Upon entering you are faced with a corridor of viewing windows looking onto different sea creatures, and of course, fish. You can see marine fish, corals, crabs, shrimps, and many other types of fish. There is also a large pool full of stingrays.

In another section you can see beautiful jellyfish floating around blue-lit aquariums, showing them off to their best. They are fascinating and very peaceful to watch. They have several tanks with several different species on show. There are also lots of tanks with sea horses, which are remarkable. There are many different types and colours and some of the males appeared to be pregnant.

Outside you get to see larger marine life such as sea lions, penguins, walruses, otters, and more. You can view these from the outside in landscaped areas, in which you can see underwater as well as on the surface. However, you can also go inside and see them underwater from much bigger viewing areas. The walruses were a particular favourite whilst we were there, as the huge male was doing his best to mate with a smaller female. Several people including young children were spellbound by his antics. He was chasing her around the pool, cornering her, and trapping her into submission. He was a very excited walrus! There was another walrus in the tank swimming around trying to pretend nothing was happening.

The otters were also in a playful mood, as they were swimming around, chasing each other, and playing with floating balls and rings. They are very mischievous and very cute, and I’m sure they know it!

The penguins were also very amusing, following each other into the pool, and then all jumping back out again, then back in and so on. They go from being graceful and fast in the water to being hilarious on land.

The beluga whales are a particular favourite of mine, and there were a couple here. The main viewing area was closed for refurbishment as was the main show pool, but you could view them through the large window. They seemed to be as interested in us as we were of them. We spent many minutes just staring at each other.

The aquarium has a couple of restaurants and a gift shop and is a nice place to visit if you are in the area. It is not one of the best I have been to, far from it, but neither is it the worst.

The aquarium starts you out with a tour of ocean life in tanks. They have a large stingray tank followed by smaller tanks full of more obscure species. It's a bit tough to see since most people cluster in front of the tanks to get a better look. For this reason, we made a quick tour of the aquarium before heading back to Manhattan.

I enjoyed seeing the odd, bright yellow seahorses. I couldn't resist buying a stuffed yellow seahorse from the gift shop.

Getting to the New York Aquarium is pretty easy and even has its own subway stop. Take either the D train to the Stillwell Avenue station or the F or Q train to the West 8th Street/Aquarium station in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

The hours vary by season so check out the NY Aquarium hours and rates page.

The attractions are top-notch; some of the more well-known are the sea lions, who frolic outdoors in a man-made "sea cliff" with views of the boardwalk, and the famously "gay" penguins. (Ask an attendant, they'll know what you're talking about). Plus, unlike some other aquariums, this one is literally yards away from an actual ocean. Once you're done looking at the fishes you can go swim with them.