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For years, Charleston has talked about building an Aquarium, and finally one has been built.
I suppose it's something, at least, after nearly 20 years of hand-wringing on the subject. If you build...
For years, Charleston has talked about building an Aquarium, and finally one has been built.
I suppose it's something, at least, after nearly 20 years of hand-wringing on the subject. If you build it, they will come--or will they?
Admission to the aquarium is very expensive for the lack of exhibits there are.
Charleston has always been faced with the problem of struggling between being a small town and being a small town that tries to act bigger than it is. The Aquarium, in my opinion, is the biggest example of this.
There is so much aquatic life around the Charleston area that should be featured in this multi-million dollar paperweight, but isn't. Empty tanks, empty wings, empty rooms. Very disappointing to spend $11 a person to go in and find that even if you walk very, very slowly you'll have seen all of the exhibits in less than 40 minutes.
At least it's something.
Beware of the 'outdoor' area where the birds have free reign. They will try to eat the buttons off of your shirt and the earrings out of your ears. I overheard one kid telling his family that when his class went to the aquarium the week before, they fed that particular bird the erasers off of their pencils. I don't think that's a good thing.
And the people who man the 'touch tank' are very snotty and won't let adults touch the animals, only kids. So walk on your knees and pretend to be a child and perhaps that is the only way you'll be allowed to hold a horse-shoe crab.
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Every day as I rode from First Hill to downtown on the 10-12 bus, I would see the gradual construction of the Central Library. What started out as a vacant lot soon (actually, not soon....several...
Every day as I rode from First Hill to downtown on the 10-12 bus, I would see the gradual construction of the Central Library. What started out as a vacant lot soon (actually, not soon....several years later) turned into either the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, or an eyesore that should have never been built to begin with.
I'll leave the architectural adjectives up to you since everyone you come into contact with has a different opinion of the New Library.
I will say that regardless of whether or not you like it, it's VERY impressive and different as far as architecture goes. The inside is even better. I think most people go there to gee-gaw around rather than read books. Which is fine with me because it leaves more books for me to read.
If you go (and you should):
1) take the bus. You will NEVER. EVER. EVER find parking anywhere near the library
2) take your camera. Whether you love it or hate it, you will need to take pictures so you can share your delight or disgust with friends and family members
3) take a load off. Sit around. Look around. Look at the way it's laid out and how much this is both a peice of functional art as well as a public library
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I've had the (mis)fortune of taking this tour three times in the span of 2 years because of family members coming in from out of town.
I will tell you that the jokes they tell on your tour are the...
I've had the (mis)fortune of taking this tour three times in the span of 2 years because of family members coming in from out of town.
I will tell you that the jokes they tell on your tour are the same they told on my tour. They even pause for laughter.
All in all, the Seattle Underground Tour is really interesting the first time you go on it, slightly interesting the second time, and not quite as interesting the third time.
You start off getting a brief history of Seattle and how it was made, and they'll tell you about the toilets that overflowed because of the level of the sea. Then you get in a group of about 30 people and walk around Pioneer Square, into some old buildings and down into the "underground" of Seattle.
If you've ever walked around Pioneer Square and noticed the purple glass tiles in the sidewalk--those are light tiles for the underground, to let light come in!
The history is really fascinating, and it's odd to think that everything downtown used to be between 4-32 feet lower than it currently is.
You'll do alot of walking around in dark dusty areas on this tour, but it's not bad or clausterphobic. Wear your walking shoes and be prepared to laugh at not-so-good jokes. Bring a water bottle also because you may get dried out walking around in dusty basements.
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Seattle Center is what houses the Space Needle, Key Arena, Pacific Science Center, and a whole bunch of space and nothing much else.
There is an amusement park there, which makes it fun. IT's also...
Seattle Center is what houses the Space Needle, Key Arena, Pacific Science Center, and a whole bunch of space and nothing much else.
There is an amusement park there, which makes it fun. IT's also one of the 2 stops on the Monorail, which is a fun thing to ride.
There are a bunch of buildings that aren't ever used except when there are festivals or marches going on. If you go to Seattle Center on a tuesday, expect there to be nothing to do besides going to the Space Needle.
This is where Bite of Seattle is held, which is super fun.
