A couple weeks ago I spent the day with my nephew, Rulon. It feels like only yesterday that I was snuggling with this little guy. Wow, how the time flies! Continuing the tradition of taking out my nephews and niece for their own special day, Rulon got to choose anywhere in the Bay area he wanted to go. He chose the Aquarium of the Bay at Pier 39 in San Francisco.
We left in the morning and drove into the city, parking across from the pier. Rulon loved the sky walkway connecting the parking garage to Pier 39. Outside of the aquarium we found plants that had been shaped into sea animals. I wish you could have seen his face when he realized the plant was actually an octopus...priceless!
The Aquarium is located at the entrance of Pier 39. They give all the children crowns as they enter. It was pretty cute to see little Rulon have to readjust his crown over and over again to fit on his head. Rulon is at such a fun age, going into second grade. He is so curious about everything and wanted to read each sign and display description he could find...of course this is a teacher's dream!
The main portion of the Aquarium is on the basement level. As you exit the elevator you go through a room filled with all sorts of jelly fish. Rulon and I both loved watching the moon jelly fish right in the middle of the room. Another display was dedicated to bring awareness to the pollution problem in the ocean. I loved Rulon's expression as we passed by...
The basement level contained two large tanks with flat escalators that tunneled through the center so you could see fish all around. It was pretty amazing to see the size of all the different fish. All along the tunnel there were signs with facts about different sea animals to look for. We spent forever finding each one and naming them silly names. I also loved the star fish that had settled along the windows of the tunnel.
The second tank contained all of the sharks and rays...thus the scared crazy face Rulon was showing off. His favorite were the leopard sharks.
The second half of the Aquarium takes you back up to the upper level where you have the chance to pet bay rays and explore tide pools. It's connected with a hands-on exploration for kids where they get the chance to solve different puzzles and learn how to observe animals through a microscope. Rulon was in heaven with all the different puzzles. He is such a smart kid and watching his face light up when he learned or discovered something new was incredible!
The last exhibit showed the drastic need for change with the taking care of our oceans. Rulon had so many questions and couldn't believe the amount of garbage left behind by people. It was amazing to see him so concerned and wanting to take care of the world around him. I even caught him picking up trash along the pier later in the day. What a great kid!
I try to get something small for each of the nephews and nieces on our outings, so they have a momento of our trip together. Rulon spent a half hour in the gift shop trying to decide. While rummaging at the bottom of a big container of stuffed animals, I heard him squeal as he pulled out a fluffy penguin. I'm not quite sure what was so special about this penguin, especially since it looked like so many of the others he had sifted through, but he immediately fell in love and named it Oreo. We also ended up getting him a sweatshirt since the wind picked up and made it a little chilly along the waterfront. Of course he picked out a shark sweatshirt!
Next we decided to explore the pier. There is ALWAYS something fun going on at Pier 39, whether it's magic shows, crazy street performers, or watching the sea lions, there is always something to do. We ended up making our way to the carousel where Rulon chose his favorite sea dragon to ride on. I opted out, due to the excuse of needing to vomit afterwards...carousels do not agree with me!
While exploring the pier I made the silly mistake of telling Rulon he could choose anywhere to eat for lunch. I gave him lots of different options: Bubba Gumps, Wipe Out Grill, Hard Rock Cafe, etc...he chose the local hot dog stand. Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE hot dogs...unless severely charred over the fire while camping, so you know how much I must love this boy! I even let him pour the condiments on. He was one happy boy and couldn't believe that he got to make all the decisions.
I sure do love my little Rulon. To say that I am blessed to be his aunt would be an understatement. I am so grateful that I get to live near him and his family and spend so much time with them. I absolutely LOVE this tradition of having one on one dates with each of them and am already looking forward to our next outing.
I love you, Rulon!
Thanks for being willing to hang out with your crazy aunt Kirsten!
He is blessed to have you as an aunt! You are soooo fun! I want you to be my aunt! Wait - that would be weird...
ReplyDeleteI loved our visit here, too...it looks like he likes it as well.
ReplyDeleteYou are such a good aunt.