This trip was my first time purchasing a city pass card for attractions. It has always felt like too much of a commitment to me. We had whole week dedicated to going to attractions, so we purchased the Chicago Go Card-the 5 choice Explorer version-from a Travelzoo deal for $100 each.There are at least five different types of cards to choose from and I am sure that every pass works well and in the end they are all similar in price. Most have some sort of deal going at anytime that essentially provides about $10 off. This particular pass had all the museums I wanted (except the Shedd Aquarium), two trade-in locations and seemed simpler than some of the others. The pass is purchased online and then you retrieve the official card from either Chicago 360 (Hancock Building) or the Field Museum. The first of our five attractions was The Field Museum, it was the first time there for both my husband and me. The Field Museum We visited mid-day on a Thursday. The Museum was very busy with school field trips. Museums are frequently visited toward the end of the school year and are often a bit more full of kiddos on weekdays than normal. This is a massive Museum and I can usually only handle 3-4 hours in a Museum. So, we went in knowing that it would be impossible to see everything. Of course we saw Sue, the T. Rex while exploring the entrance hall. The architecture of the building alone is worth the visit. We started with the optional China exhibit (a choice upon entrance is given between China or a 3-D movie). The exhibit was well-done with an good amount of history, interaction and artifacts. Next we went through the Evolving Planet exhibit, while aimed toward children, the various full dinosaur skeletons and fossils were worth trudging through the groups of kids. As an add-on we purchased the Terracotta Warriors exhibit pass. We tried to see this exhibit a few years ago in San Francisco but went on a free day and the lines were hours long so we missed it. The exhibit was well worth the wait, especially for anyone fascinated with the great mysteries of history and relatively recent archaeological discoveries. The Pacific Spirits and Traveling the Pacific Exhibits were very interesting. A section of the world that most people are not exposed to and whose history seems overshadowed by tourism. The Ancient Egypt exhibit was old and beaten up, seemed more like a play ground at this stage of its life. Finally, we got stuck in what I will call the taxidermy diorama exhibit. There has to be over 1,000 dead animals and very bad exit signs. I appreciate the history behind this sort of natural history museum, but do enjoy them. Overall the Field Museum was well-worth it. There are so many different types of exhibits that it can easily appeal to multiple generations and education levels. https://www.fieldmuseum.org/
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