Hi!
I just got back from Chicago and if you are ever visiting this great city, don't miss the Lincoln Park Zoo. It is free and you can see so many different types of animals it would take to long too list them all, but here are a few: I saw polar bears eating fish and swimming, seals splashing about, monkeys chasing each other, gorillas taking naps in hammocks and crocodiles (my favorite).
I also found an interesting place here in New York to visit on Tuesday. I went to Garrison (which is on the other side of the Hudson River) to the Audubon Society's walk through Constitution Marsh. Check out their website http://www.constitutionmarsh.org. We were able to walk along boardwalks through the marshes. You can even make a reservation to have a guide take you for a canoe ride.
Miss Jennifer