So I try again

This is my second attempt to write this blog today, I was almost finished and my computer shut off. I was writing really well but I'm going to try again.

I was free on Tuesday so I slept in, checked out of my hotel at the last possible moment, left my truck in the parking lot and took a cab downtown with my i-pod and cameras to see what I could get myself into. My tour-guide of a cab driver took me by the post office, a little work had to be done, before dropping me off at the acclaimed Chattanooga Aquarium. He insisted that I check it out.

I purchased my tickets and grabbed a quick salad and coffee lunch before passing the extremely bored ticket-takers. I knew that watching a bunch of fish on an empty stomach would make me want to run to the sushi bar, again.

I started off with the "Ocean Journey" part of the tour, which only consisted of petting sting-rays and reading a bunch of info boards. It was really hard to read while LCD Soundsystem rocked out my eardrums, so I skipped the educational part and checked out the butterfly garden before moving on.

Next was the "River Journey" building which, also housed the jellyfish and sea-horses. The jellyfish were extremely hard to photograph due to the low-lights and their fast pace but I got a couple OK shots.



I could probably watch them swim around for hours, especially with my i-pod cranked up.

The sea-horses were also fun to watch; they are the cutest little creatures.



It took me a while to get a shot, they are very quick, but I'm really happy how the above photo turned out.

I also had an interesting photo-opportunity on an escalator. I swear it took me up four stories but it was hard to get pictures with both cameras during the ride.



The rest of the tour was what should have been a fresh fish educational experience but I was more interested in my music and my photo opportunities. I could have spent hours wandering around in full amusement.

Here are a few more aquarium pictures...





After the aquarium experience I grabbed a cup of coffee and found the small shopping district just across the river. I wandered through the hippy shops and galleries for a while without buying anything even though I found a couple cute non-hippy clothing stores that had many tempting articles. I impressed myself with my strength!

I wandered back across the river trying to absorb the small city and in search for dinner. Yet another salad but I substituted the coffee for a beer sampler at the local brew-pub. That was plenty of exploring in one day for me so it was another cab ride and on to the next hotel.