The Final Count Down (Part 1)

So I am moving…. Again. Before the sit was warm, I am already moving. I like Atlanta. No, I love Atlanta. Everything is great. The mountain, the city, the people, but not the traffic. I thought I found a place where I can take a good sit and chill… but no, life has to force me to be on the move again. So with only a few days before I had to flee, I decided to take the chance to visit a few spots where I’ve always wanted to visit.

Georgia Aquarium

I keep hearing about the aquarium. It’s has the biggest water tank in the world, a world class aquarium. The first time I saw the aquarium and it’s big “G” logo, I thought it was the HQ of the Golf channel… well, because the logo looked a like and CNN was right beside it, therefore the assumption. It was only later when I found out about this treasure in the city.



The ticket is probably the most I’ve paid for to get into a museum. $27! Oh well, it better be worth it! Walking into the aquarium, you will come to a central lobby where everything meets. It’s modern, contemporary, fancy and not a bit like a kids play ground, yet very approachable. Unlike most other zoos or aquariums that has a layout that forces the visitor to go by a certain route, the lobby is in the center of all of the exhibits along with cafeteria and the giftshop. So you are free to visit any of them at any order, and doesn’t have to get back in line if you wish to visit any one exhibit again! That’s nice. It’s a little confusing at first, but it is definitely much easier to navigate than most places.






Of course, I went to the exhibit that houses the biggest water tank first. It was a Wednesday, means there were a lot of school kids screaming and running around, and teachers yelling their lungs out to control these little crazy creatures. No wonder parents put kids on leash these days. Well, that’s a part of the package, and it was interesting to see the different reactions from different children. Some get all excited and jumped up and down. Some got really scared of the flying hammerhead and whale sharks. Some just lie on the floor for a nap.











So how was the biggest water tank?
Well, a few months ago a friend of mine posted a video of Okinawa aquarium’s water tank, the world’s second largest. It’s a stationary video with graceful music in the background to create a magical atmosphere, as if the viewer should be in awe with human’s awesome ability to bring such exotic deep sea creatures onto the land where everyone can see them.

Ok, so that’s reverse this a little. How about imagine deep on the ocean floor, there’s a huge glass cube with air inside and a bunch of naked humans running around. Will the whale sharks give a damn? Probably not.





So how was the water tank? It was pretty amazing, but that was it. Maybe I am just a freaking boring dude who can’t seem to appreciate the beauty of the water world. I simply cannot get pass the fact that I am still in a building looking at a man-made structure. If I really want to be awed, I’d learn to scopa-dive and go to the real deal.

That said, I still think the Georgia Aquarium is a top visit that everyone needs to do when they are in town.








( Reminds me of those indoor shrimp-fishing ponds in Taiwan where you can pay by the hour and your catch. They even have grills for you to grill your catch on the spot!)