Amid signs back in 1981 that construction of the National Aquarium might not be finished in time to meet its previously announced June 1 opening date, then-Mayor William Donald “Do It Now” Schaefer vowed that he and board chairman Frank Gunther Jr. would swim in the outdoor seal pool if the building didn’t open on schedule.
The aquarium did miss its opening, and Schaefer kept his promise, donning an old-timey bathing suit and clutching an inflatable rubber duck as he took a dip in the seal pool, going all the way under the water at one point.
If you think you’ve seen everything the National Aquarium has to offer, you’re clearly not following the baby sloth as closely as you should be. Baby Scout (pictured above) has finally started to break away from mama Ivy. And he’s even experimenting with hanging upside down—which we assume he’ll get pretty good at, since that’s kind of the main skill a sloth needs to have. And since he’s now gaining just a tiny bit of independence, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of the aquarium’s Fridays After Five deal—when admission is only $12, and you can get in all the sloth ogling you can take.
