I haven’t been to the Seattle Aquarium since my adult children were, well, not adults. This probably isn’t unusual. We take our kids, they love it, they grow up, and we never go again. I recently discovered that was a mistake.
It occurred to me as I wandered around the new Ocean Pavilion with my grown up daughter last weekend that I’m not interested in learning to scuba dive, and a tropical snorkeling vacation is not in my foreseeable future. This aquarium is the closest I’ll get in real life to coral reefs and the gorgeous sea life they sustain.
With that perspective, it was easy to experience my visit with something close to the awe and delight of a child. There aren’t many times and places in this world where that’s possible, so I made the most of it.
Outside the entrance to the Ocean Pavilion. Look up.Photo byPhoto by author
If you look up at the entrance, before you go in, you’ll see a public viewing bubble with fish and rays swimming by. It’s a good preview of the wonders within.
The highlight of the new pavilion is the enormous Reef, where you can watch spotted eagle rays, sharks, and schools of fish from multiple levels and viewpoints. There are ledges where you can sit with your face next to the glass and get lost in the aquatic world. Materials engineering has come a long way since the concrete gridded dome of the original aquarium was built, and the viewing windows are modern marvels.