Morning at the Aquarium

I had my second day of duty at the Aquarium this morning. I normally enjoy working out there, today, though, I could have done without. The day started with 37 bus loads of kids (well, I don't know that one for a fact, it's rumor - I do know that most, if not all, of RCHaynie elementary came through, several classes from Lyman Hall and I saw uniforms from other private schools and that was just downstairs..) deciding to tour the Aquarium. All of which had to pass through the tunnel (where I was) in a steady stream for 2 hours. Now, if you're familiar with the way soundwaves and such work, you'll understand that in a tunnel under water, there is NO WHERE for the sound to dissipate to. In fact, they will rebound and amplify themselves as a result. Now, add in 20-30 kids at a time, all of whom are VERY excited to see the animals. They weren't yelling, but they didn't have to. By the time I was done, I had something of a major headache. Kind of spoils my regular enjoyment of getting to stand and talk to visitors.

At any rate, there are a couple of changes you should be aware of. No HEELYs in the Aquarium. It's not an official rule, but kids will be asked to walk through instead of riding. This is becoming a lot more common everywhere I go. I can't say I mind, I really don't care for Heelys myself. I won't even let my kids have them. The last time I was at Disney world, they don't want you wearing them there either. I know the malls don't like them, and my local Publix has a sign up that they're not allowed. So it shouldn't be a big surprise that this rule (while unofficial) is being slowly implemented.

Also, no wheelchairs or strollers on the moving sidewalk. They're also discouraging people wearing flip-flops from the moving sidewalk as well. Safety hazard in one case I would presume and wear on the sidewalk itself in the other. Those are just my suppositions as to reason, though.

On a side note - the new Coca-Cola Museum is set to open late May. That's directly next door to the Aquarium, so that'll be a great draw. You also have the Children's Museum on the other side of the Coca-Cola Museum, Centennial Park across the street and the CNN Center is about a block away. Lots of fun in the area. You can (if you look around) even find reasonable parking fees.