FL: Livin' La Vida Loca

You thought I was done with Florida posts. Me, too. But I found these, and how could I not include the big Seaquarium? That's where we learned of Bleu's love for Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca.


It was our second trip to Flipper's Miami home. The kids + I love all things zoo related, so we try to squeeze an animal outing into most of our vacations. BUT I think this particular aquarium has become too commercial. Basic admission for Tom, Buby and I was over $105, and it didn't deliver this time. Everywhere we turned park employees swarmed like paparazzi to take and sell photos. It wasn't subtle. I think Disney would've been cheaper and with more substance.


We had to be strategic with our time at the Seaquarium, since it was 92 degrees at 9:30 a.m. and the pavement was sizzling. We made it to four consecutive 20-minute shows: two dolphin, one killer whale, and a sea lion. Then we walked to the manatees, alligators, crocodiles, and underwater viewing areas. After, we sat on a bench with two big bowls of fruit.


If the wee ones look like they were splashed by ginormous whales, that's sweat. We were in the nosebleed section of each arena, because Buby completely dislikes being splashed. None of the aquariums allow strollers, which I totally get, but Bleu was in and out of buckles every three minutes. That was hard for her. We split up from the boys at one point so that Bleu and I could sit smack in the middle of the High Splash Zone. We desperately wanted salt aqua thrown on our faces. Alas, we left dry.


I'm thinking we would've been more impressed if My Sweets + I did not find so many unexpectedly awesome adventures on our own. We're not real amusement park people, though I was all pumped up for this trip to the Seaquarium. Once Buby decided he'd seen it all, we hightailed it out of there for lunch on Ocean Drive and a walk on the beach. I've heard Ft. Lauderdale has a good zoo. Anyone been?