Paul and I recently had a great weekend visiting with friends in Monterey California. Monterey is a pleasant 2 ½ hour drive from our home, but for some reason we have not spent much time there. A group of Paul’s friends from college decided we should have a little reunion (they had a band together during their younger days!), and our little group of eight couples chose to meet in this picturesque ocean side destination.
One of the extraordinary attractions in Monterey is the beautiful aquarium. I had always wanted to visit this distinctive place, built to highlight the unique environment of the California coast. I was very impressed! All of the displays and tanks were like works of art, complete with moving pieces – absolutely gorgeous. I LOVED the jellyfish exhibit – watching the graceful and beautiful creatures gave me a very calm and peaceful feeling. The colors were truly mesmerizing. The seahorse exhibit is amazing! It was like looking into an entirely different world filled with alien beings.
There was a new exhibit that highlighted the fight to preserve our fragile environment (very timely and moving considering the devastating oil spill in the Gulf). The highlight of this exhibit was the flamingos! We don’t see these unusual creatures much in California – we loved the pink! Just a little note – we were really inspired by some of the beautiful and unusual creatures (hint, hint) – just wait until you see the Spring 2011 Le Top collection!
We had a bonus that day as well – the Monterey Aquarium was hosting an exhibition that highlighted the sustainable seafood movement, educating people about the seafood that is most plentiful in our oceans and healthy as a food source. We learned a lot about seafood (one of my favorites) – did you know that squid is plentiful, available and delicious?!?! There were also local farms represented at the exhibition with samplings of cheese, vegetables and fruit – my husband Paul thought it was a buffet! There were also cooking demonstrations, including a demo from one of the chefs that was recently a finalist on Top Chef Masters television show – Rick Moonan. Great to get some cooking tips from a master!
We had a great day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a must see destination for adults and children! We finished off this fun day with a seafood dinner – and although I was thinking “fish are friends not food” – it was delicious!
To learn more about the Monterey Aquarium and our precious ocean environment sign up for their newsletters at http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/.
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