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SKYDECK CHICAGO At 1,353 feet and 110 stories above the streets of downtown Chicago, The Ledge at the Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower) Skydeck will transform any visitor's--or local's for that matter--experience with the Windy City. In January 2009, Willis Tower owners began a major renovation of the beloved Skydeck, which originally opened in 1974, and served as a premier tourist attraction throughout the skyscraper's tenure as the Sears Tower. When ownership changed hands, the fresh blood added a fresh look--and adrenaline rush--to the 103rd floor in the form of retractable glass balconies extending about 4 feet over Wacker Drive and the Chicago River below. Still the 8th tallest building in the world, and the absolute tallest in the Western Hemisphere, Willis Tower's Skydeck draws 1.5 million people a year who are eager to ascend the 110-story, 1,454 foot (443 meter) building for awesome panoramic views of the city and surrounding countryside. Your journey to the top of the Willis Tower starts with a walk through an airport-style metal detector, followed by a slow elevator ride down to the waiting area where visitors queue for tickets. A sign will tell you how long you'll have to wait to get up high; this is a good time to confirm the visibility. Even days that seem sunny can have upper-level haze that limits the view. On good days, however, you can see for 40 to 50 miles (64 to 80 kilometers), as far as the states of Indiana, Michigan. Iowa, and Wisconsin. While you wait, you can watch a film about Willis Tower factoids. Then you'll wait a little longer before the ear-popping, 70 second elevator ride up to the 103rd floor deck. From here, the entire city stretches below, and you can see exactly how Chicago is laid out. Willis Tower, Skydeck, and The Ledge Fast Facts The hundreds of forehead prints visitors left behind each week on Skydeck windows served as this inspiration for The Ledge. The Ledge boxes can each bear about 4-1/2 metric tons of weight, and adventurers who trust that statistic enough to prove it can often be found jumping and bounding around the entirely translucent enclosures as Chicago's heavy traffic and infrastructure bustle below. The Ledge’s glass panels weight 1,500 pounds apiece, and each box is comprised of three layers of half-inch thick glass laminated into one seamless unit. In addition to serving 1.3 million tourists per year in its 4.5+ million square feet of space, Willis Tower is home to more than 100 companies, including prominent law, insurance, transportation, and financial services. The Ledge's glass boxes retract into the Skydeck main floor for easy maintenance, probably mostly cleaning off the 974 dead birds that must fly into them every month. The Moonwalk is the most popular dance performed on The Ledge, followed closely by the Running Man. Riverdance clocks in at a distant third. Bringing people who are afraid of heights to The Ledge is not recommended, unless you are mean-spirited or really don't like them. In which case, you should probably just take them here. Willis Tower was known as Sears Tower for decades, until the 30th anniversary of Diff'rent Strokes, at which point it was rightfully renamed. ADLER PLANETARIUM Adler Planetarium Featured Shows: Planet Nine - In July 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft gave us our first close look at Pluto, the most famous dwarf planet in the outskirts of our Solar System. The New Horizons flyby was big news, and the pictures it continues to send back to Earth reveal a world far more complex than anyone realized. Destination Solar System - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER The year is 2096. Space tourism is booming, and you’ve signed up for a quick trip around the Solar System with Space Express Tours! In this live show, your guides are Jesse, a lovable rookie tour guide who can’t wait to show you the wonders of your celestial neighborhood, and Max, the much more experienced—if slightly grumpy—shipboard computer. With Max steering the ship and Jesse chattering excitedly about each place you visit, you’ll soar through the Asteroid Belt, explore the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and hover over the roiling surface of the Sun. Hold on tight! Cosmic Wonder - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Ever since the first curious person looked up at the night sky, people all over the world have challenged themselves to uncover its secrets. What are stars? How did they get there? Why does our view of the sky change throughout the year? What holds the Universe together? Skywatch Live - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER The Adler’s view of downtown Chicago is magnificent, but the lights of the city make it a little tough to see the ones in the sky. What’s a stargazer to do? Join us for Skywatch Live! In this show, your live presenter will turn down the city lights and crank up the stars to show you the night sky over Chicago like you’ve never seen it before. You’ll learn how to navigate by starlight, get to know the stars behind your favorite constellations, and witness the incomprehensible vastness of the Universe without ever leaving your seat. Earth, Moon & Sun - WHAT YOU WILL LEARN With the help of Coyote, an amusing character adapted from Native American oral traditions, kids will laugh and learn as they explore the relationship between the Earth, Moon, and Sun. Coyote has lots of misconceptions about our world, the universe, and well… just about everything. Coyote’s humorous mistaken ideas about the universe help the audience understand how the Earth, Moon, and Sun work together as a great big system. Undiscovered Worlds - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Until very recently, the only planets known to us were the familiar worlds in orbit around our Sun. In the last two decades we have confirmed more than 1500 new planets, called exoplanets, orbiting other stars; thousands more are