As a teenager and through my college years and beyond, I was a huge fan of the New England Aquarium. I've been a volunteer there on two occasions, my high school senior community service project, and for a while after I graduated from college.
But it has now been many years since I've been to the Aquarium. This past friday, I finally got to go back.
There have been a lot of big changes and improvements. Gone is the Discovery, the barge that housed the dolphin and sea lion shows. A new marine mammal facility is currently under construction. There is a new IMax theater, and a brand new outdoor (and free!) harbor seal enclosure.
We parked in Braintree, took the Red Line into Park Street Station, then switched to the Green Line and went one stop to Government Center. We walked over to Quincy Market, had a bite to eat, and then walked to the Aquarium, crossing the new Kennedy Greenway park, that sits on top of the now underground I-93, also known to Bostonians as the Big Dig. Here's a carousel in the park near Long Wharf.
Here is a view of the front of the Aquarium with the Whale Watch boat docked.
Turning around and looking west, there is the Custom House Tower and downtown Boston.
The Aquarium itself was very crowded on this day. Lots of school trips plus the usual crowds for a friday in the summer.
It's also fairly dark inside which makes photography challenging (there are also reflective glass tanks to work around). I did manage to get a few good shots of the animals.
Here is a little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor), the smallest penguin species.
Here's a cuttlefish! Isn't it cuddly-looking? :) It's not really a fish, of course. It's a mollusk, a relative of squid and octopi.
And despite its odd shape, this seahorse actually is a fish.
Seahorses are famous for the fact that the males incubate the eggs an a pouch and "give birth" to the young. Go dad! :)
We had a visitor in town for the weekend, and she had a really great time checking out the Aquarium and walking around downtown Boston. We'll be showing her around Cape Cod for the rest of the weekend.
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Comments: 8
The photos are good. I like the one of the carousel.
Showing her around, does that mean more pictures? Cool, I will have to watch my e-mail more closely the next week. Great share.
Great pictures! I used to live in South Boston and I remember the aquarium very well.
Sounds like a neat place, and your photos show that. Thanks.
Ooh, I bet it's a lot of fun there! Great photos.
thanks for sharing i remember visiting there several times when i was living there
it is a great place indeed
i really enjoy pictures like these - these are some really great ones - please post MORE!!