Vancouver Aquarium @ MindSay 
I am interested in aquariums (tank) in their different manifestations. Here, made blog in which will write about all nuances of those connected with the aquariums. I will also place information about purchase aquarium and sale aquarium.
It is very important with the content of aquarium - these are different filters, light and illumination for the tank. Not to forget about the acrylic accessories for the aquarium. In the Internet it is possible to find the enormous selection of diverse acrylic accessories. There is one very interesting resource against Acrylic Aquarium. There is interesting photos of different Acrylic Aquarium and the detailed description in all. Generally, I recommend with selection and purchase of aquarium to focus attention on aquariums from the acryl (Texas state aquarium, Georgia aquarium, Vancouver aquarium).
For the sensation of complete accordion - it is necessary to study the internal design of aquarium. These are special stones for your aquarium. Also I advise to acquire diverse algae for the aquarium.
When your selection stopped at the aquarium of 50 gallons - this is your selection!
You will compulsorily purchase all necessary purifying agents of aquarium and care of it. Subsequently I will recommend all necessary means for this.
Also I plan to place information about the forms of aquarium.
Best of regards!
I figured I'd better post the details of my trip before I start forgetting them. Especially, since we forgot to bring a camera and then never bought a cheapie while we were there. We're not picture people. Anyhoo, back to the trip.
Thursday: We left Phoenix bright and early that morning and headed for Sky Harbor airport and caught our fast & efficient Southwest plane to Seattle. As we were flying into Seattle it looked exactly the same as the very first time I flew into the city, like it hadn't changed at all. The plane soon landed and we made our way through SeaTac airport to baggage claim and with every minute of waiting that feeling crept stronger and stronger into my belly, "Oh shit they lost our luggage." They hadn't, and we finally got it, and we quickly found our rental car and took off. We had a few hours before our friends were expecting us for dinner in Vancouver so we took a quick side trip into Seattle. I wanted to see my old house. We lived just outside of the city in a little community called Issaquah. I was floored by how much it had changed around there. Houses and stores and developments everywhere. I was a little sadden to see nature gone and "progress" in it's place. We finally found our former home and it seemed so small, but still very cute and very wet. We stopped by the shopping center that was close by to see if our favorite noodle shop was still there, but it had changed into a hamburger joint. Luckily, right next door someone had opened up a teriaki place and we had a wonderful lunch. The tradition of great food continues! Our bellies stuffed we jumped back into the car, and headed for Canada. Despite the storm we had to drive through, we made the border in good time and waited about 20 minutes to get through customs. We zipped right along and made it to New Westminster by late afternoon. New Westminster was the original settlement of what would become Vancouver, and in some places it really looked that old, but our hotel, The Inn at Westminster Quay, was very spiffy and right over the Fraser River, our view couldn't have been better. We unpacked, cleaned up and rested a bit and then off to see Captain Greg (he used to be a ferry boat captain) and Miss Marilyn for dinner at their adorable condo. Captain Greg currently spends his time painting and we arrived just as he had finished a new one. Captain Greg requested that Sarah name the painting, and so it was decided to name the painting Sunrise, go here to see it. The rest of the evening passed with good food & wine, great conversations and wonderful friendship. Unfortunately, we had to get going because Big Daddy had to take care of some business in the morning, I mean really, this trip wasn't going to pay for itself. So, back to the hotel and into bed.
Friday: Garrett had to get up way too early for his meeting, but at least Sarah and I didn't have to go. We slept in a bit, and while my little monkey slept, I made a cup of tea and sat out on the balcony enjoying the morning hustle and bustle of the river. Lots of escaped logs out there. Anyway, Sarah woke up and eventually she and I wandered out to forage for food. The Inn is located right next to the Quay Marketplace and though it's a slightly sad looking marketplace it did have a great bakery and Sarah and I enjoyed some cinnamon rolls for breakfast. With our hunger satiated, we wandered around looking for adventure while we waited for Garrett's morning meeting to end. Sarah discovered an old tug boat that had been converted into a play area for kids and all of her fanstasties of playing pirate came alive. Soon enough Garrett's business for the day was done, and we all went off toward Stanley Park where the Vancouver Aquarium is located. We took the SkyTrain there and it was loads of fun. That took up most of our day and by mid-afternoon we started making our way home. Garrett had planned for dinner at a local favorite Chinese restaurant, Sun Sui Wah, Capt. Greg, Marilyn and Garrett's business partner, and his wife, were meeting us there. The place was rockin; families seated at huge tables that were filled with plate after plate of scrumptious food, busboys and waiters running frantic, managers schmoozing with the guests, it was quite a scene. The wife of Garrett's business partner said she felt like she was back in Shanghai. Whenever someone ordered crab the waiters would catch a crab from the tanks and then bring the beast over to the table for inspection. These weren't tiny dungeness crabs, these were giant spider crabs and they were all very much alive. The waiters would place the crabs on the floor and the poor bastards would try to make a break for it. What a spectacle! The other delicacy of the house was their roasted squab, for the uninitiated, squab is basically pigeon. Yup, that's right, pigeon. We passed on these two specialities and had dishes of scallops, beef, chicken, pork and tofu. YUM YUM! After 3 hours (we weren't eating the entire time) we had to call it a night.
