4 Hours at Atlantis, I mean, The Long Island Aquarium

If I was sans bébé, I could breeze through the Long Island Aquarium & Exhibition Center (formerly Atlantis Marine World) in about an hour. But with a well-rested toddler in a great mood and my cousin Colleen, a volunteer at the aquarium, as our guide we turned this visit into 4 hours of fun (including a lengthy lunch at the cafe when my aunt joined us). We could've extended the day by taking a 1.5 hour boat tour but the weather was a bit chilly and overcast so we skipped it.

We saw tropical fish, freshwater fish, anemones, coral, jellyfish, sharks, pirañas, sea horses, clams, crabs, starfish, sting rays, a cow fish (super cool), sea lions, a seal, penguins, butterflies, parrots and other birds, monkeys, bats, turtles, reptiles, lobsters, river otters, koi and....am I missing anything? Oh, and Savvy dug for fossils!

The day after our trip, I asked Savvy what she saw at the aquarium and she excitedly responded "Monkey!...Bat!"  Apparently, the non-marine animals stuck out in her mind but we saw plenty of fish too! The animals I marveled at the most were the sea horses and jellyfish. I freaked out a bit in the bird room when birds landed on my shoulders, but I made up for my anxious outbursts by having the courage to touch stingrays and pick up live starfish and sea snails. I try to be brave for the kiddo but even with my lead and encouragement she wouldn't touch a starfish and only touched the stingray fins one time. Maybe next time.

I snapped a bunch of photos but due to low light, many were blurry. Here is a bit of what Savvy, my mother and cousin saw: