Visitor Reviews

This review submitted by Niels Johs. Legarth Iversen April 2001

The Seattle Aquarium is fairly laid back stylistically, bordering on unpretentious or even provisional. But inside it is also very well equipped, though without certain spectacular highlights like killer whales and dolphins. Generally the emphasis is on the temperate waters, and on ecology rather than taxinomy. The Aquarium is situated right at the harbourfront, and it has used this circumstance in its construction: there are several outdoors walkways with a fine view over the harbour (at last when it is dry weather, which is a rare occurrence in rainy Seattle). Some of the exhibits are not zoological at all, – at least when I visited the place some years ago there was a fine description of everything that happens between your posterior and the sea. Apart from that the emphasis is on the aquatic lifeforms in the temperate and arctic zones. There is one section with sea birds flying around in front of a cliff, and as you might expect from a major aquarium in this area there is also a fine exhibition with sea otters where you can watch them both from below and from above. There are seals and sea lions. And besides – I almost forgot – there are all those tanks with fish. At one point you can follow the salmon trail from the sea to the spawning place, and in another section you find yourself in an underwater dome with fish all around you. And afterwards you can visit nearby Pike's Market and EAT some of those fish.