Saturday: The dawn was bright and early that morning. Blue sky dotted with white, bright fluffy cumulus clouds, and the air was freshly scented with that rain washed smell and it also had just a hint of pine and cedar as well, all indications that it was going to be a glorious day. After getting a good sleep in, we all bounced out of bed with boundless energy and got ready for the day. Our destination was Granville Island. In order to get there we had to take the SkyTrain as well as a bus. Now, I grew up in Chicago and I know trains and I know buses, in other words, I'm use to manuvering and handling a big city's public transportation system, but nothing and I mean nothing could have prepared me for Vancouver bus drivers. They are crazy! I'm totally serious, Chicago bus drivers have nothing on the Vancouver guys. Absolute loons, but they got us through traffic and in one piece, so they obviously know what they're doing. Anyhoo, back to Granville, I thought Pike Place Market was incredible, but Granville, a cluster of industrial buildings located on an isolated island under a bridge, renovated to house craftsman, artists and vendors was over-the-top amazing. Temptations for all your senses were everywhere; there were custom crafted jewelery, clothing, & art shops, the rich aroma of coffees and espressos lingered in the air, and to catch your eye the bright colors of fresh produce and flowers, and finally of course, the food. Food from just about every nation in every form, frying, simmering, roasting, baking and all appealing to your tummy. Once again, Capt. Greg and Marilyn joined us and we spent the day enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of Granville. A place as busy and crowded as Granville will of course have buskers, and toward the end of the day we decided to relax while taking in the talents of a flamenco dancer and the music of the spanish guitar player that accompanied her. This was probably the best day we had in Vancouver. Everything was so perfect, not even the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce could have put together a more wonderful day. We ended it with a tasty take-out dinner of sushi at Capt. Greg's house. That sushi was divine, huge pieces of salmon and tuna that just melted in your mouth, another YUM YUM dinner. Oh, what a way to end the day.
Sunday: Cold, cloudy, rainy and wonderful. It wasn't much of a day for a walkabout, so we decided to take a drive up to Whistler, a ski resort that's been disneyfied to death, but the drive up is gorgeous. The first part of the scenic drive hugs the coastline, and even though it was foggy and rainy, you could still enjoy the tranquilty of the harbor waters. Once we made our way inland our view was dominated with a forest of deep, dark green. Every square inch of land had a tree on it and they proudly soared to the sky, touching the low lying clouds with the tippy tops of their evergreen crowns. As for the town, it was cute, but very manufactured, and we didn't spend much time there. We drove back through the amazing scenery and headed back to Vancouver for another night of feasting with Capt. Greg, his son and Marilyn. It was Korean this time, bimbap and bonchon for everyone! Third night of YUM YUM! Our day of relaxation was over, and we made our way back to our hotel, with the mattresses that would transform my lower back into a knot of aches and pain by morning.
Monday: It was money day for Big Daddy, and he had to get up early and go schmooze some Icelanders into buying his hydrogen trucks, he planned on being gone all day and most of the night. So, Sarah and I were on our own. Now, how do you occupy a 4 year old in a city that you're not too familiar with? You take her to the local science center. I was praying that Vancouver ScienceWorld wouldn't be nearly as lame as the Phoenix Science Center and my prays were answered. We spent 6 hours there! Yeah, I'd say we got our money's worth. We closed the place out and headed home. One short SkyTrain trip later and we were back at the Quay, which by the way is pronouced "key", it's English or something. Having missed lunch due to Sarah's complete and absolute fascination at ScienceWorld we were both starving. I had had my fill of asian food and made a beeline for the Old Spaghetti Factory. That's right, carb city baby. After spending a day in a place filled with overindulged, bratty spawn of yuppies (hey, I'm one of them I can say that) I immediately ordered a glass of wine. The food was warm, tasty and filling and that's all that mattered. Sarah and I licked our last drop of spumoni and went back to the hotel, where she had a long, warm bath and I vegged out watching tv. Big Daddy didn't make it back to the room until midnight. Let's just say the Icelanders made good use of a Vancouver sports bar and partook of local fermented beverages and watched sports and a nationally televised Hooter's bathing suit competition. See, this is funny for me because Garrett doesn't drink, hates bars and doesn't keep up with sports. He does like hooters, in every shape, size and form but he didn't enjoy it so much when the "boys" got a little rowdy while watching the ladies parade across the tv. Regardless, business is business and you gotta do what you gotta do. The poor man made it home, poured himself into bed and we all woke up way too early to get ready to leave Vancouver.
Tuesday: Our time was up, we had to leave and no one was more sad than me. We left our lovely room with a view, but crappy beds, climbed back into the car and headed south. This time around our border wait was an hour, which I guess isn't bad considering the times we're in, and we made it back to Seattle just in time to catch our flight. Oh, I almost forgot, I saw William Hung the scourge of American Idol waiting in line at the airport. Of all the famous people I could see it had to be him. Oh well, you can't have everything, at least it wasn't Paris Hilton.
I know this was a long post and if you've made it this far then, "Thanks for reading." I hope I've conveyed even a smidge of how wonderful our trip was and if you ever have the chance of travelling to the Canadian Pacific Northwest then I urge you to make a stop in Vancouver. I'm sure the sights, smells and sounds will captivate you as they have me.
