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I got up a little later this morning. The weather was okay, but I ended up behind this truck that slowed me down through the winding highway on the way to work. Compared to the previous day's lightning fast travel (with the guy behind me pushing me twenty over the limit) this felt like a snail's pace. The drive itself whether fast or slow is still great. I wasn't exactly driving a car that could really attack the bends but it was still fun weaving back and forth through the hills.
There wasn't much to do today, except to try out some more tests and make sure things don't blow up. It was fairly easy to do actually as there really wasn't much to check out. My main problem was getting stamps for my postcards. I told DG about my exploits the night before and he told me that I probably shouldn't have gone into that neighborhood. It was a "slummy area". Great, now he tells me. It also explains why the post office was locked: rough neighborhood.
We went to another post office before lunch, but it didn't have the stamps I was looking for. I did get a history lesson of the area though. DG let me out early so that I would have some time to check out the sights before I went back home. He told me to check out the Levee that was around the Aquarium so I decided to head to the Newport Aquarium before it closed (at seven). I had a semi-crappy map with me, and a little map on the little brochure that I took from the hotel. Assuming that it would be enough to guide me to the location. I was wrong (again). First off, I got off too early, and then when I got on the highway, I realized (too late) that the exit numbers on the highway didn't corrospond with the exit numbers on the map that I had. This meant that I ended up going into Cincinnati. I didn't realize that I had overshot until I started driving around. THe street names were the same, which added to my confusion until I drove through a touristy area and then into an industrial area without seeing my quarry. I took a look at the maps that I had and realized my mistake. Unfortunately, those maps weren't detailed enough to guide me back to the other side of the river. I had to hunt for a route back by trial and error. It took me half an hour of driving around in circles before finding a bridge that brought me back to Newport. Fortunately, I had chosen a bridge that brought me right to the Levee and the Aquarium. Parking was right there and fairly empty so I stopped, got out, and went straight to the Aquarium.
I got there around 6:20 (according to the girl at the desk) and decided that I might as well go and check it out. I won't get too many opportunities like this. The first thing I saw was a tank full of jellyfish. The first thing that came to mind was that scene in "Finding Nemo". Indeed, the most interesting sights were the jellyfish and the anemone (with requisite clown fish), but the other tanks were quite interesting to look at. Due to time constraints, I wasn't able to read through the descriptions of the fish and the factoids, but I was able to skim through and take a peek at all of the fish they had on display, including the penguins.
Afterward, I went out to take a look at the Levee. It wasn't anything spectacular. It was indeed a hot spot for gatherings and kids as there was some sort of carnival that was taking place at the riverwalk and some buskers outside. I tried out one of the pizza joints that DG recommended (the food was good, but it was really crowded). THen I saw this magician perform an escape trick. I'm pretty sure I know what the trick is. He had to audience members tie a rope around his thighs, and then tie his wrists together. Then under the blanket, he would untie the knot that they made and release himself. Indeed, right after the towel was placed over his hands, one of his hands was immedately out to direct them to do something before diving back in under the towel. At least he turned it into something entertaining.
The trick is.. well, I'll let the audience figure that one out.
Afterward, I went to the post office, picked up some stamps and went back to the hotel after mailing those post cards.
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