Nick, I assume you're talking about Vancouver BC.
It'll probably rain :-) It's been a beautiful, warm and dry summer but
that's sure to change by then. Bring light rain gear.
Vancouver Aquarium-- The first thing you'll come to is a large pool. If
you get there when they open, mist hangs in the cool morning air. It's
probably raining. Then WHOOOOOOSH! You'll see and hear a misty expulsion
of air and realize you're standing by an adult orca. It's sad to see that
magnificent animal confined, but its water is pumped in from nearby Georgia
Strait and it's in as natural of an exhibit as you can expect under the
circumstances. They also have a really nice exhibit of the marine fishes
of Georgia Strait, among other things.
Seattle-- Seattle Aquarium is okay and my guess you plan to see it. You
may get lucky and see some adult salmon return to their hatchery because
that's the right time of the year. You might also enjoy other things like
the Seattle Underground Tour in the historic district called Pioneer Square
(I've done it 3 times; great fun). All along the waterfront of Elliott Bay
are touristy places (that's where the aquarium is, too), and there's a
jewel of a store among them called Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. It sells
trinkets and souvenirs, but you can also see real shrunken heads, mummies,
freak animals and other oddities collected from around the world by a
contemporary of Robert Ripley of Ripley's Believe It or Not fame. It's
online at http://www.yeoldecuriosityshop.com. Burke Museum at the Univ of
WA in Seattle is a nice little natural history museum. There is also the
Seattle Art Museum, Museum of Flight, and others.
Victoria BC-- For the very best natural history museum in the area in my
opinion, you'll need to spend a day and take a ferry to Victoria on
Vancouver Island and see the Royal British Columbia Museum. I think you
may like Victoria, too, and it's small enough you can walk around the whole
downtown area and not need to take a car on the ferry.
Good restaurants and shopping are everywhere in downtown Seattle and
Vancouver (especially the Robson Street area). Hope that helps!
-- Jay DeLong Olympia, WA /----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes / Association" / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association / nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word / subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to / nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to / nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead. / For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org </x-flowed>