Weekend in Texas

Last weekend Nick & I visited Las Colinas, which is just a fancier way of saying...I went to Irving, TX. I have to admit, I picked the NYLO hotel because it looked cool and according to the map was 15 miles away from Six Flags and 12 away from Dallas World Aquarium. Little did I know what a charming, upscale town I'd plopped us in. If you are ever going to visit the Dallas area I'd highly suggest the NYLO hotel, it's right off the highway, and there are tons of shops and places to eat without having to fight terrible traffic :) 

NYLO Hotel

The whole hotel is very modern, the lobby is flanked with these comfy egg chairs, I could have sat in them all day. So hanging these up in my dream home :)
Sunday we went to the Dallas World Aquarium. Their website leaves a lot to be desired...so I was expecting to walk into something like the aquarium near Tulsa, sooooo not the case! To get into the aquarium you have to go thru a winding path that goes thru a mini jungle they've planted outside. After you head up the stairs and open the door you are greeted with this, a giant atrium filled with hundreds of tropical birds and fish. The neat thing about Dallas's aquarium is they set it up like an eco system. So you see all the creatures native to the section you are walking thru, and a lot of the birds just get free rein of the place.

A jungle in Dallas.

Can you find the sloth? He's another one of the animals they don't have in a cage, he just hangs around and you can walk right under him :)

I fed this bird a blueberry :) He's got it all figured out lol, he just bends his head left or right depending on which little window pops open. If you can, go in the morning when the animals are being fed.

The aquarium holds so many amazing creatures. I love all the colors that naturally occur in coral reefs. And although I don't have a photo here, the jellyfish tank is very impressive. The whole tank is dark and the only thing that lights it are the jellys as they glow iridescent blue and green.  

Don't let this photo fool you, this Japanese Spider Crab is MASSIVE! This one was easily 2-3 feet wide. Supposably they can grow up to 12 feet.

One of my favorite little guys, he was all about getting his picture taken :)