This afternoon, the Shedd Aquarium took a batch of reporters to try out its Beluga Encounter Habitat, and I was among the excited, wader-clad members of the media. The Beluga Encounter Habitat is exactly what it sounds like: a small pool where—for a couple hundred bucks—you can touch a whale. And my experience was, in a word, amazing. How it works: For about an hour before you enter the pool, one of the aquarium’s brilliant, friendly marine mammal trainers teaches you how to slowly step into the water and act calmly around the behemoth swimmers. Then, for a full half-hour, the trainer teaches you to play, pet, scratch the whale’s tongue (they love this!), and—funny enough—get spit on. And, let me tell you, whales have the cutest spit ever. They also have the demeanor of “aww, cute!”–evoking puppy dogs. For more about my amazing experience, pick up issue 231 (Jul 30–Aug 5). I’ll leave you with this detail: Whale skin feels like those plastic-covered slime toys you played with as a kid.

Beluga Encounter Habitat costs $200 and $175 for members (includes admission, a photo and a few extra goodies). Call 312-692-2730 to make a reservation at least three weeks in advance. Participants must be over 60 inches.