| Oceans of Fun, for a Drop in the Bucket | |
| The Pittsburgh Aquarium | |
|
a shallow pond to the deep ocean floor, each drop of water and the life it holds whispers secrets from the birthplace of time." |
|
From the moment you pass through the doors to the 45,000 square
foot, two level Aquarium, you are in another world. You enter to
overlook an enormous tropical rainforest, with cascading waterfalls,
lush palm trees, Tamarin
monkeys, and native flora and fauna. The building's
undulating architecture is open and airy, and gives the effect of
walking through a giant wave. Brightly lit with huge glass windows,
skylights, and simulated daylight, the $16.8 million aquarium
recreates a diverse array of aquatic environments. The aquarium, unlike its darker and more sterile predecessor, is an experience, rather than an exhibit, which
draws you in and keeps you interested. All of the tanks are made
of clear acrylic and start down close to floor level so that children
can bump nose to nose with the fish and pretend, just for a moment,
that they are a part of the underwater playground. The signs
throughout the aquarium are clear, bright, and easy to read.
They contain primarily short fun facts, rather than dry, dusty
"encyclopedic" commentary. I saw many young children
reading the signs and then jumping up and down to tell Mommy that a Pacific
Rainbow trout swims out to sea and "turns into a Steelhead
salmon," or that a flashlight fish has little bacteria that makes
their eyes glow
and blink on and off like a flashlight! The building's exceptionally wide aisles accommodate wheelchairs and
strollers with ease, and its exhibits are definitely arranged with children in
mind. The entire building is colorful in keeping with the
aquarium look and feel. Even the bathrooms are graced with blue tiles
of angelfish and seahorses.
So open the doors to an underwater world where we are mere
visitors. Shaped like a giant wave, the aquarium building at the Pittsburgh
Zoo and Aquarium, leads both young and old on an educational
adventure that blends excitement, reflection, and just plain fun.
The grand opening celebration for the new aquarium was held on
Sunday, June 11, 2000 with entertainment, celebrity speakers, food,
and prizes. The entire zoo was decorated to celebrate the
momentous occasion. Colorful fish, created by local area
students, decorated every nook and cranny. Beautiful posters and
murals adorned walls and bathrooms, clay fish mobiles hung from the
trees, and hundreds of exotic paper fish peeped out at you from among
the shrubbery. What a wonderful welcome to the new Aquarium by
the children of Pittsburgh!
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