A Mom, a Blog, and the Life In-Between

Monday, February 11, 2008

Wherein We Succumb to the Lure of a Tourist Trap, Even Though We Are Not Tourists

We went to Miami Seaquarium yesterday.

This is very out of character for us, as we tend to view places like this as tourist traps that charge way too much money for what they offer, and/or as just another place to be annoyed by slow or obnoxious or annoying people, and/or as just too shiny and fake for us; so we basically leave it to others to enjoy but avoid it ourselves.

But given our son's love of animals, and given the fact that we adore our son and don't want to taint him with our bitterness, we decided to take advantage of the Miami Seaquarium's special offer and see if he would enjoy the park.

We had a lovely morning, but getting there was a nightmare. I'm still not sure why (there was no accident or special event), but traffic from both US 1 and S. Bayshore Drive (around the Science Museum)to the toll was horrifically backed-up. At 9 a.m. On a Sunday. It took us AN HOUR to reach the toll. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, it's a span of about six or seven blocks. AN HOUR.

What a clusterf**k. It totally soured my mood, especially since there was no reason for it, beyond the fact that at some point, it all whittles down to one lane. Seriously, the City of Miami needs to get their shit together on this one and do something about it.

Once we got past the toll, it was a breeze. We were still early enough to enjoy the park before it got too busy, so that cheered me up considerably.

I hadn't been to the Seaquarium in years. I can't even remember the last time I went, but I'm guessing it was prior to 1987. Walking in, I have to admit that I was totally delighted. The park had this totally retro and quaint feel towards it. It was a lot smaller and simpler than I remembered, but I personally loved that it wasn't all flashy and huge. Even the layout and landscaping looked like something out of 1975. Loved it!

I can't believe it, but it's true. It wasn't that bad.

We went right for the big dolphin tank, where Max was captivated by the "doll-fants". He would shriek with excitement whenever one swam by.

Then we went to the top floor of this tank, where the dolphins do their acrobatic show. Basically, everyone stands at the railing and they do simple tricks. Then they get all fancy with these incredible flips, which my son was quite impressed with.

And those fancy flips, of course, result in much splashing, which had Max squealing like crazy. I thought the kid was going to have some kind of attack. Not that you can tell by this picture. Just trust me on that.

All in all, we had a good time. We didn't catch all the shows (but we did catch two Nile crocodiles hissing and lunging at each other), so it'll be nice to take Max back to explore the rest of it.

And I'll save my bitterness for another tourist trap.

Labels: activities, family, miami, miami seaquarium

Posted by Tere @ 2/11/2008 | Permalink |

9 Comments

InTheFastLane posted at 2/11/2008 9:37 PM
You can see from his face that he LOVED it!

The Hen posted at 2/11/2008 10:01 PM
When I took Maria last winter -- after not being there in about three decades -- I had a blast...and loved smelling those wax mold animals/fish! Glad you had fun...Next: Parrot Jungle!

Rick posted at 2/11/2008 10:39 PM
Next stop Disney!!

.

Alex posted at 2/12/2008 1:21 AM
The reason why traffic was so backed up it's that there was the Autism Walk in Crandon Park, with thousands of attendees, and the cites of Miami and Key Biscayne completely dropped the ball by not having police direct traffic and suspending the tolls. It took me an hour from the I-95 exit to the tollbooth. The walk itself was delayed an hour and a half. It was unbelievable.

Claudia posted at 2/12/2008 1:56 PM
Thanks for telling us about the special offer. I think we'll check it out!

Lela posted at 2/13/2008 3:48 PM
We too avoid the tourist traps in our neck of the country. But it sounds like you had a good time!

NicFitKid posted at 2/17/2008 7:26 PM
They still have those wax mold dolphin making machines? With the hydraulic arms pressing the mold together for your viewing pleasure? Awesome.

Tere posted at 2/17/2008 7:29 PM
They do, and I can't believe we forgot to get one! Next time, since we have a pass to use all year long...

Joke posted at 2/19/2008 12:46 PM
Whenever I ponder these things, I take out the View Master instead, and see the Seaquarium during it's glory days.

And don't get me started on the Mongolian Goat F*ck that was the Autism Walk, it went beyond the traffic issue.

-J.