Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach

Spent a delightful monring at this aquarium, where an 88' replica of a blue whale hangs over the lobby. A friendly docent told us the whale's tongue alone can weigh 10,000 lbs! We saw bonnet head sharks, an olive ridley turtle nearly four feet long, swimming languidly by the glass, and sea apples, with red and green stripes. We learned sea apples are in the sea cucumber family. Many children were visiting and one of their favoirtes seemed to be the lionfish, which clearly looks like its namesake. For more on this terrific living museum, go to www.aquarium of the pacific.org.