Shannon+Thompson

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A Hidden Treasure Life takes us into many different directions as we grow older but one thing we can always enjoy no matter how old we get is the beauty of sea animals. The New England Aquarium is a place where many people in Boston can come and enjoy this beauty. The aquarium could be considered a utopia because many people can go and watch the beautiful fishes and can escape the boringness of everyday to day life. The outside of the building makes you think that it is not a aquarium but once you are inside you understand. Many different types of people come to this place to experience the majestic beauty of animals they have never seen before. The aquarium has 20,000 animals and 600 different species. The New England Aquarium was founded in 1969. The New England Aquarium located on the waterfront doesn’t fit the expectation of what an aquarium would look like. An aquarium should look like a building that is welcoming to the public. The New England Aquarium looks dull and boring. It doesn’t have anything outside that would make you think that there is anything exciting going on in the building. Standing outside before entering the aquarium I looked at the aquarium and thought to myself this isn’t an aquarium. There are many different shapes that make up the building. The rooftop is triangular, and the building itself it triangular. It is three shades of grey and the rooftop sparkles in the sun. It almost looks like there is a hint of granite in the top of it. While the rest of the building looks like it is made up of metal. The inside has a spiral walkway that goes up an entire wall tank. The walkway goes up so you can see different types of animals. It goes around a huge 50 feet aquarium that makes you feel like you are swimming with the fishes. There are lots of different types of animals in that tank. In the tank you can find five sharks, a bunch of different fishes, a moray eel, and huge sea turtles. When you go all the way to the top there is a staircase that can lead you to the opening of the tank where you can peer inside of the water without the glass to get another look inside the tank. They also have a large platform of many different types of penguins. While at the aquarium you can also experience whale watching and a harbor seal exhibit outside. The harbor seal exhibit is a place outside that you can go see seals without having to pay money. The exhibit is right behind the ticket counter which when you go around the booth you can see the seals. Whale watching is located next to the aquarium but you must go and take a boat out to sea to see all the whales. This place is made for many different types of people to come and experience animals they don’t get to see in everyday life. Each floor of the aquarium has different types of animals. The first level has jellyfish to the side of the entrance which if you didn’t know it was there you would be able to see it. When you first walk in you see penguins that have there own huge area with rocks and water, which is open. They also have different fishes, which are from different parts of the world. Leading to the outside you can go and visit more seals that have their own area to play in. The next floor also has different types of fishes but also has many animals from marshes. They also have many sea dragons and sea horses that you can look at. Another part of the level has a dark room, which has animals from way down deep in the ocean. The animals you find in this room have lights on them and you can only see them in the dark. The third level has birds that you would find on the beaches of Massachusetts that have become endangered. They also have a touch tank which you can go and touch sea stars and anemones. Many different types of people come here to experience everything it has to offer. While I was there I saw many families with little children walk around. There were also many people who were on dates. When the little kids came out of the aquarium they all seemed very happy. There is no way you can come out of an aquarium and not be happy. The aquarium serves as a place where people can go an experience life they wouldn’t ever be able to see if we didn’t have the aquarium. It can teach children about the ocean and why it is a good idea not to litter and treat your environment well. It also helps us appreciate the ocean world beyond which we have any control and help learn about all the animals in the ocean we don’t know about. Although many places have aquariums each aquarium is unique in its own way. They have different species and depending on where they are located they have different animals and can have animals right from their own ocean. Even though many people can go to an aquarium because they have they all over the US. The New England aquarium is unique because of the way its built and the way the floor plan is laid out. Aquariums can bring smiles to everyone and everyone can enjoy it. The aquarium will be around for a long time so I would recommend going and visiting it because the exhibits change all the time. Works Cited // About Us //. New England Aquarium, 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. . // New England Aquarium //. 17 Oct. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. .