awaiting study. Undiscovered Worlds tells the tale surrounding this explosion of discovery and examines what will be required to determine which, if any, of these new exoplanets can support life. Welcome to the Universe - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER In Welcome to the Universe, you’ll get a clear picture of your place in this jaw-dropping cosmic landscape. With the guidance of a live presenter, you’ll explore the Pleiades star cluster, sail past the Andromeda galaxy, navigate the galaxies of the Coma Cluster, and discover hidden wonders of the Universe. One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Join Big Bird and Elmo on an unforgettable journey to the Moon and back! When Elmo’s friend Hu Hu Zhu stops by Sesame Street for a visit, he notices that Sesame Street is a little bit different from his home in China. But when he looks up at the sky, he feels right at home. Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu may live in different cities, but they share the same sky! Featured Exhibits: (Temporary) - What is a Planet? - What You’ll See And Do: Witness how astronomers and the media reacted to Pluto’s reclassification in 2006. Learn what the current definition of a planet is and hear what Adler Astronomers think of the current definition. Voice your opinion about Pluto alongside skeptics and space enthusiasts through an interactive voting poll in real time. Explore artifacts from the Adler collections that illustrate the ever-evolving definition of a planet. This temporary exhibition, which is included with general admission, will be open to the public from March 19, 2016 through January 8, 2017. Mission Moon - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Mission Moon invites you to experience America’s first steps into space through the eyes of NASA’s Captain James A. Lovell Jr. and his family. You’ll find out how the United States became the first nation to put a man on the Moon, what it’s really like to be an astronaut, and why it takes a team to explore uncharted worlds. Community Design Lab - In the Community Design Lab (CDL), you can test different materials to find out which ones will survive the journey to 100,000 feet above the Earth’s surface. Your discoveries may find their way into a future flight with Far Horizons, the Adler’s high-altitude ballooning program! If you could photograph an object in space, what would it be, and who would you share it with? In the CDL, you can build a DIY telescope-mount for your smartphone and become an instant astrophotographer! Test it out on one of our ’scopes and share your photos on social media. Our Solar System - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Our Solar System is much more than a star and eight planets; it is home to a set of diverse and amazing objects that we are only beginning to understand. Pilot your own adventure in Our Solar System and explore the variety of objects currently orbiting our Sun. The Universe - A Walk Through Space & Time - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Transport yourself to the distant corners of the cosmos and witness how the Universe evolved over 13.7 billion years, from the Big Bang to this morning’s sunrise. Follow the Universe from its meager beginnings and see how galaxies, stars, planets—and all the atoms in your body—were created as the Universe grew. Explore regions farther than our Solar System, billions of light-years from home. Zoom from one wondrous location in the Universe to another and investigate the most diverse and beautiful objects in deep space in ultra high resolution from the world’s most advanced telescopes. Planet Explorers - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Are you interested in going to space and exploring other planets? Prepare for your out-of-this-world adventure in Planet Explorers. Begin by exploring your home, your backyard, and the sky above. What you discover will prepare you for your mission to space and the mysterious Planet X. Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Astronomers have studied the cosmos for thousands of years, but until about 400 years ago, they did it without telescopes! In Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass, you’ll find extraordinary beauty and technology in some of the world’s most important telescopes and learn how these clever light-catching devices helped us discover our Universe. Clark Family Gallery WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER This futuristic, constantly changing environment features a one-of-a-kind architecture with vibrant lighting and video presentations. It was created using approximately 13,000 linear feet of aluminum tubing and 20,000 square yards of fabric. The gallery also has 125 LED lights, each capable of producing sixteen million different colors and over two billion different lighting combinations. Astronomy in Culture - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Go back in time and learn about some of the people and societies who have challenged themselves to understand our place in the Universe. This exhibition features spectacular astrolabes, armillary spheres, and sundials to illustrate the medieval European and Middle Eastern conception of the Universe. Visit our medieval classroom to find out how much different school was back then. Learn how to use early astronomy tools including astrolabes and sundials. Atwood Sphere - WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Experience the night sky over Chicago as it appeared in 1913 in the Atwood Sphere – Chicago’s oldest planetarium. Although the star positions have not changed since then, we can see only a small percentage of these stars in our current night sky due to light pollution. The sphere is seventeen feet in diameter and has 692 holes drilled through its metal surface. These holes allow light to enter and show the positions of the brightest stars in the night sky. Take a live guided tour of the Atwood Sphere and identify stars and the constellations they form.
