Sometimes people don't like to travel alone, and I say to this, you just need to find something in each town or city, that you love and you will never feel alone because you will be with like-minded people and you will be in an environment that you love.
This is the case with the New York Aquarium..
For anyone who loves fish, animals, birds or other species..you will feel quite at home here in the NY Aquarium [which I will now call the NYA to make this shorter].
At the NYA , you will see that they have so many species of fish, including the 'electric eel''--indoors which gives an 'electricity' show every so often so many times a day. There are penguins in a very natural setting--they have their rocks,and their pool of water. A word to the wise, sometimes this exhibit has been known to be a bit fishy on the smelling side. So if you are weak at heart, stand back from this penguin section. I'm sure that during full tourist season perhaps it' is not as 'scented' as it is all year round.
**************FEATURES of the NYA**************
There is a small cafeteria, food is expensive, so when I go there I prefer to eat at NATHANS FAMOUS--it's outdoors, as you walk a few blocks from the aquarium .
************** There is a wondrous gift shop--also expensive . But you can find little things for under five dollars here such as pens and pencils and erasers that say NYA and touristy things on them. *******************
There is a very cool POOL, a huge pool that shelters the BELUGA whales...ahhh this is a really special feature of the NYA
************* Dolphin tircks and feedings. You can see the DOlphins for free but to see the 'show' [the one where these dolphins jump through hoops and play with balls and interact wtih the feeders, you need to buy a separate ticket indoors after you get insid e the aquarium. THE show is worth the money and the time , if you have more than one day to spend in NY.
If you are planning on this , call the aquarium ahead of time to confirm the show times, this way you will save yourself time and you can plan your trip better. At one time the shows used to be at 2 PM, but I'm not sure if that has changed.
******************************* THe seals and seal lions are a great attraction there in the NYA. THey have their own pool with natural rocks outdoors and you can watch the feeders for free. It's all included in the price of the ticket to the NYA.
******************TICKETS***************
Adult tickets are $11.00 and children's tickets are $7.00, SENIORS tickets [over 65 years of age] are $7.00. CHILDREN ages 2 to 12 years of age are $7.00 and children under two years of age are totally free when accompanied by an adult. **** ******Note, these prices are as of today, so if you visit a long time from now, you will need to re-check the prices. These prices have been 'steady' and stable for a number of years, so more than likely they will remain this way for a long while.
******WHAT IF IT's RAINING???*************
Have no fear. Us regulars go to the aquarium even when it's raining. There's so much to do indoors, so during the rain you can begin there. The eel show is indoors, and there's plenty of things --hands -on --for children to do, such as interactive exhibits indoors. There's even a space where children can stick their hands in the water at one point [ask about it while you are there]. You will see so much indoors, so don't worry about rain.
After the rain stops, go outdoors and catch all the wonderful outdoor feedings and exhibits. The raining time also is a great time to go to the gift shop --all indoors or the cafeteria --indoors. So the NYA is for all types of weather.
****************An added attraction************ As you exit the NYA, all you do is walk up the ramp and you arrive at the boardwalk and the beach. TWO trips in one...this is wonderful.
***********NOTE OF CAUTION for tourists*******
I'm a native New Yorker so I give you this cautionery advice which the tourist councils will not publicize too much if at all.
When walking on the boardwalk, keep your young children within arm's reach. Keep everyong safe. Know that the beach and the boardwalk is actually 'home' to some homeless people during the year, and they are still there duing the summer. Usually the police keep security good, but I suggest you keep your own eye on your children and guests. Stay together in groups.
AND< if you are visiting the aquarium alone.. follow these guidelines:
1. Use the NYA and feel totally safe, they have great security indoors, and the tickets are so expensive, that the 'trouble makers ' are not likely to pay the $11.00 and venture indoors. So, indoors and in the outdoors part of the property that is NYA --feel comfy and safe. Do not send children to the restrooms unattended. This is a NY rule, it's just the way we live, a precautionery measure. After all, this is the fourth largest city in America.
2. Do not walk the boardwalk at night or the beach at night--after dark ..alone. If you do that , it's my opinion that you are just asking for trouble. [One of the headlines in our local newspaper this year was "CONEY ISLAND, murder capital of the USA" . or something very close to that. but def ..the words MURDER CAPITAL were there. The article refers to the neighborhood surrounding the amusement area, surrounding coney island.
3. Do not approach the homeless and do not let the homeless in NY approach you. I don't care how sorry you feel for these unfortunate individuals, we have had news articles of homeless people 'slashing' people that they have approached. Be safe and stay safe. Steer clear of strangers. You are a tourist and no one has any business approaching you. I had guests here from another state once, and as my guests were waiting for fries at Nathans, four, not one, but four 'gang' members exited from a car service outside Nathans. Just be careful.
So, knowing all this you can now enjoy your holiday at the NYA and at the aquarium.
************STill visit here***************
All that gloom and doom is not meant to scare anyone or tell you not to come here. I go to Coney Island all the time, but I don't go alone at night. And, when I do go alone at night, I park right in front of Nathans, jump out get my fries and lock my car doors.
YOu can visit as long as you know where the danger is and you know how to avoid it.
For me, I'll be visiting Coney Island for as long as I live in NY , it's just that kind of place.
**********A note of encouragement************888
COney Island should be getting safer now that COney Island has it's own baseball stadium. I 've notices that it's getting cleaner and it appears that there is more security when the teams are playing there. So, enjoy, but be wise and keep your eyes open and your children near you.
*********Do you want a free tourguide? ******
Long before your trip to NYC, call or get in touch with the BIG APPLE greeters... These are volunteer people who will be glad to show you around the city. Get in touch with them at least a month or two ahead of time , ask for details. Last I heard this is a totally free service. And, it' sounds great. When you speak with your guide--ahead of time , tell them you want to see BROOKLYN, thats' where the NYA and the beach is located. Then make all your arrangements with the guide. I'm sure you will have a great time.
***********TRANSPORTATION******* If you don't bring a guide, do all your travel by bus or taxi. With a guide, this person will show you around on the trains--subway [which personally I never recommend to anyone.] But this is a personal choice.
FROM MANHATTAN: you can find the NYA by taking the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel (I-478) to the Brooklyn-Queens Expwy. (I-278) to the Belt Pkwy. east to Exit 7 (Ocean Pkwy). THen you can turn right onto Ocean Pkwy. and continue to Surf Ave. to the New York Aquarium. By public busses : You can get there or near there by the B63 or the B68 . No matter where you are coming from inside NY, you can use this special NYC Transit telephone number to get instructions by bus or by train. 718-330-1234.
THere is hardly any legal parking available there during tourist season -summers- But there is always available parking at the NYA , they have their very own expensive parking lot. Check their website for the price of parking. I think it's approximately eight dollars or so.
************* So...in summary**************
You can have a wonderful NY trip without even venturing into Manhattan, just
See the NYA , then go on the boardwalk, beach, and you can also get in a baseball game when the season starts, and this is all in one neighborhood.
****************** if there's anything else that I can think oF i will surely update this review.
