
The Culture Sponges and I went to visit Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific on Sunday. We met at Hollywood and Highland, took the Red Line then the Blue Line to the the museum. Good times, great conversation, excellent fish. The most fun part was petting the little sharks, sting rays (stingers clipped), starfish, and sea cucumbers. Rays are surprisingly very soft. The Metro was crowded, and I felt like I was in NYC with all the dazed subway looks around me.
My new, mellow manta ray friend:
With a little garlic butter…

A garden of eels. They vertically rise out of the ground like this:
There are birds too. Look at this little show-off:

I would totally recommend this as a dating excursion for someone you’d like to have a nice long chat with on the Metro, as the trip takes about 50 minutes from L.A. Plus Long Beach is great to walk around; it’s like a better, laid-back version of L.A., a cross between Orange County and L.A. Museum admission is pricey but there are several ways to get discounts, including visiting a local library and showing your checkout receipt for 50% off, Triple A discounts, and Costco 20% off. Also check out all the different packages and tours with the museum. One includes admission to the museum and the Queen Mary. I’m definitely going back again! Thanks to Chris, Sponge Leader, for the great day!