Navy Pier, Chicago, IL

$22 for parking on a weekend. Repeat: $22 for parking on a weekend. I have probably paid half of that for parking in all of the last 7 months that I have been driving in the US!

Was it worth it? Contrary to my expectations, it may have been. Here is what we saw and did at Navy Pier (all this in addition to all the stuff you see at your average big city mall): we witnessed a clown playing electric guitar on a stage, strolled through a huge 100-exhibit Stained glass museum, walked around in the dreamlandish Winterfest, built a sweet little boxer at Build-a-Bear workshop (ahem...another $22) and walked through the rainforest-like deck onto the Ferris wheel and the dock for cruise ships.

A great day. 22 bucks is still too steep. You wouldn't know it by the crowds though and that, I guess, makes it justified.