I like to think I know a little about the fish/ecosystem here on the West Coast. That Pacific Sun Fish that they have is Out of this World. An awesome place. I think it is the Sea Otters that steal the show. Then you can look out from the deck onto the bay, and see them floating on their backs in the Kelp.

I'm taking my kids this weekend actually. We go once a year. It is a great acquarium - my favorite part being the jelly fish exhibit. They also have a lot of hands on stuff for the kids. And the website has some excellent information on which fish to consume for health and environmental reasons. And the restaraunt in the aquarium is probably the best in Cannery Row, for seafood anyway. Don't get sucked into eating at Bubba Gumps, which is a chain place that sells you frozen food even though the restaraunt is located right on the water.

I finally made it down to the Monterey Aquarium, and it was worth the trip. They do a really nice job of combining the educational aspect with the entertainment aspect. My favorites, by far, were the penguins. Having just seen March of the Penguins, I was truly happy for these little guys that they weren't sitting on a block of ice in -80 degree weather. Plus, they're just so funny looking. Hopping around on the rocks, bobbing up and down in the water, putting their beaks up against the glass to get a closer look at the tourists. Very cool animals. The big fish tank was also incredible. Enormous tuna, hammer head sharks, barracuda, and giant, bizarro sun fish (shaped like big cans with flippers), all swimming right up to the glass. When I was there, they had to take the sea turtles out, as they kept chewing on these ropes that had been put up to alert a new batch of tuna not swim into the glass. The jelly fish display was also very cool, with all softs of spectacularly colored and lit up jellies, set in a dark room, with techno music in the background. I was sorry to have missed the great white, which was recently released back into the wild after it started attacking other fish (go figure). They also have a kid's exhibit which my little nephew liked that lets them splash around, pet rays, and crawl through recreated coral reefs. It was sort of like McDonalds playland with a fish theme - but then again, I wasn't really the target audience. They did have a cool glass display that you walk under, and then a giant wave breaks over the top of you. It scared the crap out of my nephew briefly, but then he liked it. Anyway, if you're in SF and have some time, I strongly recommend taking the scenic drive down route one to check out this spectacular aquarium.