The aquarium hasn’t changed much since our last visit several years ago, they still have that same whale hanging from the ceiling from the opening in 1998. Long Beach doesn’t compare to the one in Monterey though, which is so much bigger, and I have to say so much better. In our younger days we spent a lot of time in Monterey and a visit to the aquarium was always included. But we did enjoy this one that day but probably won’t go back. A lot of the exhibits were lacking ‘oomph’, not very exciting. Photos were hard to take because of so much glare on the glass also. It ruined a lot of my shots.
Along with the Queen Mary and the Carnival cruise line, housed in the old Spruce Goose building, Long Beach is definitely a tourist destination. The Queen Mary offers packages for stays before and after a cruise. We met many people doing that. The 2028 Olympics will probably bring a lot of tourists here to enjoy those things too, plus fill up all the hotels. We see evidence of the city fixing a lot of problems lately to make the city presentable, and that’s a good thing.
We loved the octopus exhibit.
but this little boy wanted no part of them.
Because they have no bones they can fit in tight places even a crevice the width of a quarter. They can change colors and textures and can spray the enemy with a cloudy substance to get away quickly. Very interesting creatures.
We spent a lot of time at the octopus tank. They kind of look like aliens, but are so fascinating to watch. We recently watched a Netflix series about oceans of the world. They cover 71% of the earth, making us the ‘Blue Planet’🌎 We learned so many things we didn’t know. It’s apparent that all the oceans of the world are in some real trouble now.
The jelly fish an are always amazing too.
and the sea nettles
There were a lot of informational signs around the aquarium to read about the oceans, the fish, and climate change and what we can do about it. California is a leader in that area, but it’s still happening. We won’t see it in our lifetime but California is losing its snowpack.
But we will always still have things to make us smile;
a smiling lemon
and a praying mantis makes me smile🙂because it looks like it’s smiling
Hope you all have a very merry Christmas 🎄
stay tuned
💗jilly
Once in awhile-now and again-this is us 