Wandering close to home

When I first moved here there were posters and signs everywhere of a cute little goldfish with the tag line "let Leonard in." There is even a website that you can check out in support of Leonard. It is a fun campaign for the recently renovated Seattle Aquarium. After seeing the cute posters everywhere I decided I wanted to go and check it out.

I wasn't expecting much. I grew up fairly close to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium and, at least to me, it is fairly impressive. Seattle Aquarium may not be as large, but it is fun. There is a huge tank just as you walk in that is filled with a number of different fish and has a volunteer standing next to it answering questions. Little kids were paying rapt attention as this woman explain in simple terms what each fish was and where it lived in nature. It was really sweet.


Just past that was a cool tunnel you could walk into and watch the jellyfish swirl around you. We stood there watching that for a while until we heard little kids shouting "WOW" and went to investigate. Right around the corner was a circular tank that was connected by a tube to a larger tank that held a rock reef. What had grabbed their attention was the octopus that was taking a walk from one tank to the other. Couldn't blame them for being impressed, it was really cool.


There were other fun exhibits including the very cool large clam that had neon blue strips. A cute one must have been designed with Finding Nemo in mind as it only had a "Dory," a "Marvin," and a "Nemo." There is also a tank that is built like an igloo that you can sit under and watch fish. One of the best was the otter tank. Not because it was any better than the others, but because they were adorable.


After exhausting the aquarium we we went for dessert (in lieu of dinner) at a cute local place called Dilettante. The truffle case alone is a very happy thought. The cappuccino gateau was just as great. Once we had gorged ourselves on chocolate we went in search of a book shop that no one we asked seem to have heard of. Wandering up Broadway I realized why people told me I lived in a great area. If the restaurants there are half as good as they smell I am going to go broke soon. All in all it was a great day and I can't wait to explore my own neighborhood soon.