Don’t miss the Monterey Bay Aquarium
I’ve had a little cloud of guilt hanging over my head. Every year when I visit California, we make a pilgrimage to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. And every year when I come back to Chile, I tell you how I’m going to share my California adventures, including my aquarium trip. But for whatever reason, while I post about San Francisco and little things like wedding receptions, I never quite get around to sharing the aquarium.
This may sound like it doesn’t matter. I’m sure you’ve all been to an aquarium. They tend to be filled with fish. Fish are boring, right?
Oh my god, no. Fish are freaking FASCINATING. Seriously, how do schools of fish do it? And I know turtles and sharks aren’t fish, per se, but just go with me on this one.
I especially love the Monterey Bay Aquarium in particular because it’s so local – they have a massive living kelp forest filled with creatures native to the California coast.
Know what else is native to the Monterey Bay? SEA OTTERS. Yes, the caps are necessary because we saw a sea otter feeding featuring a baby sea otter who was found abandoned in the wild and is being fostered at the aquarium. Hello, adorable baby, let me cuddle you.
Then of course, there’s all the other good stuff. The penguins are a perennial favorite, but this time the aquarium had puffins on display. I can’t remember why, but I was kind of obsessed with puffins as a child - I think a stuffed animal was involved - so this one got several squeals of glee.
More squeals may or may not have occurred by the bat ray touching pool. Please note just how far I’m leaning over the barrier to reach the ray who was trying to play it cool.
The main attraction at the Monterey Bay Aquarium has always been the jellies. They’re hypnotic as well as gorgeous.
Although I have to admit that for me, the sea horses may be surpassing the jellies as my favorite exhibit. They’re so cute!
I really don’t know if I can go the aquarium justice in words or even pictures. It’s just one of those places I love – sure, it’s overrun with kids, but at 5’9″, I can see over their heads. And the exhibits are well worth it. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a local focus, which keeps it from being any old aquarium in any old city, as well as having a huge emphasis on conservation and sustainability. In other words, it’s fabulous.
A special thanks to my friend Amanda not only for the photos – my fancy pants new camera wasn’t mine quite yet – but for being my date and joining me in every ooh and ahh.
Have you been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium? Or any aquarium? Do you think fish are as amazing as I apparently do?
More pictures of fish (yes, there are more) on the Emily in Chile Flickr page.
More in this series:
Off the Grid: food truck grub in San Francisco
How to visit the Ferry Building, San Francisco
Hi Emily,
I looooove aquariums. Love to see the schools of fish, the different colors, the corals, etc. It is just a magical place. But nothing beats looking at a river in the fall and seeing the upstreams salmons migration with bears and eagles roaming around…it is spectacular! Have you had the opportunity to see this? It is definitely worth it.
I haven’t, and that sounds absolutely incredible! Although I do not want bears roaming around if they might eat me, that would be my only concern.
Here’s one of the few times I’ll disagree with you. I was mighty disappointed by tht eMonterey Bay Aq
OK, don’t know what happened there…anyway, I was disappointed by Monterey after having the Cal Academy of Sciences just a few blocks from me in Golden Gate Park (and the world’s largest, the Georgia Aquarium, two hours down the road from my hometown). If you haven’t been to the Academy, it’s far more impressive. Put it on your to-do list for your next trip home!
Sacrilege! Ok, I will admit that I haven’t been to the Cal Academy of Sciences for YEARS, so I believe you that it’s pretty cool, even equally cool. BUT. Like I said, I dig the local focus on the MBA and feel like it makes it somewhere special with exhibits you wouldn’t find even at other major aquariums. Plus I of course recognize that this place is a part of my childhood, so it gets extra points for that.
I will take your advice though and hit up the Academy on my next trip!
They shut down the academy for a few years and redid the whole thing, reopening in 2008. The rainforests of the world annex is awesome and the Living Roof has dozens of species native to GG Park.
Ok, that does sound pretty amazing. I want to go!
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is my absolute favorite aquarium! It’s been a couple of years since I was there, so I was very excited to see your post/pictures. Such nice reminder of a very cool place
Yay, another fan!
I have not been to that particular aquarium but in general I do enjoy them…fish are kind of cool…it’s just the thought that it’s a whole different world existing without us knowing (or *really* knowing if you know what I mean) that makes me fascinated!
I totally agree, and I also think it’s crazy how I can think of “the ocean” as one homogeneous thing, but there are SO many different types of fish and other species because really, there are big differences.
I adore the Monterey Bay Aquarium – and I’m going to disagree Camels & Chocolate – there’s no way the Academy Sciences is better
I am going to have to check out the Academy in order to make an informed decision, but I’m glad you agree with me that the aquarium is awesome!
Your photos are gorgeous!! I love the aquarium – I’m not much of a snorkeler or ocean-going person but I still love to see all the underwater creatures.
I will tell Amanda you liked them! A couple are my dad’s actually – the only thing I can say is that I get no credit for this one
Who would want to “miss” such a place?
One can actually touch them eh?
No one in their right mind would want to miss it! And yes, you can touch the bat rays as well as sea stars, sea cucumbers and some other little creatures. I am the adult shoving 5 year olds out of the way to get to touch things
Awww I love the seahorses! They look so sweet.
They’re the cutest! I did not include the picture where my nose is practically glued to the glass and my mouth is going “oooooooh” over the tiny seahorses.
I don’t care if the aquarium has 3 exhibits, I’m going to love it! I’m such a huge fan of anything to do with marine life. Love your shots!!!
PS I’m totally digging your cream colored purse in that 1 shot. Who is the designer?
You would LOVE this place.
It’s from Topshop (UK) by marc b. Doesn’t look like that one’s on the marc b. website anymore, but they have some cute stuff at really reasonable prices!
I have always wanted a fish tank of just sea horses! They seem so mythical to me. Similar to unicorns. They just seem like they shouldn’t exist! The jellyfish at MBA are a sight too see though!
The sea dragons are even more amazing to me – I actually said “they look like real dragons!” before realizing that of course there are no real dragons. Oops.
I love the Monterrey Bay Aquarium!