Trip to the Birch Aquarium

As I mentioned in this morning's post, the P.O.D. (Plan Of the Day) was to pack Stephen up and venture down the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. We'd originally intended to leave early, around 9:30am, but we hit the road closer to 11am. Such is the lot of a family of sleepy (not to mention, hot) people.

Stephen took it all in good stride. In the past, he has been reluctant to allow us to strap him into his carseat. Not so today, as if he suspected that there was fun to be had. After a good nap, he (and his mother) were both quite chipper and ready for our expedition.

En route, we stopped by a local grocery store and picked up a case of bottled water (on sale), a pack of my favorite chewing gum (which my wife despises), and enough cash to admit us into the aquarium ($10 each, excluding the boy, who is still young enough to be free at most of these attractions).

We then hit the road, and Stephen promptly passed out after sucking loudly upon one of his firefly's wings for about fifteen minutes. I don't know what it is about old Freddie that the boy likes so much. The bright colors, perhaps, or the multitude of things he can do with it (it squeaks, crackles, rattles, you name it). Either way, it was money well-spent, in my opinion. Anything that keeps him occupied on long car rides until he konks out is good by me.

The drive was uneventful. We took the I-5 to La Jolla Village Drive. Traffic wasn't bad, with a small bit of slowing near Del Mar. That's to be expected, as I hear the horse races are on (something I don't bother to keep up with, since I am not rich enough to throw my money away on the ponies). I expected the parking to be tight and the aquarium to be correspondingly crowded, but it wasn't too bad at all.

Out of the car, we had to wake up the boy and fit him into his Snugglie. Mom wore him, kangaroo-like, in the pouch on her belly. He didn't seem to mind. With the weather as it was (a cool breeze blowing in off the water), we fitted his dangling feet with a pair of socks, and walked the short distance from the parked car to the aquarium itself.

Now, aquariums are not exactly places of intense excitement. There are very beautiful things swimming beneath the surfaces of our oceans, lakes, and rivers; there are also very scary things, and more than a few very silly-looking things in those waters, too. Marine life is fascinating to me, but I'm not the kind of guy to sit around and watch every chum-soaked hour of Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.

Still, I do enjoy going to the aquarium, partly for the exhibits, partly for the fish (like this yellow one), and partly because I like the fact that I can see these creatures close up without having to wear a wetsuit and an oxygen tank. I did a little snorkeling when I was younger, on a Hawaiian vacation with my folks, and I really enjoyed it. I may want to try my hand at SCUBA someday, but it will have to wait until I've got a few more dollars stashed away (which is hardly the case at the moment).

But I digress.

Once we'd toured the tanks (which, being the aquarium's main attraction, were swamped with other tourists who wanted to stand like stolid statues in front of the glass, as if no one else but them existed), looked at fish, crustacians, coral, an octopus, and the backs of several people's heads, we went outside to the tidal pool exhibit. There's an impressive view from this location, looking out to the Pacific, with the Scripps Pier jutting out into the water. Despite the haze, it was still quite beautiful.

We spent about an hour there, all-told, and Stephen was very good. He didn't fuss (much), only doing so when an exhibit began to bore him. He likes to look at things, and said things need to be at least somewhat exciting to capture his four-month old attention. Fish that move? Cool! Crabs that sit there and do nothing? Boring!

The camera's battery died on the way back to the car. It had served its purpose nobly, so I bore it no ill will. We hit the road, taking the I-5 south to the 52, and the 52 inland to the 805. We exited at Clairemont Mesa, and took a short detour to Game Empire (land of a thousand games!) so that I could indulge my curiosity, as well as to remind myself what "gamer funk" smells like (though I expect I'll once again become intimately familiar with it at Gen Con in August).

Since we were famished, we left Game Empire, headed north, and visited an out of the way sushi joint called "Japan House." They've got a great lunch deal: two types of rolls, soup, and salad, all for $8. Considering most rolls run about $5 apiece, this is a good deal even without the soup and salad. Sated, we hit the road once more, made our way to my mother's house (via Starbucks), and then came home after a brief family visit.

Stephen held up very well, with no real instances of fussiness, crankiness, or whining. He really enjoys going out, seeing new things, and meeting new people. He smiles a lot, and I can't help but notice a tightening in my chest whenever he smiles at me.

Fatherhood kicks ass.