Katie didn’t have school today, so Julie took advantage of the opportunity and arranged a surprise “Daddy Daughter Day” at the Aquarium of the Pacific. I had only been once before, on a trip with Julie years before Katie was born. The aquarium has grown a lot since that time, and offers a full day experience.
“This way, daddy.”
Katie was bravely watching the water fountain with it came alive and sprayed water high on the walls. The resulting noise scared her and she came running.
There were so many tanks and so much to see. Katie however, wanted to spend the majority of her time doing the following…
and… 
Who needs fish when there are toys to browse through (“I like this, I like this, I love this”) and rocks to climb!? Eventually she warmed to the fish and really enjoyed looking and learning. But all day she wanted to go to back her rocks and climb!
Sea Dragons.
One of the big tanks in the main room. A few times each day a diver gets into the tank and interacts with the guests.
Once during the afternoon the blinds came down over the windows in the lobby and a video about whales was projected on various places. It was an unexpected use of space and came across pretty well.
Atlantic Puffins. These little guys were very active. Diving, swimming, splashing all over the place. Very fun to watch.
The Seahorses had a very colorful tank.
Katie really enjoyed the viewing tunnel, not only to look at the fish, but to walk along the display area.
She was fascinated by the Sea Turtle.
There are a number of large tanks at the Aquarium, along with traditional small tanks for the little fish.
If there was something to climb on, Katie was there.
By the time 1:00 came around, I had a tired, hungry two-year-old who didn’t want to sleep or eat. It was too soon to go home, so I thought we’d try the carousel and Ferris wheel at the Long Beach Pike across the street.
The carousel was old, and probably historic, but it was all the same to Katie. She loves carousels, so this really made her day!
Next up, the Ferris Wheel. We had to wait a bit as the same girl running the carousel ran the Ferris wheel. Most of the spaces at the Pike were for lease, and there was hardly any foot traffic on a Friday afternoon.
Stairs to climb.
Up we go!
The Queen Mary and Spruce Goose dome on the right, a Carnival cruise ship on the left.
The Aquarium is the blue building on the left with the wavy roof. In the distance is the Port of Long Beach and past that, San Pedro.
Katie wasn’t sure what to make of her ride. She held very still and had an unsure look on her face. This was certainly a new experience. We’ll see if she asks for rides on other Ferris wheels, or if we pass them hoping mom and dad did notice.
Back at the aquarium, we ventured outside to see the sea lions. What a pleasant surprise this was. We happened upon a show, and I thought it was just as impressive as anything seen at Sea World, even if it was on a smaller scale. Smaller = more intimate, and in this case the audience wins big!
The sea lions came unbelievably close to the side viewing area.
She looks ready to give a lecture or something.
One more trip through the tanks for a last look at the fish.
We were able to watch the diver in the main tank right before we left. Katie was quite impressed, and asked about him the rest of the weekend.
One more run outside before a very tired 2-year-old headed home.
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