Monterey, CA
It was raining and grey when I got up this morning so it was a great time to do some chores and planning for my next couple of weeks. Then it was off to Monterey to visit the aquarium there.
The Monterey Penisula is more developed and the traffic worse since my previous two visits. But the services and parking have improved, I think. There were a lot of expensive looking cars around, some parked with flashers on outside the shops along the main drag, a sure sign that someone who thinks they’re important was there. Speaking of important people and a sad part of Monterey’s history, John Denver died here in 1997 when his private plane crashed into Monterey Bay.
Many of the same restaurants I’d seen on last visits are still along the main street of Cannery Row near the aquarium such as Bubba Gumps, and the Sardine Factory, and there are the usual tourist shops all running along the waterfront. I had a quick soup/sandwich at Austino’s Patisserie really close to the Aquarium, having not stopped earlier for lunch and the aquarium was only open until 5pm. The Patisserie was quick and easy and hot soup hit the spot.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a little more expensive than I would have expected ($39 US vs Vancouver’s at $29 Cdn) especially since they don’t have large mammal exhibits which would presumably be more expensive to house and feed. The layout allows for rambling, rather than a linear visit, which allows you to go where your interests lead you or where there are smaller crowds. It’s a bit of a funny layout where you have to go up stairs or elevator and over to another building and down again to get to some of the exhibits. The exhibits are dynamic and there are all sorts of things that would be particularly interesting for kids such as touch pools, an ocean themed play area, and feeding times at various spots throughout the day.
Their focus is on education, conservation and science programs and their stated mission is to insprie conservation of the oceans. Of course they have Monterey Bay right out their back door where they collect some of their species and they intake water from the bay to keep everything fresh. One of the largest underwater canyons in the world, Monterey Canyon, begins in the center of Monterey Bay so there are great opportunities to study the deep ocean there.
After wandering around the aquarium and watching some of the programming for a couple of hours, it was suddenly 5 pm and closing time. On my way out, I stopped at a grocery store, Nob Hill Foods just up the hill from the aquarium to get some things. It was a fantastic store if you’re in need of a grocery store in that neck of the woods.
All in all a nice afternoon in Monterey.
Lois' Adventures 