The escalator at the National Aquarium from the roof-top Rain Forest deposits you before another stunning wonder. This is an ovular tank that is over 30 feet (three stories) tall without a seam to be seen. And if forms an elongated "donut" of sorts in which the guests are on the inside! The design evokes being on the Deck of a cruise ship, until you began your descent on a series of downward sloping gangways that lead you to the next level of deck which completely follows the contours of the tank. It's really one of the most amazing thinks you'll ever see.
This pattern of loop-decking and descending pathways repeats itself until you have had the opportunity to view the habitat from above and then at various levels all the way down. Inside of coral festooned rock formations and expanses of open sand-floored zones providing the hundreds of fish a large variety of natural places to live.
The one drawback? The acoustics. With all the plexi-glass and concrete the echo factor is immense. While I spent time there a group of middle schoolers were also all about. Their unregulated voices combined with those of a few frantic chaperones really impacted my experience. I can see how people with sensory impairments might find this part of the National Aquarium a frightful and intolerable space.
At one point, an African American boy (say 13) ran past me in the dark followed by his teacher/a parent. The adult was shouting, "Don't run off! Stay with your group! There are lots of people who want to kidnap boys like you!"
And I thought, "Seriously? Slow down, Hun, have another glass of Kool-Aide."
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