Big Bus San Francisco - Night Tour (NOT A HOP-ON HOP-OFF) The one hour Panoramic Night Tour of San Francisco begins in Fisherman’s Wharf and explores the most scenic neighborhoods; as the sunsets and the city begins to sparkle. See the ornate City Hall and the San Francisco Symphony Hall. The tour then climbs up the historic Nob Hill for a stunning close up view of the magnificent Grace Cathedral. The tour makes its way across the grand Bay Bridge for picturesque views of the city skyline from Treasure Island, site of the 1939’s World Fair. Heading back into the city, the tour will continue along the Embarcadero to view the glittering lights on the Port of San Francisco.
Disneyland Park A magical kingdom is yours to discover Explore lush jungles Greet Princesses straight from a fairy-tale Navigate the seas with Pirates Rocket into a star-spangled sky Disneyland Park is the original Theme Park opened by Walt Disney himself in 1955 to much fanfare. Broadcast on live television in the United States, it was watched by over half that country's population. Since then successive generations from all over the world have visited "the Happiest Place on Earth" to make their dreams come true. With 8 richly themed lands there is much to see and do. Explore - Main Street U.S.A. Fantasyland Tomorrowland Frontierland Mickey's Toontown Adventureland Critter Country New Orleans Square Disney California Adventure Park Here in 7 imaginative lands Disney and Pixar Characters await your discovery. Fantastic tales become reality via spectacular entertainment, attractions and even themed dining. Visit - Buena Vista Street Cars Land Paradise Pier Grizzly Peak Pacific Wharf "a bug's land" Hollywood Land. Dazzling days are followed by enchanting evenings at Disney California Adventure Park - a fun-filled destination for children of all ages. Universal Studios® Hollywood This is the ultimate Hollywood movie experience! Our on-line prices vary by time of year and not all dates are always available, select date above for specific pricing. Skip the regular lines with the Universal Express™ Ticket: It includes One-Day General Admission, one-time express access to each ride and attraction and priority seating at select shows.* This ticket is very popular with guests, so pre-purchase to guarantee Universal Express™ privileges. *Does not apply to food and retail locations or non-seated shows. The Park Go behind the scenes on a real working movie studio Explore where Hollywood movies are made on the legendary Studio Tour Come face to face with King Kong 360 3-D created by Peter Jackson. It’s the world’s largest, most intense 3-D experience Experience our Special Effects Stage where you’ll learn the secrets behind the making of your favorite blockbuster movies Get into the Movies! Face the action head on in heart-pounding rides, shows and attractions that put you inside some of the world’s biggest movies. Attractions Overview Only Universal Studios lets you ride the movies and go behind the scenes of a real working movie studio. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ Now Open! Explore the mysteries of Hogwarts™ castle, visit the shops of Hogsmeade™, and sample fare from some of the wizarding world's best-known establishments. Plus experience Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™ and Flight of the Hippogriff™ that transport you into a world of magical thrills and excitement. The Walking Dead Attraction Coming to life July 4, enter the post-apocalyptic world of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” in an all-new year-round attraction. Studio Tour Go behind-the-scenes on the legendary Studio Tour to explore Hollywood’s most famous backlot in the world’s largest working movie studio. Fast & Furious – Supercharged Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the world-famous Studio Tour and hold on tight for the all-new grand finale, Fast & Furious – Supercharged! King Kong 360 3-D Don’t miss the award-winning King Kong 360 3-D created by Peter Jackson – The world’s largest 3-D experience, only on the Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour. Nighttime Studio Tour Experience Hollywood’s most famous Backlot like never before as you explore the magic of filmmaking by moonlight aboard the new Nighttime Studio Tour. