Weddingbee boards

I know in a lot of bigger cities, and maybe in small towns too, it can be really difficult to get in to the best daycare centers.  Many of them have waiting lists that are longer than pregnancy + maternity leave time.  A friend of mine who I work with is currently pregnant just had to hire a nanny for her first few months back to work because there won't be space available at the daycare they want to use.  Has anyone gone through the process of checking out daycare centers before you were pregnant?  Was a weird? Were they receptive to you?  Just wondering if any one else is thinking about this...