The Monterey Bay Aquarium

If I were going to live on the California coast, I think I'd choose Monterey as my place to stay.  I loved the bay, the gentle waves on the inland side of the bay, the kelp forests underwater, the sea otters continuously grazing the kelp beds for their favorite food (echinoderms), everything.  I wanted to rent kayaks and go see the otters up close and personal.  Once inside the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we had to do a whirlwind tour to make sure we could be back in time for dinner with Karen and Bing at a restaurant Bing picked out.  It was stunning anyways.
The most memorable part was when they fed the stingrays in the ray pool.  They allowed the aquarium patrons to grab bits of squid, hold their hand under the water, and feed it to the rays as they glided past.  Andrea got to feel a stingray suck a piece of squid right out of her hand.
Leaving the aquarium and grabbing a bite on the way back to the car, we rushed back to San Francisco along highway 101, cutting our return trip from four hours to three on the major road.  We had notified Bing that we'd be late, and he altered our reservations so we could still join him for dinner.

 Next: The Carnelian Room

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