Trip on the pretty fish at 6th Avenue Aquarium

Visiting 6th Avenue Aquarium is like taking a free trip to a low-rent, DIY municipal aquarium in some Buddhist foreign country (Buddhist because of the shrine they have in the back corner sporting burning incense and takeout-boxed food items). The outside gives a good indication of what lies in store past the neon and shockingly red awning.



Once inside, there are many exotic but familiar species: Siamese fighting fish, stingray, jellyfish, seahorse, pufferfish.

Others are just exotic (or at least -sounding): true Red Terror, Armored Catfish, Leporinus, Albino Bichir, Electric Blue Jack Dempsey, Peppermint Pleco, Oscarfish, 5-star General, Well Endowed (just kidding on that last one).

Though probably not for the claustro- or icthyophobic, the place is teeming (in an extreme sense of the word) with all things piscine. If wall-to-wall tanks filled with writhing masses of fish isn't your bag, then maybe best to stay outside and have a smoke while the better half goes in and pokes around. As I overheard midway through a visit, "To live in San Francisco and have a place crammed with fish like this, you pretty much have to be Chinese and come from some super commie background."

Agree or don't, but do go before you leave. It may even be nice to have a bag o' jumbo goldfish blobbing about on your lap for the goodbye flight.


Sixth Avenue Aquarium is on Clement between 5th and 6th. It is open 7 days a week: M-F, 11AM-10PM; Sat and Sun, 10AM-10PM. For two ridiculous lists of all they carry in the way of fish, pick your poison: freshwater or saltwater.