Chicago Living Tip No. 28
if you’ve never been to the Museum of Science & Industry, a field trip destination for every school kid in Chicago, then you have to go. it’s not just for kids.
the cool thing about MSI is that they have hands-on exhibits. Brian can never take me anywhere because i’m a toucher. if an exhibit says, "do not touch," i’m going to touch it. i just have to know what the tactile sensation is that makes it forbidden.
my favorite permanent exhibits are the Chick Hatchery and the Anatomical Sections. the last time we were there i had to fight through kids, 5 or 6 deep, to get a good look at the chicks. i so wanted to see an egg hatch, but all i saw were eggs shaking as the chicks prepared to break free. i didn’t realize it takes more than just a few minutes for them to hatch.
the Anatomical Sections are not for the squeamish. let me put it this way: i have a fascination with the inner workings of organisms, human or whatnot. i was exposed to this at a very early age and was "supposed" to be a doctor. but aside from the anatomical aspect, the subjects in the exhibit are from the ’40s, which to me, makes it that much more intriguing. science has come such a long way since then.
the Fairy Castle is amazing in its miniature detail, and believe it or not, i have yet to go inside the Coal Mine, and ride in the U-505 sub. unfortunately, the submarine is currently being restored.
MSI used to have their free days on Thursdays, but they’ve changed their schedule for 2005. and here it is:
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Free on Mondays and Tuesdays from January 3 through March 15
- Free every day from June 5 through June 10
- Free on Mondays and Tuesdays from September 12 through November 24
- Free on December 24
Museum of Science and Industry
5700 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60637
773-684-1414
EDIT (10:55am): MJ has pointed out that visitors don’t actually get to ride in the submarine; you get to walk through it, though. also, it’s supposed to re-open this spring! better stand in line now, because there’s always a line for that exhibit.
Chicago Living Tips
I love the Museum of Science & Industry! As a grade schooler, we went to the Chicago MSI for several field trips throughout the years. It was always my favorite place to go. It doesn’t seem like a “museum” becuase it’s too fun! There is a lot to do as well as see. I’ve done the coal mine tour but never really cared for it. The submarine was really cool, though. It wasn’t a ride, we just walked through it. I would like to do that again. It’s really interesting…and where else can you inspect the inside of a submarine? When is that exhibit supposed to re-open? Another thing I liked was walking through the huge human heart. There wasn’t too much to it, but it always fascnated me. And the babies floating in the jars…do they still have those? Now I want to go to the MSI with my kids! See what you you’ve done?!
Now for the stupid question that I’ve always been wanting to ask you…Have you ever seen Oprah Winfrey just walking around the streets of Chicago anywhere?
February 14, 2005 10:29 am
and here i thought the submarine actually went below Lake Michigan! ah, well. the site says it’ll re-open this spring.
i want to go there now, too! the big heart’s still there and cool as ever, so are the babies. they have an Omnimax theater now, but i haven’t been.
they also have this gene cloning exhibit with microscopes you can look through at specimens of real, live, little critters–some type of insect.
most of the building looks the same, but the underground garage looks really new and like a combination mall/indoor theme park garage–new, colorful architecture, not like the stately building you can see on the Lake.
i’d try to avoid going on a weekend if possible. too crowded, and you can’t spend as much time as you’d like at the exhibits.
February 14, 2005 10:54 am
I seem to recall once reading the story of the couple who are sliced into anatomical sections, but I can’t remember the details. Google is not helping (but it did bring me here). Does anyone remember any details about them?
February 23, 2005 3:43 pm
the only thing i know about them is what it says on the MSI page (the link is in the original post), which isn’t much at all. just that they died of natural causes before they were sliced. i’ll try to do some searching myself. if you find anything, please let me know. thanks!
February 23, 2005 4:31 pm
Well, I can tell you what I remember, but I read this years ago and I can’t tell how much is confabulation since then. I seem to recall that they were an African American couple and they died penniless with no children or close relatives. For some reason I think they may have died from a combination of poverty and a Chicago winter, which can still be deadly today. There was some sort of dispute about whether the city had the right to donate them to the museum. The last time I was at the S&I museum was in the early 80s, I think, when she was half-hidden in a stairwell and he was in storage. I’d like to get back to Chicago sometime this year, to see Body Worlds before it leaves. If you get to see it, please post a review!
February 23, 2005 6:13 pm
More on Dead Bodies in Chicago
It was a sad, tragic story, but for the life of me I can’t remember any significant details. Googling was little help; I found their rather dry official page, and I found this post at Bloggo Chicago.
February 25, 2005 1:37 am