Goodbye, front desk
Goodbye, fish
Helloo Natural History Museum!
Just because I need to go home doesn't mean I have to rush it. I really wanted to visit this location. When I got there, a group of people offered me a free ticket. Apparently, she had gotten two too many, and she couldn't get a refund (she got them for free), so she let me have one.
This is going to be a good day
A life-size cast of an allosaurus skeleton greets visitors. I have a good feeling about this museum. The museum also shows some other items in the main hall.
Why does this keep happening to me!?!
Before I could really look around, I had to turn in my ticket. The lady monitoring the tickets was really excited about Jerome. Apparently, she did something similar with an ugly doll when she visited Europe.
A very awesome lady
The museum has a temporary mineral and gem exhibit. Jerome and I immediately decided to check it out. A few of the exhibits are actually touchable.
On a petrified pillar
Extinct marine reptiles from space!
I can has labradorite?
Labradorite is a stone that, depending on the light, appears gold, green, blue, or brown. Most of the items, however, were kept safely under glass.
I want it!
Diamonds, emeralds, and gold made this beautiful butterfly broach.
After looking at the gems, I went to see some of the more permanent exhibitions.
Just like brothers
This is the first of three mosasaur fossils I found. Upstairs, they had fossils and models of animals found in the San Diego area.
What's the matter, Little Guy?
Oh...
Fear not, Baby Mastadon!
For I, Jerome the Mighty have defeated the vile American lion!
Oh...
Fortunately, we were saved by a passing marine mammal.
Barbara Manatee...
Yeah, I totally took this shot just to make my sister happy. Anyway, California apparently had a couple different types of manatee in the area a couple hundred/thousand/million years ago, depending on who you talk to.
The other exhibits for extinct mammals in California were unfortunately dark, so I couldn't get any good photos. Some really weird stuff lived in the area, though.
I'll just rest on this rock for a bit
Oh...
That's better!
Near the ankleosaurus, I found another mosasaur.
Brudder...
Big Brudder...
A final mosasaur rested at the Snakes and Lizards Alive! exhibit. Due to the glass, getting good photos proved impossible, with one exception:
It's a happy lizard!
It was time to go. Since I saved money on admission, I bought some dinosaur figurines as souvenirs. However, before I left, I saw an opportunity that was way too good to pass up.
A docent laughed at me when she saw me taking this.
I got some funny looks by the albertasaurus, too.
Anyway, I finally left and started for home. Yet, no trip to San Diego would be complete without a stop at:
Tip Top Meats! This excellent restaurant serves wonderful, unpronounceable, unspellable German food. The item I got was pretty much bacon, onions, and a pickle wrapped in meat. Good meat. I did not finish it all, because I wanted dessert.
Cake!
The black forest cake encases chocolate, cream, and cherries in a moist pastry. Good stuff.
cakecakecakecakecakecakecakecakecakecake
Before I left, I grabbed a few items at the shop within the restaurant. The cashier was very amused by my request to take a picture of her. She thought Jerome was funny.
At least she smiled
On the way home, I hit traffic (boo). Eventually, I got back. So, to celebrate my return, I took a photo identical to the one on my first post.
Oh...
I seem to have gained a bit in my travels...
So my vacation ends. Is this the end of my travel blog? Probably not. It was fun to reflect and relate what I was up to. If I go anywhere exciting, I'll try to continue it.
Until then, peace out mah ninjas!
No comments:
Post a Comment