An MBA That's a Value Proposition

It’s easy to say now that the Monterey Bay Aquarium would have been a resounding success when construction began in 1981. Anything related to ecological studies had become popular, while entertainment vehicles such as Jaws, Flipper, and Sea World increased public awareness of the ocean sciences. Monterey Bay, an under publicized scenic wonder known mainly for its declining fishing industry and military base, would also become a magnet for the wealth generated in Silicon Valley a few miles to the north.

In 1977, with the economy reeling from high unemployment and inflation, it required the vision, enthusiasm, and dedication of some young oceanographers to drive to completion the multi-year multi-million-dollar building project. Of course, it helped that one of the marine biologists had a little family money.

We made our first trip to the aquarium shortly after it opened in 1984. The immense salt-water tank with its kelp forest, the hands-on touch pools, the painstaking re-creation of natural environments, and the well-lit displays that were refreshingly free of tech-speak represented a revolution in aquarium design. We enrolled as members when the kids were young and the aquarium was on the must-see list for out-of-town visitors. As our lives have changed, so have our interests. We let our membership lapse, and it had been five years since our last trip.

The youngster requested that we visit the aquarium after school ended this month. To my surprise, he deemed such a trip to be more important than his online activities and gamboling with friends. I carped the diem and told the office that I was taking an unscheduled holiday.

Our outing turned out to be more pleasurable than expected, which sometimes happens when an activity is scheduled at the last minute. Traffic was light south of San Jose, and I was able to get close-in metered parking at half the cost of the nearby lots. Attendance was also sparse---the high tourist season had not begun—and we were able to examine the displays up close and at our leisure.

The shark exhibit, jellyfish-inspired art, and cannery history wing had been added since our last visit; each was engrossing, as well as old favorites like the sea otters, octopus, and sunfish (the youngster didn’t believe me when I said that the giant sunfish we saw was half the size of the monster that used to swim in the Outer Bay tank.)

Sunfish in the Outer Bay exhibit.

At 3 o’clock we headed home in order to beat the rush hour traffic. Later this year we’ll bring the rest of the family, but it’s doubtful our return trip will be as enjoyable. Recapturing a (good) experience is difficult and all too rare. © 2006 Stephen Yuen

Tidepool Exhibit, was new to us but old hat to this patron.