The Field Museum is absolutely huge, and is situated right across from Soldier Field. This photo is of just the front entrance, leaving much of the size to the readers imagination. To give you an idea of just how incredibly big this place is, we were there for about 7 hours, and still did not see the entire museum.
This is the great hall just inside the entrance. Off in the distance on the other side are a couple of elephants, and Sue, the famous Tyrannosaurus Rex.
This is Sue from up close and personal. Isn't she a beauty? By clicking here you can read about the fantastic journey Sue took to get from her 65 million year resting place, to where she is perched today.
One of the first exhibits we viewed was the Charles Darwin exhibit. The exhibit takes the viewer on a journey through Darwin's life, starting with his love of zoology, his historic 5 year journey on the HMS Beagle, and of his Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection.
The exhibit also addressed the controversy that has persisted since this theory was first proposed. My own personal experience has been that those who refuse to accept Evolution, typically lack an understanding of what Evolution is, and are typically unaware of the evidence that backs it up. There are innumerable resources for those that are skeptical, like here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here, just to mention a few.
All in all, it was a fascinating journey, one that I highly recommend to anyone curious about the origins and diversity of life, and especially to those who remain skeptical.
An exciting highlight was coming across this exhibit of Lucy, a hominid that lived approximately 3.2 million years ago, unearthed in 1970 by a research group in Ethiopia. Having read about her years ago, I was fascinated with the opportunity to meet her in person (even if this one was only a replica), the real Lucy will be embarking on a controversial US Tour very soon.
Alex and Nick reacting to a giant spider in the Underground Adventure exhibit.
A whale skeleton, very cool, and very big.
Hmm, now I think I know what the ALF character from the TV series was modeled after.
The rest of the exhibits we looked at were of dinosaurs, and more dinosaurs. It just doesn't get any better than dinosaurs.
A great time was had by all, we hope to get back again soon.
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