A Day at the Aquarium

January 3, 2008 /

Maya at Monterey
Way back in March, Maya received gift certificates for the Monterey Bay Aquarium as a birthday gift. Between girl scout activities, school activities, trying to sell our house, trying to avoid crowds, etc., they have been sitting in a drawer since then. When we decided to take 2 weeks off from work for Christmas and New Years, we decided this would be a good time to make use of the tickets. And yesterday, finally, we did.

We started out late, as befits a family on vacation, and stopped for a late breakfast on the way. I’ll tell you, I’d move to Monterey in a minute. It’s so pretty there, and it has a low-key vibe going on that I find very attractive. That and the weather, and the cypress trees…nice.

The aquarium is a great one…really big, with world class exhibits. We’ve been several times before, but I think this was the best so far. When you go somewhere like that with a small child, it’s fun, but also tiring. The crowds are oppressive, because you have to watch your child every minute. They get tired quickly, so you have to plan your day accordingly. With an almost 12 year old, however, you just go, and when you all get tired and ready for a meal, you leave, go get lunch/dinner, and come back and look at more. Very cool. Speaking of the meal, if you have the money, go to The Fish Hopper, because though they’re a bit overpriced, what you’re paying for is the view, and as long as the sun is up, it’s a great one…we watched harbor seals playing in the bay, along with various birds, and watched the small waves. Beautiful.

My favorite tanks were the really big one (check out the live ‘kelp cam‘), with sharks and all kinds of other fish in it (we got there in time to see them feeding the sharks…they are fed by hand, by scuba divers…very cool), as well as birds that dive down into the water in search of scraps, and the jelly fish exhibits. There are quite a few different kinds of jellies, all displayed beautifully to enhance their colors and floatiness. They have groovy new age type music in the background, and the jellyfish just float around, doing their thing, looking like something from another planet.

Moon Jelly, more info here.

When we found the moon jelly exhibit, I realized that that is the kind of jellyfish that Maya and I rescued on Ocean Beach several years ago…we were walking on the beach one morning and came across the jellyfish blob, which was stranded because the tide had gone out and left it behind. We could see that it had a pulse, so it was still alive. Moon jellies don’t have long tentacles, so I’m not sure if they can sting or not, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out, so I was all for leaving it there to hope for the best. Maya was very upset by this idea, and convinced me to try to save it. So I found a plastic bag someone had left behind, and used it as kind of a pair of gloves, to pick up the jellyfish. Then I carried it carefully out to where the waves would come in…and we watched as it was swept back into the ocean by the next wave. Yay! A happy ending! Yesterday, watching the moon jellies floating around, brought me back to that happy day at the beach.

Py put together a little slideshow of our day, using pics from his beloved iPhone.  Check it out, here.  Thanks, Py and Maya, for a lovely day!

17 Comments

  • Maya's Granny

    January 3, 2008 at 12:53 pm

    I love the Monterey Aquarium, and could live in Monterey in a minute, for all the reasons you state.

    Did Maya remember saving the jelly? And, that reminds me of you and your concern for the snail with the cracked shell.

  • Autumn's Mom

    January 3, 2008 at 1:05 pm

    I would be so happy to live in Pacific Grove and have you living next door in Monterey! Need to get back to the aquarium. Jelly fish are always my favorite. and how cool you got there in time for a shark feeding. It’s fun to watch the scuba guy in the tank.

    Can’t wait to see you tonight!!!

  • Cherry

    January 3, 2008 at 1:43 pm

    That sounds like such an excellent day (especially since you went before the rains started!)

    I have yet to see the Jelly exhibit, and I’d love to go. The last time I went was so long ago that there was a coming soon sign instead… not nearly as satisfying!

    Oh and I’ve been to The Fish Hopper and we had a great dinner there and watched the sun set. It was quite lovely, pricey, but lovely!

    I’m glad you 3 had a good time!

  • josey

    January 4, 2008 at 7:53 am

    hey j 🙂 i’ve never been to CA *boohoo* but i’ve heard Monterey is the most beautiful city in the state. maybe one day i’ll make it there–i’ve yet to see the Pacific!!

    i’m so glad you mentioned maya’s age. i’ve only been reading your blog for a short time and i thought she was a toddler. LOL!! oopsie! 😉 (guess i need to read some archives. hehe.) and for the heck of it i just leafed thru your flickr pix. i laughed SO HARD at the letters you and she wrote back and forth…she was VERY determined that you were lying. SO FUNNY!!! so, really, she wasnt listening in the end cause all she was focused on was that you were wrong. haha!! kids!

    anyhoo, LOVE the aquarium show…i love the otter! (and the music. hehe!) the biggest aquarium i’ve been to is in Chicago (Shedd). i wonder if they are similar in size? that’s so awesome you guys saved a jellyfish! i would have been like maya. hehe. happy endings are good 🙂

  • Starshine

    January 4, 2008 at 1:47 pm

    We visited the Long Beach Acquarium about a year ago, and enjoyed it. My favorite pics were also the ones of the glowing jellyfish type creatures.

  • Karen MEG

    January 4, 2008 at 5:04 pm

    I love aquariums, almost as much as my kids do (and they LOVE them). Those were fantastic photos, what a lovely outing for the family! Maya, by the way, is just a gorgeous girl – love that shot of her!

  • Jimmy

    January 5, 2008 at 5:49 am

    Hi J
    I stopped by Py Korry’s slide show. That sure looked like a fun day to bring in the New Year.
    I would love to have “wall size” flat screen monitors in every room of the house with sea life and anything related to nature playing constantly!
    Maybe they will come up with a new reality show called “Pimp my Trailer”, and they will come do that for me?LOL!!!!

  • lalunas

    January 5, 2008 at 10:48 am

    Loved the slide show and that little jelly you help back in the ocean will forever remember your kind deed.
    That is a really good picture of Maya. glad you guys had fun…