There's a fountain that you can play in, too
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See, the thing about Seattle is that there are more cloudy days than sunny days. Especially September-July
So if you're going to the needle for the view, make sure it's a sunny day, otherwise...
See, the thing about Seattle is that there are more cloudy days than sunny days. Especially September-July
So if you're going to the needle for the view, make sure it's a sunny day, otherwise you're not even going to be able to see your hand in front of your face, much less the views across Elliott Bay.
The trip to the top is expensive as well. I believe around $12 - $15 a person. If you go during the clear days, the wait to get up to the needle will be around an hour, just standing in line......
I say skip the needle. Go a few blocks away to Kerry Park in Queen Anne (W. Highland Dr at 3rd Ave W.). This is the place where 99% of all pictures of Seattle are taken. You can see the space needle, downtown, the water, the islands....and for FREE!!
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I have to admit---the reason I became a customer of Admiral Vet Hospital is because of the logo in their yellow pages ad---a cat with a pirate's hat and an eye patch.
I suppose that once I called...
I have to admit---the reason I became a customer of Admiral Vet Hospital is because of the logo in their yellow pages ad---a cat with a pirate's hat and an eye patch.
I suppose that once I called them, I had even more reasons to be a customer. They were who I used when I had to get my cat shaved. They were humane and compassionate and had the lowest rates in town to do the job.
PLUS they did a super job of shaving my kitty, even leaving her a little poof on her tail so that she looked like a poodle!
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Upon moving to Yakima, we found Nob Hill Animal Clinic as the vets to take care of our cat, Penelope, who was suffering from Cancer.
Their staff is so nice and caring and they were just super not...
Upon moving to Yakima, we found Nob Hill Animal Clinic as the vets to take care of our cat, Penelope, who was suffering from Cancer.
Their staff is so nice and caring and they were just super not only as we dealt with the cancer itself, but also when it came time to have our cat humanely euthanized. They were very compassionate and sent a condolance card the week afterwards, which I thought was very thoughtful and nice.
Their prices are not expensive, which was a blessing because feline cancer can be very costly to treat. They were always willing to talk to us on the phone and dealt with our issues promptly and efficiently.
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I had bought a betta next door at one of the box-store Animal places. Within 4 hours it died.
Took it back the next day, got my money and headed down the street to Age of Aquariums.
HEALTHY...
I had bought a betta next door at one of the box-store Animal places. Within 4 hours it died.
Took it back the next day, got my money and headed down the street to Age of Aquariums.
HEALTHY FISH were to be found. Not half-dead floaters polluting the tanks. Oh no. And there wasn't the obligatory fish-store funk smell in the air, either.
The staff is very knowledgeable about fish and won't let you buy conflicting species. They question you to make sure you know what you're getting into if you buy a particularly difficult species, or whether your tank can hold that many fish if you happen to buy alot of fish at once.
Don't be fooled by the "all in one" gigantic pet stores. Go to smaller, locally owned ones and you'll not only get healthier fish (The fish I bought there lived for nearly 5 years), but you'll be supporting small business owners, who always need our help
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Dr. Romatowski is the best. He had the difficult job of telling us that our belove pet, Penlope, had cancer. He was kind and compassionate and willing to work with us regarding our hesitation to have...
Dr. Romatowski is the best. He had the difficult job of telling us that our belove pet, Penlope, had cancer. He was kind and compassionate and willing to work with us regarding our hesitation to have her euthanized right away.
His services are great, his staff is wonderful, and his prices can't be beat. Understanding that my husban and I weren't the richest people in the world, he offered many different affordable options for treatment and medication.
Their staff is very caring, and I wish I still lived in Seattle so that Dr. R. could continue to be our cat's vet.
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For me, one of the worst things about going antique shopping is coming across the PERFECT item, only to find that it's priced way out of your range.
Not so with the Fremont Antique Mall. Sure,...
For me, one of the worst things about going antique shopping is coming across the PERFECT item, only to find that it's priced way out of your range.
Not so with the Fremont Antique Mall. Sure, they've got some stuff that would cost me an entire year's salary...but they've also got plenty of things there that are cute and functional for anyone on even the most limited budget.
Go there, plan to get dusty, and see what they have. If you see something you like, snatch it up because it will most likely be gone the next time you stop by!
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