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem Join Gru, his daughters and the mischievous Minions on a heartwarming and hilarious 3-D ride. Super Silly Fun Land Super Silly Fun Land is an all-new elaborate play zone adjacent to Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. Transformers™: The Ride-3D Transformers™: The Ride 3D is an immersive, next generation thrill ride that blurs the line between fiction and reality. The Simpsons Ride™ The Simpsons™ are visiting Krustyland and you are there right alongside Homer, Marge, Bart… Jurassic Park® — The Ride Come face-to-face with ‘living’ dinosaurs, a 50-foot T-Rex, and a treacherous drop straight down an 84-foot death-defying raft plunge. Revenge of the Mummy℠ – The Ride If you dare, face heart-pounding special effects and unexpected twists at every turn as you escape the Mummy’s revenge in life-like horror. WaterWorld® A Tidal Wave of Explosive Action Shrek 4-D™ Take adventure to the next dimension in Shrek 4-D™ — the attraction that puts you in the action with hair-raising, eye-popping, butt-busting effects so real, all your senses will be on ogre-time. Special Effects Show Don’t miss our enhanced Special Effects Show, where real Hollywood stuntmen and cutting-edge technology come together to recreate scenes from your favorite blockbuster movies! Universal’s Animal Actors Witness Tinseltown-trained critters putting pet tricks to shame with their animal antics! Characters in the Park Kids of all ages love meeting our characters. CityWalk Overview Universal CityWalk Hollywood is a Three-Block Entertainment, Dining and Shopping Promenade Where is LA’s best place for unexpected excitement? Universal CityWalk. Live music, movies, clubs, great food and always something new to discover. More than 30 places to eat, 3 hot nightclubs, 19 screen theater with state of the art IMAX® and more than 30 unique shops. It’s LA’s favorite place to play. Check out 5 Towers on Universal CityWalk, state-of-the-art concert venue. Experience a jaw-dropping explosion of over 5,000 LED lights and a sound system that will blow you away. CityWalk. Always Unexpected. CityWalk is located directly next to Universal Studios Hollywood. Buy On-line to Save Time & Money - Universal Studio tickets are $115.00 when purchased at the gate. Our on-line price is $174.99 - $233.99 (prices vary by day of the week, select date above for specific pricing)
Chicago Helicopter Nighttime Tour The City lights experience takes you on a magical night-time helicopter ride over Chicago. This tour is the ultimate way to take in Chicago's beauty. Your total helicopter experience with the pre-flight briefing and customer experience center will be about 1hr. Photography is allowed throughout the flight experience. Guest Pick up is available from Chicago downtown hotels for additional charge. All tours depart from and return to Chicago Helicopter Experience 2420 South Halsted Street Shedd Aquarium UNDERWATER BEAUTY – A SPECIAL EXHIBIT Our living world is full of wonder. Celebrate with us the unbelievable beauty living in our oceans, lakes and rivers in a new special exhibit at Shedd Aquarium: Underwater Beauty. Get a glimpse of the grandeur beneath the waves as 100 species from around the world come together in an evocative new space. What is beauty? Spark your curiosity as you see all the ways beauty moves and coexists. Watch sea jellies pulse, eels ribbon and a rainbow come alive with reef fishes. Feel the rhythms, embrace the colors and savor the patterns found only underwater. Experience a world worth celebrating – and saving. AMPHIBIANS! Get ready for a toadally ribbiting experience! Shedd’s new special exhibit, Amphibians, included with admission. In Amphibians, you’ll meet 40 species of frogs, salamanders and rarely seen caecilians. Learn how amphibians’ lives are full of change, from their life cycles to their adaptations to live in nearly every environment on Earth. Find out how too much change can spell trouble for amphibians — and how you can help them cope with big changes in our world today! Waters of the World Travel the world in 80 habitats. Dive into Oceans, from coastal kelp forests to the seafloor. Explore the self-contained ecosystems of Islands and Lakes. Visit Rivers—big and small—and learn more about our local waters in the new At Home on the Great Lakes exhibit. Meet hundreds of amazing animals, from tiny mantella frogsto a a giant octopus, from a Grand Cayman blue iguana to Nile knifefish, and from moon jellies to sea stars. We even have map turtles, in case you get lost. Caribbean Reef Take a 360-degree tour of an underwater reef community. Follow a green sea turtle. Peek at a moray eel in a rocky crevice. Watch regal rays glide by. Get eye-to-eye with parrot fish and sharks. Visit Caribbean Reef, Shedd’s award-winning 90,000-gallon circular habitat in the grand rotunda. Amazon Rising Take an exotic journey in the Amazon, home to one-third of all living things. Watch out for anacondas and piranhas, spiders, rays and a camouflaged caiman. In churning river channels, still lakes and even flooded treetops look for tetras, turtles and fruit-eating fish called tambaqui. See how the region’s animals, plants and people adapt to the water’s dramatic annual rise and fall. Abbott Oceanarium The Abbott Oceanarium immerses you in the vibrant coastal ecosystem of beluga whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, sea