I like the tucked away adventures. Everyone knows the Bronx Zoo, Sea World, Disney, Grand Canyon… Those are the things people expect you to visit while you are visiting. Locals and I’veBeenTheres will add their two cents, “Oh! Ya gotta go see blahblahblah.” I perk up whenever I hear the word “aquarium.” Doesn’t take much to get me there. Doesn’t matter how big (or small) it is, I’m there. While visiting a friend in D.C. I heard of an aquarium in a basement. We went.
Such was the case in Long Beach and La Jolla. My aunt urged us to see Birch Aquarium & swore we wouldn’t be disappointed. We weren’t.
I admit we arrived a little late. 90 minutes before closing. I worried that wouldn’t be enough time & promised myself I wouldn’t spend too much time in from of the leafies…if they had them. A little background: Birch Aquarium has been around since 1905 and have chosen the butterfly fish as its endearing mascot. One side of the aquarium is dedicated to ever changing, ever thought provoking educational exhibits. When we went the showcase was how species hide (Can you spot the…?) and the tragic effects of global warming on coral reefs. Really devastating to see. The other half of the aquarium is dedicated to permanent displays like the Tide Pool Plaza, an area they allows the young (and young at heart, like me) to touch creatures. It was closed by the time we got there. Most spectacular (of course) is the great hall of fishes with the grand finale being a 70,000 gallon tank complete with kelp forest. It truly is beautiful.
One of the oddest displays was a tank with two eels, a pacific lobster and some kind of crab. I couldn’t tell the species of crab because it was dead. Dead! The eels were minding their own business, looking grim while the lobster…munched on the crab. It was in part fascinating because I had forgotten how complex nature could be, how violent – survival of the fittest and all that. But, here’s the other thing I couldn’t get out of my head: the display was eating the display! Woops. We stood and stared. Mesmerized by the lobster’s untiring efforts to break open the armor of the crab carcass.
Finally, it was closing time and Kisa and I reluctantly moved towards the exits. I bought a shirt to remember the experience. As we were getting in our car a woman stopped us, “Is this the aquarium?” she leaned out of her minivan to ask. “yes, but they are closing” I replied, “come back tomorrow because it’s worth every second.”
~*LunaSea*~ 
I think I had the name wrong on this one…but it has to be it! I remember sitting in the room with the HUGE tank and being lulled into another world while feeling them all circle and set their patterns. The most amazing was when they decided to throw the food into the tank when we were sitting there! The frenzy, but an odd sort of order as well. You know what I mean? I loved the simplicity of this Aquarium. We went there on one of our Anniversaries years ago. Went to HardRock and a few other places, antiques and exploring. Good times…The jellyfish no matter where I go always fascinate me. Once again, great pictures! 8) I have been waiting for this blog! 😉
No – it actually has two names- Some people were calling it Scripps and some, Birch. I think the Scripps part is the research part. Here’s what my receipt said, “Birch Aquarium, Scripps Institution of Oceanography.”
We missed the feeding (probably because we were there so late in the day), but it was absolutely beautiful to just sit there and enjoy the huge tank!
I love the jellies, too (ever see that commercial with the gecko talking to a jellyfish?)
Thanks for the compliment on the pics. Wish I had some formal training in photography…then I really could take some nice shots!