Has anyone been to this aquarium in L.A.? If so, would You recommend it? Aquarium of the Pacific And in terms of recommendations: is the NHM of LA worth a visit?
I've been to the aquarium before, and it's a nice aquarium in my opinion. I've never been to the top three aquariums (Monterey Bay, Shedd, and Georgia) in North America so I don't know how it compares to them. I do recommend it, but keep in mind that the aquarium only displays animals from the Pacific ocean. And if someone is going, right now they have a special where you could buy a ticket for both the LA zoo and the aquarium for only $24 dollars. I haven't been to the museum since I was in 5th grade, so I don't remember that much about it. All I remeber is that they have some nice animal and dinosaur displays, specially the rainforest area.
@mstickmanp: thanks for the reply. I wouldn't mind the focus on pacific fauna, on the contrary. However, I only have limited spare time at my disposal during my stay in LA, so I want to choose carefully. So far, the George C. Page Museum is top of my list, and I'm unsure whether a visit of the NHM on the same day would be useful or whether I should rather go for the Getty Museum - or the Aquarium. Additionally, I'm pretty sure I won't have a car, which narrows my mobility down to cabs and the local public transport system. Any suggestions? About the combi tickets: thanks, but I think I will see plenty of the zoo for free...
I tried to reach the Natural History Museum by bus six years ago. I ask the busdriver for the best stop to the museum, but he said to me, not to go to this place by bus, because the museum is in an unsafe area, and nobody uses in LA the bus, to get there, because its to dangerous... I've visted the Aquarium twice in 2002 and 2005, and it is one of the best aquariums I've seen, so I can recommend you you, to visit it.
@Sun Wukong: I recomend you to go to the aquarium instead of the Getty museum. For me, the getty museum was kind of boring and had nothing special to it, other than the desert garden they had. The aquarium is only 10 years old, so it's rather new. If you go to the aquarium make sure you go early in the morning, because people start showing up at around noon and it could get kind of crowded. Also, the aquarium is not that big so it should take you 2-3 hours to complete it, depending on how long you stay in the lorikeet forest and in the shark lagoon. The NHM area is kind of ugly, because a lot of the LA lower class lives by there. It's kind of weird because the LA colosium is there, as well as the science center and other museums. I wouldn't recomend the bus by that area and I don't know about taxis. Funny that in all the time that I've lived in LA (10 years) I've never used the bus or taxi. I've never been to the tar pits, but I've heard it's a nice place to chill. This place shouldn't take you a lot of time to see.
Thanks all for the advices so far. I'm pretty sure that even a very early arrival at the aquarium won't prevent me from the herds of noisy children this institution seems to be notorious for-especially as my only spare day is a Saturday... Nevertheless, I will try to head to the aquarium in the morning, then get a cab to the La Brea Tar Pits (= George C. Page Museum) and maybe from there to a late-evening-/night-visit of the Gatty Museum. I can see the LA cab drivers already grinning in anticipation of the money they'll squeeze out of me on that day... Any other attractions of LA worth visiting & open after 5 p.m.?
How about the Griffith Park Observatory, they close at 10 pm. If you want, there is more info on LA attractions on this website: Los Angeles Attractions and Tours
I'm not sure, in their website they say they are like 1600 above sea level, so maybe they could. They also have like a show in their planetorium about space.
Other sights in south Los Angeles/Long Beach area If you are taking a day to go to Long Beach for the Aquarium of the Pacific , which has a few very impressive exhibits in an equally impressive building, you might hit the nearby Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro which is near the Port of Los Angeles. While the building is not nearly as impressive or large, the building is packed with interesting , interactive, and accessible exhibits - and the admission fee is only a few dollars. It is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area anyway. Completely different, but also worth a visit while in the area is the Wayfarer's Chapel, a small , completely glass and wood building designed by the son of Frank LLoyd Wright. Regardless of your religious/spiritual beliefs, it is a stunning building and It has a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean from its peaceful grounds. Might be nice after the weekend crowds at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Just a thought.
I went to the Aquarium of the Pacific today and I do not recommend anyone go to this aquarium on a Sunday. It was so crowded I could hardly see any of the tanks. The crowd was alright the for the first two hours, but once 11 am hit, it was as though all the people in Los Angeles decided to go to the aquarium that day. We left at around 11:30 to downtown Long Beach while the crowds decreased and we returned around 3 hours later and the crowds were much better. We stayed at the aquarium for another 2 hours which allowed us to see the whole aquarium all over again without any people pushing us or anything. I will be posting a review later on.
