Aquari-Umm??

We took Cooper to the World Aquarium in downtown Dallas yesterday and well, it was an experience. We ponied up the nearly $40 for entrance (umm, anyone else think that's a little pricey for an hour's worth of fun?) in the hope of showing our little guy all the wonders of the rainforest and the deep sea. While we oohed and awwed like the other umpteen million parents eagerly pointing out wild creatures to their wee ones, our little guy was interested in other things.

His shoes.

Sure, he oogled the cascading trees in the forest area and banged the glass each time the black panther came within mere glass-blocked inches of his face, but for the most part he wanted in his stroller. Shoes in his mouth.

Well, at least we tried. =)

On a side note, though the hubby and I have lived in the Metroplex for about 8 years this was the first time we'd been to the aquarium together. What happened when we pulled into the parking lot would have made you think we'd just jumped off the tourist bus!

We got scammed. And we never even saw it coming.

We pulled into the parking lot across the street from the aquarium and were promptly greeted by the "attendant."

"That'll be $6 for parking," the guy said to Chris, tearing off a ticket and handing it to him to place on the dash.

I forked over $10.

"I have to run over to the next lot to get change. Hang tight and I'll be right back."

We pulled into a plum spot, got Coop loaded into the stroller and started making our way to the door, keeping an eye out for the "attendant."

He was no where in sight.

It wasn't until we saw the BIG FRIGGIN' SIGN that said: "Lot unattended. Please pay meter" that we knew we'd been had.

Thankfully we weren't the only ones who had "OBLIVIOUS" stamped on our foreheads, the guy had just scammed another family right after us.

Niiiiiice. Guess you could say we paid our dues to the wildlife both in AND out of the aquarium. =)