As you know my butterflies, I am a Bronx Zoo Blogger Brand Ambassador, and I was recently invited to check out the New York Aquarium which is also operated by the Wildlife Conservation Society. And I have to thank them because they allowed me to invite some of my favorite blogger buddies to join in the fun as well. And you know more bloggers means more fun right? :)
Fun Fact: Coney Island is home to the only aquarium in New York City: the New York Aquarium
We have definitely featured both the Zoo and Aquarium before, in fact the Bronx Zoo, The New York Aquarium and Coney Island made our top 10 list of family friendly things to do in New York City last year, we thank you for all the positive feedback we received on that post, in case you missed it, press HERE to check that one out.
As you may remember, Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc and the Aquarium was very badly damaged in it's wake, but you know nothing can keep New Yorkers down, and thanks to donations and very hard work on the part of the staff, the Aquarium is in the process of re-building, they are under-going a 3 year construction project to bring it back bigger and better than ever, but they are very much open for business! So if visiting Coney Island and the Aquarium is a part of your summer ritual as it has always been for my family, you can keep the tradition alive!
Our morning started out with a great breakfast:
Chocolate French Toast with Whipped Cream, Yes Please! Add chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, sausages and bacon to the mix and of course a glass of Orange Juice and you've got a very filling breakfast.
We then heard from The Alliance for Coney Island which is a nonprofit organization that brings together businesses, community organizations and residents dedicated to continuing the transformation of Coney Island into a year-round, recreational oceanfront destination and improve the quality of life for visitors, businesses and residents alike. As visiting Coney Island has been a fun tradition for me since childhood I'm so glad to see the Alliance working hard to make it better and better and safer and safer too.
They had some fun trivia raffles and my friend Laura from the blog My 3 Ring Circus won a Luna Park Beach Ball:
I had to catch a shot of her hamming it up! Here is one of us both hamming it up inside the Aquarium:
Then it was off to the Sea Lion Celebration at the newly renovated Aquatheater at The New York Aquarium:
They use three different Sea Lions during the performance, and they each have their own personalities, they are all total hams!
This shot below is one of my favorite moments from the show, he is just totally enjoying the love:
I took WAY too many pictures of the Sea Lions so please check out our Pinterest Page and check out additional photos from the Sea Lion Show that didn't make this post for lack of space!
After the show we walked through the Aquarium to check out some of the fish, check out this 'little guy':
Again, I took a lot of shots, so check out our Coney Island/New York Aquarium board on Pinterest for more fun photos!
and then we hit the famous Boardwalk:
Had I had more time I would have looked for a picture of us when I was little for #ThrowbackThursday, but that could take awhile so here is the photo we took together from this trip! (Hey bloggers who attended the BlogHer Conference last year, do you recognize that bag I'm carrying?)
I also had to ham it up with my blogger friend Issa from Single Mama NYC who I met at the first BlogHer conference I ever attended! Who knew that one night sitting at the same table during a blogging conference would lead to a friendship? So bloggers when you wonder what the most valuable thing you gain from conferences are, it's friendships, a network of great friends you can rely on!
It was time for my blogging buds to feed their little ones (I don't have little butterflies of my own), so we all split up for lunch, some of us hit Nathan's, and me and mama butterfly hit up a boardwalk spot for some rawbar deliciousness as we love Clams and Oysters! Then it was time for some fun on the rides! Gotta stop and get these first:
One of the first rides we tackled was Wild River at Luna Park!
With the infamous Coney Island Mermaid Parade coming up this Saturday, I just had to capture this shot where the seahorse is holding the sign that reads "Mermaid Parade".
Thankfully the historic B&B Carousell has returned to Coney Island's Luna Park. For me, the Central Park Carousel and the B&B Carousell are cherished parts of my childhood!
