THE POWER OF SUGGESTION: People tiring of the toastier ways, and days, of July and August turn to the power of suggestion on a fairly frequent basis, maybe more than any other time of the year. Those who are so over steering wheels that are hot to the touch and sticky clothing and sunburned shoulders begin to think "I can out-think this," especially when normal warm weather becomes an actual heat wave. On go the cheery Christmas carols, especially the ones involving snowmen, and on play the movies that take place in Antarctica and fictional frosty places. If the tired-of-the-heat person chooses to place a bowl of ice on his or her lap, well, that's just taking the power of suggestion a little further -- an ice cube in the mouth typically has some sway over one's thoughts. But August avoiders looking for an actual sight and place that'll lower the inner mercury right down only need to keep the Monterey Bay Aquarium in sight. Yes, for sure, it is already a cool place, both in spirit and temperature, given that it is home to so many sea beasties, creatures that rather like their environments kept on the chillier side. For additional temperature-deflating, though, there is the Wave Crash Tunnel, which the fish-filled institution calls "the most popular family photo spot at the Aquarium!" A quick look-around on the web backs this up; people just love the tunnel snapshots, because there's so much foam and action. (Foam and action rule.)
FROSTY FACTS: While you won't get wet in the tunnel -- not unless your kid brother or aunt accidentally spills their bottle of water on you -- you will watch as the "Wave Crash gallery pumps about 600 gallons of water and "crashes" every 30 seconds." It's very much like being in the tides of the Pacific, but you stay dry, and you don't get too much kelp or sand in your hair (or any, really). Call it science at work, and a neato visual display, but call it a place where the power of suggestion can really work, especially on a summer day where the temps outside have only gone up. Standing under a crashing wave, again and again, could have the ability to tell your eyes to tell your brain to tell your heart that it is a-ok to chill it down and stay thoroughly chillaxed. You can find this popular tunnel in the Monterey Bay Aquarium Rocky Shores exhibit.