The only tiger shark on show in mainland USA has gone on exhibit at the aquarium. Aquarium of the Pacific Debuts a Tiger Shark Zoo and Aquarium Visitor News
Hopefully I'll be able to visit later this year. Here is another link about the tiger shark. Aquarium of the Pacific | News | First-Ever Tiger Shark at the Aquarium of the Pacific
Since I grew up in L.A. and go back often to visit family (having recently used both bus and rental car), I can give my opinion. Contrary to what has been said, the buses and the museum ARE SAFE. However, L.A. is so spread out that it would take several hours and transfers to get from one place to another. I use public transit in cities all over America, and L.A. is probably the worst in terms of convenience and figuring out where to get on, etc. (However, I have not tried their new light rail). A rental car would be cheaper than a taxi for that distance (although rental cars in L.A. are more expensive than anywhere else in the U.S.). The Natural History Museum, though safe, is not very good at all. I wouldn't bother. The aquarium, on the other hand, is quite good. If you like large botanical gardens, either L.A. County Arboretum or Descanso Gardens are quite good. (Arboretum has Caribbean-style house that was the set for 70's/80's tv show Fantasy Island). The previously mentioned Griffith Observatory is accessed by a bus (they no longer allow cars due to congestion) that departs from a small lot right next to the zoo parking lot. So that would be a good place to go after the zoo closes. The attraction is not so much the stars, but the cool building (featured in several movies) and the stunning view of downtown Los Angeles. As you go up on the bus, notice a short tunnel to your right, just before you reach the parking lot. That was the tunnel that leads to Toon Town in the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" I have not been to The Getty, but my brother loves it. I have seen it up on a hilltop from the freeway and it looks very cool. You also take a monorail from the parking lot to get there, which is fun. My cousin commutes along the freeway pass underneath it and often sees deer on his way to or from work.
Blackduiker I can't believe some of the comments I'm reading on this post; the Natural History Museum "is not very good at all"? Only the largest west of the Mississippi, with over 30 million artifacts and under major remodeling, situated in Exposition Park, in the second largest complex of museums in the nation outside of Washington D.C. And for the fearful, easily reached from the Downtown Staples Center/L.A. Live complex, less than 3 miles to the south. Just take a bus going south on Figueroa(the same street as the Staples Center/L.A Live/Convention Center). Exposition Park by the way, is directly across the street from one of the nations major universities, USC. The Getty Museum "kind of boring"? Must not be a lover of great art and architecture. And getting to Long Beach and the Aquarium of the Pacific is quite easily reached from the Downtown Staples Center/L.A. Live area by going directly across the street, and hopping on the Metro Blue Line headed south. It will take you almost directly to the Aquarium entrance. As you journey through Watts; yes Watts, keep an eye out for another Los Angeles landmark, the Watts Towers. Only for the more adventuresome, but visited by thousands annually. I highly recommend only during daylight hours though. Many are surprised to discover that L.A. has a subway system(the Metro Red Line), that stretches from the beautiful Downtown Union Station, through the heart of Hollywood, and to the popular tourist attraction Universal Studios. For true movie lovers, a real working studio, and the largest in the world, as well as an amusement and entertainment mega center. Here are a few helpful links: UrbanRail.Net > America > USA > California > Los Angeles - Metro Rail Subway and Light Rail http://www.nhm.org/expo/expopark.htm http://www.lalive.com/ http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/california/getty-center [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts_Towers[/ame]
Aquarium of the Pacific is a very nice aquarium and has some exhibits well worth seeing. If you are staying anywhere near a Metro line you can take the Blue Line to Long Beach. I don't know how close it is to the Aquarium but a cab from the end of the Blue Line to the Aquarium would be much cheaper than taking a cab the whole distance. Los Angeles does not have as many cabs as other large cities and the public transportation system is not the best. The Metro line also would take you from downtown via Wilshire Blvd. on the Red Line where you could take a cab or bus to the Page Museum (which is La Brea Tar Pits I think). The Long Beach Aquarium and Cabrillo Aquarium are not close enough to walk to. I have not been to the NHM for over 10 years but it is not something I'd recommend as unique to Los Angeles. I also think that the Getty Museum has an amazing location but not world class art. The Griffith Observatory would be more accessable, again via the Red Line up Vermont Avenue then either a Dash Bus (if they are running at night) or cab to the Observatory. If it's decently clear you have an excellent view of Los Angeles. The Observatory is recently renovated with many new exhibits and a new telescope. The subway system in LA is a far cheaper way to get around than cab and it's a better alternative than the bus system. While in the same park as the Observatory, the LA Zoo is more difficult to get to and there is a large parcel in the middle of the zoo under construction for the new elephant exhibit. Reptiles are off exhbit awaiting a new reptile facility. Nice collection of animals and lots of babies right now. In my opinion, if you only have one day I would only choose two destinations as transit time can take some time.
The shuttle to the Observatory from the Zoo parking lot is not running any longer. You can drive up to the Observatory now. One other note about going to the Observatory at night is that The Greek Theatre at the foot of the hill is open during the summer for concerts and traffic can be a problem. You should check the schedule to see if there is a concert that evening (Nederlander Producing Company of America - Producing and Presenting Broadway and Concerts across the world.).
