special ticket which meant we didn’t have to stand in line. But I very vividly remember seeing the sight of more than a hundred people standing in the general admission line in the pouring rain, waiting to get into the place. And it didn’t take long for us to see with our own eyes just what all the fuss was about. And we love the place as much now as we did the first time we visited. . . which I suppose is the mark of a truly special place.
There was one thing I noticed only this time around. . . and I can’t stop thinking about it. In quite a number of the tanks, one would see at least one cute orange clownfish swimming around – and almost without fail you would hear someone saying to their child “Nemo! Look, there’s Nemo!” – referring, of course, to the title character of the Disney animated classic Finding Nemo. And as I began to pay closer attention, I realized that the moms and dads who were saying it appeared to come from every corner of the globe. The family pictured above appeared to be Japanese- at least that’s what is sounded like they were speaking to one another- but then came “Nemo! Nemo!” – and the same squeals of delighted recognition that seemed to punctuate the day at very regular intervals. We saw that play out again and again in an array of families that could have comprised their own League of Nations. It’s certainly an indication of the astonishing pervasiveness of all things Disney … whatever that says about this crazy world in which we live. But I think even more it speaks to the universal appeal of a story like Finding Nemo . . . where a father is willing to swim around the world and brave any danger in order to find his son . . . where unlikely friends help each survive incredible peril . . . and where one needs look no further than the seas to experience some of our world’s most terrifying dangers. . . and its most amazing, life-giving beauties. And that last part underscores what keeps so many of us coming back to the Shedd Aquarium- to experience what most of us think of as the other half – the submerged half – of our planet, where none of us could ever live. . . but without which life would not and could not exist for any of us.
pictured above: This is just one of the families we observed “Finding Nemo.” (The clownfish is just barely visible down at the bottom of the tank, close to the center.) By the way, one of our only disappointments of the day was that there was no octopus where one was promised to be. After having viewed an extraordinary video of an octopus on the website for NPR’s Science Friday, I was especially excited to see one up close- but it must have had the day off.) Otherwise, the Shedd boasted one spectacular sight after another. By the way, we went from there to enjoy the huge Crate and Barrel store on Michigan Avenue, a delicious dinner at Lou Malnalti’s, and dessert at the Hershey Store. The worst part of the day? Paying $19 and $26 just to park our car in two parking ramps. Next time we’re hitchhiking.