Despite the fact that I went to college in Boston, I only recently visited the New England Aquarium for the first time. As someone who has grown to really love ocean life over the past 2+ years of traveling and scuba diving, this was a treat.

I drove up to Boston to meet my cousin’s wife Julie and their little baby boy for lunch and then aquarium time. Special shout out to my cousin Elena who set up the whole playdate but then couldn’t come at the last minute — we missed you and Ev!

Heck, not only did I NOT visit the aquarium during college, I barely made it down to the waterfront. I was quite partial to the Emerson campus bubble. Too bad I missed out on views like this:

I met Julie and her little boy at the Chart House restaurant, a fancy place on the water. Great interior with partial views of the water.

Afterwards we hung out on this patch of green before going into the aquarium. It was a Boston summer day to be savored.

This little guy — nearly 5 weeks old at the time — was an angel all day.

Julie and I splurged on a sweet snack — dessert waffles from a food truck parked nearby. One with Oreos and raspberries, the other with caramel and bananas. YUM.

Alright, time for the aquarium!

There is an enormous center tank with all sorts of fish, sharks, sea turtles, and sting rays. A spiral walkway wraps around the tank so that it can be enjoyed at all levels. Rounding out the aquarium are mini tanks and exhibits on each floor. It’s an effective design for this space.

It’s penguin feeding time! One person passes out fish while another records which penguins have eaten to make sure everyone gets their meal.

Jellyfish! They are among my favorite undersea creatures.

This next photo was part of an exhibit where you can touch sea life — anemone, starfish, and small crabs like the one below.

I was wholly intrigued by this next species — sea dragons. The waters around Australia are home to the highest number of species in this family and there are active efforts to protect their environment.

To be honest, I previously thought this was a mythical creature like, you know, actual dragons. But here they are in the flesh (scales?) — meet one of maybe a dozen sea dragons in this exhibit:

There is one octopus on the top floor — as you might imagine, this guy or girl attracts a lot of attention. It was hard to photograph in low light but we came back later when the crowds were gone (after watching an IMAX movie about great white sharks) to get a few more shots.

Check out that eye! It was hard to get the focus right; this was the only good shot out of like 30 photos I snapped:

On to the main tank — it may not have had whale sharks like the aquarium in Japan, but it was pretty impressive nonetheless. Great variety of sea life on display.

Lunch time…

This sea turtle cruises by the tank glass, ready for his close-up:

See that girl with the clipboard below? She’s following the actions of the scuba diver in the tank, noting which animals are eating. The scuba diver must hand-feed special food to certain species (like sharks) so that’s why they have someone outside keeping track.

This little guy is totally into it. He loves watching light and colors flicker.

Watching the show from the comfort of his own bed-on-wheels… if only all of us could enjoy the aquarium like this!

He was SO good during the IMAX movie, in large part because mom Julie put him in a milk coma. She snapped these pics as we left the theater — so precious! I love him.

Also, the IMAX movie about great white sharks featured lots of footage from Gansbaai, South Africa — exactly where I went shark cage diving last year. I saw the dock we departed from, and even the exact boat that the company uses for the dive (called Apex Predator — coincidentally, that is also the name of an upcoming adventure novel by my cousin, author David Meyer). So cool to watch that action on an IMAX screen after seeing it in person.

After leaving the aquarium, I walked back to the Commons where I’d parked my car (why is parking in Boston so ridiculous?) and reminisced about my Emerson days. I happened upon an outdoor yoga class and stopped for a photo. Looking good, guys:

And then I enjoyed a lovely evening hanging out with my long-time friend Victoria and her boyfriend Brian. They were about to move from the apartment they’ve lived in for a long time so we took photos out front:

We grabbed dinner at a nearby Thai place and came back to catch this glorious sunset:

And then their friend and old roommate Alie came over and we watched two episodes of House of Cards while sprawled out on their giant sofa. And we ate cake! (Some of you might remember that Victoria hosts Boston Chocolate Tours, so any dessert served at her place meets a certain level of quality — it is, literally and figuratively, a treat to visit her.) I think I finally took off around midnight for the two-hour drive back to CT. This was a full and very special day in the city with some of my favorite people. Thanks, Boston, for welcoming me home and reminding me why you’re among the best of the best cities in the world.