Apparently the boys enjoyed it since they didn't look away from the exhibits long enough to get good pictures of their faces. I like the silhouette shots of the them dreaming of life under the sea better, anyway.
Atticus enchanted by the Beluga whales...3 of them!
You walk through an acrylic tunnel where whale sharks swim right over you, inches away.
The tunnel leads to the 2nd largest viewing window in the world; 23 feet tall, 61 feet wide, and 2 FEET THICK! The viewing room is so large they have mini stadium seating. I couldn't fit the whole thing with my camera lens. Needless to say I was totally geeking out...How heavy is the acrylic window? How did they fuse the panels together? How did they transport it? How many pounds of pressure per square inch can it withstand? What would happen if it burst and 8.1 million gallons of water poured out? How could we evacuate the kids safely? And on and on.
The picture above perfectly captures the effect the place had on Atticus. With awe-induced schizophenia he was either stopped dead in his tracks or whirling off to the next exhibit. 
I wondered how Wyatt would react. The only thing he didn't like was the 4-D theatre... Otherwise he adored it.
The penguins loved him. One kept coming over to him and "touching" him through the glass then running away. He and Wyatt played tag and laughed together for minutes. Other patrons even took pictures of the exchange. (My pictures are on Mom's camera.)
It occurs to me I rarely take pictures of the whole family together. I'm drafting a mental sticky note to start.
In my defense, I was pretty distracted.
8 comments:
I loved all the pictures on this post! We went to the Denver aquarium back in March (it is the second post on my "giraffe" blog, check it out!) and Denver totally pales in comparison. But you and I can be nerds together, wondering about the mechanics of aquarium tunnels--I had the same questions!
Wow, I had no idea it was so cool and I had no idea you wanted to be a marine biologist... we are always learning about the ones we love!
That is so awesome!
Fabulous pictures! Tres cool, my fool! (My new favorite saying because nerdiness runs in our family.) The boys are so cute! Thanks so much for meeting me in Ocala today... it was so great to see my sistah and her kiddos! I miss those little guys. I am going to invent a Transformer in honor of Atticus. Better yet, I think I'll have Julie do it because she's much better at mechanics. (Me, I can't even figure out how to put the Transformer together out of the box.) Such cuties- I love them, and you! Let's meet up again soon. XOXO
it pains me that we weren't there. thou shalt covet not thy families vacation...
We went to the Monterey aquarium which had a pretty large viewing window too, but the room was so crowded that me and the stroller couldn't get anywhere near it. It also did NOT have beluga whales and whale sharks. They also had one of those neat-o tunnels in San Francisco, but not so big. I really, really like aquariums!
That looks soooooo cool! I am glad you were able to go. We have had family passes to the Monterey Aquarium. Every time we went it was very very very crowded. I love the tunnel and seeing the fish above you. No matter how tall people are you can get a great view. It is freaky when you think about the what if's!
The pictures are amazing enough...the reall thing must be breathtaking. You are definately not alone in wondering what would happen if the glass broke. I am sure many before, and many after you will ask the same questions. It is a little unnerving after all.
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