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#1
06/12/2007, 09:34 AM
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13,000 gal sw display at bass pro shop
my wife and i went over to the new mega-store after a round of golf on sunday to check things out. much to my surprise we saw that the restaurant has a rather large saltwater display tank...to the tune of 13,000 gallons. as far as i'm concerned, this is the closest thing we have in the valley to a public sw aquarium (until the new zoo opens up out west anyway). rainforest cafe is cool, but this tank firmly rocks the casbah. it may go without saying that it is a fish only tank, but they've stocked it with some real beauties. the dimensions and layout of the tank were impressive too. if you can get past the fake coral decorations, this tank is truly a sight to behold.
the store also has a 25,000 gallon+ fw trophy fish tank that might drop a jaw or two as well. on a bit of a side note, my wife and i thought it would be a good place to have a beer and meal since we just got off the golf course. we sat down reviewed the beer & wine list and politely ordered a couple of pints of brew from the waitress. that's when you hear that sound of the needle being abruptly flung accros the tracks of you favorite old record from 1974. NO LIQUOR LICENSE!!! like i said, we just got off the golf course so we wanted a freakin' drink! now, don't get me wrong. we're not a couple of alch'ies who need it bad just to get by, but if they aren't serving booze, then take the damn wine list off the table! rant over.
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i like you just the way you are. Last edited by slowradio; 06/12/2007 at 10:19 AM. |
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#3
06/12/2007, 10:21 AM
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That's Mesa for you! There must be another place within 50 miles that already serves liquor so they hassle them on a new permit.
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#4
06/12/2007, 12:41 PM
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how was the food?
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Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what's right. -Isaac Asimov "Four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo - use in that order." --Ed Howdershelt |
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#5
06/12/2007, 12:47 PM
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food was good. they had only been open for a few days, and it showed, but there is a good deal of potential there. the wait staff seemed like they didn't know what the hell was going on, but that's understandable.
i had the ahi tuna salad and it was very satisfying.
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i like you just the way you are. |
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#7
06/12/2007, 03:35 PM
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I'm gonna take my kid over there next week, hopefully midweek/midday isn't too crowded. Can't wait - I've been to other BPS & Cabelas and they're always fun. We used to get the BPS catalogs back in the 70's when they were just a skinny little catalog, they were right around the corner from our house! We even had a Bass Tracker boat and a Sun Tracker pontooon back in the day!
 Missouri's proudest export.  I'm also findout how difficult it can be to get a liquor license in the state of Arizona!!
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When life hands you lemons ... add vodka! Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. Closed minds should come with closed mouths. |
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#9
06/12/2007, 09:02 PM
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I was one of the supers on the new Bass pro. The salt water tank is actually closer to 15000 gls in the display. It has a 1285 gln mixing tank and a skimmer that stands about 8 feet tall. All the fish in that tank are from another tank that crashed. They estimated that there is over $100,000 in fish alone. They have about 200-250 fish right now and are going to add some more show quality fish as soon as things settle down. they want there to be around 450 fish in the display. The reason they don't have a liquor is because they city requires John Morris(owner of Bass Pro Shops) to be fingerprinted and he refuses. They are trying to work it out and will soon be serving liquor.
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#11
06/12/2007, 10:48 PM
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As large as it is, the tank still looked jam-packed with fish..and it had a lovely slime floating on the top, I wonder how long it has officially been up and running.
Yes, the place is cool but busy, I enjoyed the freswater tank, as you rarely get to see large freshwater catfish and the like swimming at eye level. You gotta go if you like hunting/boating/fishing/camping. They have more taxidermy than any place Iv'e seen...decorating the entire place... Squirrels here, bobcats there, deer upstairs, bears downstairs...pretty funny actually...
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Sarah |
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#12
06/14/2007, 11:31 AM
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thought of this last night, wanted to see what other people thought.
i wonder if we could ever set up a FRAG tour of the facility similar to what we did at rainforest cafe? fourth horseman, any thoughts on whether or not that would be a possibility?
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i like you just the way you are. |
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#13
06/14/2007, 11:24 PM
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I know Pat would be willing. He is a on rc also but the problem would be getting the store manager to let you guys. He is a real P O S. he could care less about anyone but himself. If it involves him lifting a finger or getting involved he will veto the idea. It's a shame because the store is so unique but every time I go in I get a bad taste in my mouth because of him. I will talk to Pat and see what he thinks.
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#14
06/15/2007, 12:25 AM
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Personally I think it's mean to not post ant pics!!!! I'm heading over there this weekend to see it for myself. Looking forward to it.
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The true measure of strength is not how many trials you have faced..... but rather how you face each trial. |
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#15
06/15/2007, 12:44 AM
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Quote:
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#17
06/15/2007, 07:44 AM
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i pulled out my camera phone when i was there and just about got bum-rushed by the staff before i could snap a shot. nice pic azhorsegal.
fh- thanks for your insight and effort on that. sounds like there's some real stories behind the scenes at that place
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i like you just the way you are. |
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