This photo essay is meant to chronicle my recent trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The visit sparked memories of the amazing and mysterious creatures that I was so fascinated with as a kid. I wanted to capture that sense of amazement through a mixture of photos of some of the astonishing and peculiar sealife which finds its home at the aquarium, and photos which show people mezmerized while viewing them. Even in a school as socially conscious as UCSC, we often forget about the nearly alien world that is just a couple miles away from campus. We also often take for granted the fact that one of the best aquariums in the world is just a 45 minute drive away. So, next time you have a chance, head to Monterey and check it out.