To say I had fun would be an understatement! And if you are wondering what weekend would be a good one to visit? How about THIS one! With Fireworks on Friday Night and The Mermaid Parade this Saturday there couldn't possibly be a better weekend to hit Coney Island and The New Aquarium too! (Just remember butterflies, these are NOT your mama's mermaids so use your discretion as to whether or not you want to bring little ones with you for the Parade). And of course you can't miss Deno's Wonder Wheel while you are there!
What is YOUR favorite Coney Island Memory?
We then heard from The Alliance for Coney Island which is a nonprofit organization that brings together businesses, community organizations and residents dedicated to continuing the transformation of Coney Island into a year-round, recreational oceanfront destination and improve the quality of life for visitors, businesses and residents alike. As visiting Coney Island has been a fun tradition for me since childhood I'm so glad to see the Alliance working hard to make it better and better and safer and safer too.
They had some fun trivia raffles and my friend Laura from the blog My 3 Ring Circus won a Luna Park Beach Ball:
 |
| Laura from My 3 Ring Circus Blog |
I had to catch a shot of her hamming it up! Here is one of us both hamming it up inside the Aquarium:
 |
| Left: Tracy from Ascending Butterfly and Right: Laura from My 3 Ring Circus |
Then it was off to the Sea Lion Celebration at the newly renovated Aquatheater at The New York Aquarium:
They use three different Sea Lions during the performance, and they each have their own personalities, they are all total hams!
This shot below is one of my favorite moments from the show, he is just totally enjoying the love:
I took WAY too many pictures of the Sea Lions so please check out our Pinterest Page and check out additional photos from the Sea Lion Show that didn't make this post for lack of space!
 |
| At the end you get the chance to get up close and personal! |
 |
| Don't be scared, he is just saying HELLO! (really loud!) :) |
After the show we walked through the Aquarium to check out some of the fish, check out this 'little guy':
Again, I took a lot of shots, so check out our Coney Island/New York Aquarium board on Pinterest for more fun photos!
and then we hit the famous Boardwalk:
 |
| Left: Ascending Butterfly and Right: Mama Butterfly |
Had I had more time I would have looked for a picture of us when I was little for #ThrowbackThursday, but that could take awhile so here is the photo we took together from this trip! (Hey bloggers who attended the BlogHer Conference last year, do you recognize that bag I'm carrying?)
I also had to ham it up with my blogger friend Issa from Single Mama NYC who I met at the first BlogHer conference I ever attended! Who knew that one night sitting at the same table during a blogging conference would lead to a friendship? So bloggers when you wonder what the most valuable thing you gain from conferences are, it's friendships, a network of great friends you can rely on!
It was time for my blogging buds to feed their little ones (I don't have little butterflies of my own), so we all split up for lunch, some of us hit Nathan's, and me and mama butterfly hit up a boardwalk spot for some rawbar deliciousness as we love Clams and Oysters! Then it was time for some fun on the rides! Gotta stop and get these first:
One of the first rides we tackled was Wild River at Luna Park!
 |
| That's Ascending Butterfly taking the front seat on Wild River at Luna Park NYC at Coney Island! |
With the infamous Coney Island Mermaid Parade coming up this Saturday, I just had to capture this shot where the seahorse is holding the sign that reads "Mermaid Parade".
Thankfully the historic B&B Carousell has returned to Coney Island's Luna Park. For me, the Central Park Carousel and the B&B Carousell are cherished parts of my childhood!
To say I had fun would be an understatement! And if you are wondering what weekend would be a good one to visit? How about THIS one! With Fireworks on Friday Night and The Mermaid Parade this Saturday there couldn't possibly be a better weekend to hit Coney Island and The New Aquarium too! (Just remember butterflies, these are NOT your mama's mermaids so use your discretion as to whether or not you want to bring little ones with you for the Parade). And of course you can't miss Deno's Wonder Wheel while you are there!
What is YOUR favorite Coney Island Memory?
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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, no monetary compensation has been received to share our event recap coverage. We were fed, entertained, got to ride the rides and were given a gift bag! All opinions expressed herein are 100% my own. I ♥ Coney Island! :-)
