Chicago is home to some amazing museums and attractions including the Field Museum, Alder Planetarium, Shedd’s Aquarium and of course the Museum of Science and Industry which we visited for the first time yesterday. I’m not sure why, but even living nearby we always choose repeat visits to the Field Museum or the Aquarium over a first visit to world of planes, trains and CEOs.

We actually had a change of heart simply because of an 8 year old. Dinosaurs are all well and good for 10 minutes but in the end kids his age want to be doing things or as they say in technospeak they want to “interact”. The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago offers all sorts of opportunities to do just that. Hmmm, “Offers Opportunities”. . Isn’t that the way we justify our current health care system? Well, in health care and museums “offers” and “provides” can be two totally different things entirely.

One such offering is the “Ideas Factory” which is sort of a crazy romper-room aimed loosely at sharing basic scientific concepts with kids while they tug, pull, toss splash and throw balls at various stations, which is all very well if your child is one to push others aside to try things. Kids with less aggressive natures will spend their time watching and wishing. My favorite single image in the mayhem was one of a father who after managing to make a child’s game work, was territorially protecting his work so that he could show it to his son. . . who was nowhere to be found. . . but his wife was looking for him. . . off in the crowd. . .somewhere. . . while a  growing line of disappointed children grew behind this crouching middle-ager in dress slacks  jealously protecting a hovering plastic green ball.

We explored the U-505 which is a captured WWII German Sub which is considered a war memorial and now housed in its own muli-million dollar underground vault. It was truly quite impressive to see. Tours cost an additional few bucks and last about 10 minutes. Personally I’m not a guided tour type person and found the sound effects and lighting cheesy , however by all the oohs and ahhs I fear I’m just a “Grumpy Guss” type. I much preferred exploring the US sub in Michigan where for a few bucks they just let you loose to explore without the constant poorly reproduced “ping”.

The museum is filled with hands on, push and play sort of displays. Again, hinting to that “offers” vrs “provides” conundrum. Gryphon was often excited about trying various gadgets and gizmos only to find that they didn’t do anything, headphones didn’t work, or screens wouldn’t come on. All that stuff we’ve come to surprisingly accept from our world these days. At least it was an honest display of “Technology”!

Of course I don’t want to get off on a negative spin. Adults would be tempted to spend more time reading and exploring than we did having a child along. As it was we spent a full day exploring the ins-and-outs of technology and saw some interesting if not exactly amazing presentations. Without a child in tow one would spend a bit more time reading and watching videos along the way. Even if they often seem a bit like vintage elementary school filmstrip presentations.

A full day was good timing with a child. At his pace we were through everything they had about an hour before they closed. What stood out most to me as headed north on the highway and the world began to settle down was that nothing in the museum particularly inspired Gryphon. Unlike the dinosaurs of the Field Museum or the Stars of the Planetarium or the Dolphins at the Aquarium, there was nothing of the science and industry world that sparked a conversation. Nothing we hadn’t seen or can’t see at home or read about online or in some other way experience. While a visit to the museum was a fun “out of the house” experience it was the “out of the house” experience that stood out more than anything the museum actually had to offer. For my part I knew it was not a good reflection on the day when I found  myself adding the costs up in my head while driving home . . parking, tickets, a meal, sub-tour. . . ah $92.00. .  next add gas, snacks, souvenir for Gryphon. . .

Well, we did find a kayak!!

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