After some National Aquarium portraits, we dined on sushi, funnily enough.
Even though 70% of Earth is covered by water, I forget about oceans and seas sometimes. I don’t actively think about them. I forget that the Chesapeake Bay is a quick walk away from our home in Baltimore. And I forget that when it’s hot out, the salty air blows across the city, weaving between alleys towards our house. And when it’s cold, sometimes, I forget about exploration altogether. So this trip to the National Aquarium was needed.
Tiny fingertip marks and small handprints on the glass containing sharks, fish, and eels line the walls of the aquarium. A trail of smudged face prints lead you through a museum of live animals suspended in water, illuminated by yellow and green lights hidden behind plants. Bits of paper printed with the highlights of one creature’s entire existance are partially read or ignored altogether. Clever titles of exhibits direct the shuffling aquarium goers from one part of the building to the next.
My very favorite part (aside from the fact that we cold heartedly craved sushi halfway through our visit) was seeing Sam light up when we walked into the jellyfish exhibit. The room pulsed a blue glow and tiny circular windows allowed us to look into the dark home of animals that I love and don’t understand. I should’ve taken a science class other than Chemistry in college. Would I know more about jellyfish then? Would I have been interested reading about them in books if I hadn’t seen them swimming? I can’t remember the last time I swam, even and I wonder if they remember ever leaving the water.
I loved it. All of it. Children getting excited to see alligators, parents searching for animals hiding or camouflaged to point out to their small parties. I even loved the aquatic themed stores and restaurants lining the inner harbor. Baltimore, stay full of surprises and I’ll keep remembering to explore you.
