A Trip to the Aquarium

A few winters ago, I drove to Maryland for the first time. I was eighteen and never had any reason to drive for long distances, but decided to visit the aquarium with my boyfriend who was visiting from Texas. He had never been but it was a place I had gone to countless times as a child. The drive was going to be about an hour long and I was driving with confidence –– up until I saw the large black and gold checkered sign that read, “Maryland welcomes you.” My palms instantly became sweaty and I clung onto the steering wheel. It was my first time driving out of state and of all times, we were driving during rush hour. The drive there felt like an eternity, but we eventually arrived at the aquarium. The aquarium was enormous and covered with glass windows that gleamed under the golden sun. We were both amazed by how vibrant and plentiful the fish were! At one point we even saw a Blue Tang and Clownfish (you may know them by their nicknames, Dory and Nemo)! At every corner that we turned, there was something new that we have never seen – we felt like kids in an amusement park. Watching some of the fish always stirred up a sense of wonder within me. And in all honesty, it was the uglier fish that caught my attention over the other ones. While skipping through the dark rooms, we stopped at my personal favorite; the shark tunnel. The tank would arch over our heads, wrapping us in blue and we were just a few inches of glass apart from the cold-blooded predators. But still, I couldn’t help but feel calm in the quiet tunnel. The only light came from the sunlight peeking through the water and the occasional flash of a DSLR. Every now and then we would hear a child yell, “hey look! A shark!” We couldn't help but giggle at how excited they were.