Aquaristan
We went to the Georgia Aquarium (supposedly the largest in the world) on Monday and I had a startling revelation: that place and the entire touristy theme park like industry are really a chance for you to pay money to live in a communist police state for a day. It's incredibly difficult to get in there begin with. The borders are closed and you must make reservations far in advance to get in right when you arrive at the park or spend unreasonable amounts of time waiting for walk up tickets. As you enter, you are forced through security checkpoints, complete with metal detectors and surly security forces that confiscate even little things like a pocket knife with a two inch blade (my brother's) or harass people for trying to import bottled water to avoid the much higher prices of their commissaries.Long bread lines form around the lunch area where, after waiting an unreasonable amount of time, people are overcharged for mediocre food. All the attractions, while beautiful to behold, are horribly overcrowded, and, unless you stand with your face pressed right against the glass of the exhibit, your view is always obstructed by a few dozen other onlookers. The civil servants of these small countries are not very helpful and seem to insist on needlessly bureaucratic rules for where you must go, and when, and how you must go there. All in all, not worth the hassle. If hadn't been for seeing Superman Returns that evening, I think the day would have been a total loss. But more about that later...