otters and sea lions. You’ll also find a host of fishes and invertebrates that make their homes where freshwater flows into the ocean or where tides turn seascapes to landscapes and back again each day. Use our self-guided map to discover how animals are linked to each other, their homes and you. Polar Play Zone Kids have a place at Shedd that they can call their own—Polar Play Zone. It’s cool as ice and twice as nice! The penguins think so, too. Play! Splash! Pretend! What would you like to be? A sleek sliding penguin? A deep-sea explorer? How about both? In Polar Play Zone, you can slip into a penguin suit and try being a bird in the Icy South play area. From there, head to the Icy North to explore the belugas’ Arctic waters in a kid-sized submarine. Don’t forget to shake hands—or is it arms?—with colorful sea stars in the touch pools. In Polar Play Zone, you’ll learn about polar opposites—big and small, fast and slow, shallow and deep, even north and south—while you play. The Oceanarium Aquatic Presentation is included however based on available seating and remaining show times at the time of guest arrival. (2018 Aquatic Presentation Schedule) Stingray Touch (seasonal experience) is included. Open late May through October. 4D Experience is not included however the 4D experience tickets may be purchased at the theatre for $3.00 per -person Pets are not allowed in the aquarium
Tour Highlights The 10 mile (16 km) tour route explores the eastern section of the 1017 acre (411 ha) park on winding trails and bike routes. The transformation starting in the 1870's of a bleak sand dune area in into the lush park you see today. The Music Concourse and Temple of Music The California Academy of Sciences and the deYoung Museum William Hammond Hill and John McLaren's vision for the park Stow Lake and Strawberry Hill Hidden sights including the Fly Casting Pools and Anglers Lodge The Bison Paddock The Model Yacht Club Equestrian Center and Stables The Dutch Windmill and Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Gardens plus Murphy Windmill The historic Beach Chalet Building and Murals Ocean Beach and Pacific Ovean views and many other hidden gems on our way to the beach! Rider Requirements: Rider must be 16 years or older and weigh under 290lbs (131 KG) No pregnant guests. Not recommended for some guests over age 70 or with mobility, motor control or recent surgeries. Under 18 with parents or guardian. NOTE: If you have never ridden a bike this may not be the activity for you. Riding a scooter requires side to side balance similar to riding a bike. The equipment recap and skills overview session provides riders with a quick overview of the scooter controls, knowledge, and experience needed to safely operate the Scooters. You will be guided through a low speed ride and an emergency stop to ensure a safe, enjoyable experience.
Adventure Cat:
For an hour and half, you'll be treated to fantastic views of Alcatraz Island, the city skyline, the Golden Gate bridge and the Pacific Ocean.
Recorded audio tour handsets are available for free upon request, 8 languages available (English, French, German, Spanish, Portrgese, Chinese, Italian, and Korean)
Things to Remember:
Bar and snacks available onboard, accepting cash and credit cards.
Arrive 30 minutes early to find parking and to locate us on Pier 39, Gate J, next to the sea lions.
Bring a jacket and wear soft-soled shoes.
No outside beverages may be brought on board.
Cancellations must be made 3 days before day of Cruise
California Academy of Sciences:
One general admission includes access to all museum and aquarium exhibits, including the rainforest, planetarium, and living roof. Admission to this popular Bay Area attraction includes a wide range of daily programmes and activities, including dive shows, penguin feedings, swamp talks and more. It's fun for the whole family!
The Academy is a single structure but contains multiple venues, including the aquarium, the planetarium, the natural history museum and the 4-story rainforest. In addition, there's a 3D theater, a lecture hall, a Naturalist Center, two restaurants, an adjacent garden and aviary, a roof terrace, and an Academy store. The building also houses the Academy science labs and administrative offices, including an extensive library and scientific archive consisting of more than 26 million specimens.
The Academy is now the largest public Platinum-rated building in the world, and also the world’s greenest museum. The Academy earned the platinum rating (highest rating possible) for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). This commitment to sustainability extends to all facets of the facility - from the bike racks and rechargeable vehicle stations outside the building to the radiant sub-floor heating inside the building to the energy-generating solar panels on top of the building!
