We were recently visited by friends from Chicago, Dave and Beth, who came down on a time share deal. Although normally frightened by the prospect of the cult-like sales approach of the time-share companies, I was impressed with the one Dave signed up with. They did not consume a bunch of his time, gave him his freebies with no problems, and the room/suite is actually pretty rock on.
As tour guides for the visitors, we also benefited from his freebies. These included free admission to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. We were really amazed by the experience. The one drawback was the long walk from the tram station to the reef, which is located next to the south convention center. If we had taken the car, this would not have been a problem. The exhibit was well worth the walk though. I just like to complain about something or another...
I have always been a fan of aquariums, perhaps not as much as my brother, but still a fan. My personal favorite was the Seattle Aquarium and my brother is a Shedd Aquarium devotee. Perhaps we have our favorites picked for nostalgic reasons. I know my brother has been at the Shedd aquarium often enough for them to assume he is a staff member once or twice.
As tour guides for the visitors, we also benefited from his freebies. These included free admission to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. We were really amazed by the experience. The one drawback was the long walk from the tram station to the reef, which is located next to the south convention center. If we had taken the car, this would not have been a problem. The exhibit was well worth the walk though. I just like to complain about something or another...
I have always been a fan of aquariums, perhaps not as much as my brother, but still a fan. My personal favorite was the Seattle Aquarium and my brother is a Shedd Aquarium devotee. Perhaps we have our favorites picked for nostalgic reasons. I know my brother has been at the Shedd aquarium often enough for them to assume he is a staff member once or twice.
The first exhibit was the golden alligators – which were just amazing to see. If we did not know any better we would have assumed they were dead . They hold their breath for up to two hours at a time while waiting for prey. Beautiful skin on them, regardless of their sleepiness. Each exhibit after that was even more amazing – from giant Amazonian fish to moray eels in coral reefs.
Dave’s favorite exhibit was the sunken ship, which included 270 degree view all around – plus ceiling and floor glass. It made for an amazing view of the sawfish, sea turtles, and of course multiple species of shark. Amy’s favorite was the stingray tank. Inside the tank there were live stingrays that you could pet. The stingers had been dulled, and they were used to being touched. The guide at the stingray tank was very friendly and knowledgable. To answer the obvious question: soft and a little slimy.
The passport and earpiece prove to be wonderful supplements to the aquarium and are incredibly informative. It was nice to be able to identify each species of fish we were examining. The giant blue parrot fish had to by my favorite…
No comments:
Post a Comment