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Friday, January 30, 2009

hangin' out in shamu's 'hood

there are a zillion pics here. i'll just let 'em do most of the talking.

after an uneventful drive down, we checked into the sheraton suites near the gaslamp district. we got the room for less than half price, thanks to my priceline negotiating. the girls got wacky while i unpacked.



we ate at the hard rock cafe, a place we can never seem to avoid. but it was good and reasonably priced, and we got a nice walk on our way there. we also stopped at ghirardelli for dessert, and then headed "home" for the night. i know i have pics, but i can't find them at the moment. fail.

the next morning, the bean played peek-a-boo while we got ready for the day.



we crammed into one car and headed for a pancake house that the ILs wanted to check out, but after eyeing the long ass line to get in, we ended up stopping at this place for breakfast on the way to sea world.



it was still crowded, but a lot less so. and as i sat down to wait, i pulled out the trusty iPhone to check yelp reviews for this joint. i was happy to see that most of them were positive, and i was grateful for my fabulous iPhone all over again.

we pulled into a not-too-crowded parking lot at sea world, and while FIL bought our tickets, i walked around and snapped a few pics.



it was bright, and the bean tried on a couple of pairs of shades.



first stop: the shamu show!




the bean saw a lot of sea world from this vantage point.



she swished her hands in the water and then tasted them. mmm, dolphin poop.





sharks!



i giggled and snorted at this. yes, i'm twelve.




the teen had fun taking her sister for a ride in the stroller.



yes, please.



for some, this was the best part.




this made them sad.



so they just kept going back.



the bean amused herself as the beer sampling continued.



more silliness.



checking out the clydesdale horses.




horse's hooves.



horse's face.



horse's - well, you get it.



for some unknown reason, the bean was just drawn to the rocky pavement.





at the sesame street kiddie area, the bean was transfixed at the sight of elmo.



and then, all of a sudden, there he was! she went a-runnin'.



we were absolutely amazed at her fearlessness. i mean, come on - that is one bright ass red fluffy thing right thurr. she gave elmo a big hug:



and then examined him and zoey curiously before smiling for the camera.



next, she found a great cushy play area with lots of kids to watch.



the teen found her inner kid, too.



they rode a ride together:



and then we made one last stop before we called it a day and headed for the exit.








that's all, folks!


16 comments:

  1. next time you are in san diego on a non-weekend because of the long lines, you MUST try the pancake house (unless you have already been there) it is delish!! looks like you had a great time in our beautiful city!!

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  2. Mr. Monkey and I have a really old picture of us on that manatee...and one of BroMo with his first girlfriend.

    Yeah, ages ago.

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  3. I miss Sea World! I need to visit Shamu very soon.

    Those pics of the Bean and Elmo KILL me. It looks like Elmo is eating the Bean. But that's quite understandable. She is very yumilicious.

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  4. AAAAGGGHH! You missed some of my favorite exhibits! The Beluga whale in the -30 degree exhibit and the pet the sting rays exhibit!

    And instead you went to the scary scary "I-can't-walk-through-the-tunnel-without-closing-my-eyes-and-holding-my-husband's-hand" shark exhibit!

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  5. Your kids are so freakin' cute. I love the pictures of Elmo + Bean.

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  6. Holy crap nuggets, your hair is so long!

    Lub lub lub the bean in her jams in the window shot.

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  7. we haven't done a san diego weekend in a long time. we're so overdue. i miss seaworld. :(

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  8. Omg I LOVE IT! The photos are so nice and the Bean cracks me up! I'm glad you had a nice family trip, you deserve it!

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  9. I love the one of the Bean and the Teen jumping. :) And that's awesome that the Bean isn't scared of giant Elmo!

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  10. Aw, I just can't get over how cute the Bean is. Your whole family looks so nice!

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  11. I had a little girl in my class last year who went to Sea World. Apparently they sat in the Splash Zone, and... well, she got drenched. So when I asked her if she liked Sea World, she said "no, that stupid whale splashed me!" I am also impressed by the Bean's pursuit of Elmo!

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  12. I haven't been to Sea World in ages ... looks like such a fun trip!

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  13. omg. That other photo looks like Elmo ate her like how the cookie monster loves his cookies.

    Too.Dam.Cute.

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  14. I love the Shaum show! What a fun family weekend. Loving all the pictures and silliness in them.

    Psst...I think Bean is the cutest kid at the playground. At least from what I can tell. ;)

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  15. I love the horsies! Especially the pic of just their hooves.

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