I made a deal with my friend, Martha, a while back: If she drove us, I'd get her into the zoo for free (her son, Liam, like Garrett, gets in for free anyway) AND offer up one of the free parking passes my zoo membership gave me. So yesterday (after my blessed baby boy slept in good and late) I packed us picnic lunches and buckled us into her car.
The drive, in typical heavy and aggressive NYC traffic, took us up through Brooklyn and Queens, and then over the Triborough Bridge into the Bronx. As we drove under the Brooklyn Bridge and alongside the river, we got some good views of a couple of the installation art waterfalls currently gracing the city's waterfront and that was pretty cool to see.
The zoo was CROWDED, thanks mostly to the day camp kids who were swarming everywhere. It was also very HOT. And though that didn't stop us from having a grand time, it did put the idea into our heads that the best time for a future visit would be in the fall when it would be cooler and the kids would be tucked back away at school.
Garrett and Liam enjoying a moment of bonding.
We didn't want to push our boys too far past their limits, what with their young ages and the heat, so we didn't get to a lot of the zoo exhibits. We did go into the monkey house where I was surprised by the fact that Garrett actually watched (or ogled, if you will) the monkeys as they jumped from limb to limb. We also visited the zoo's newest exhibit, Madagascar!, which highlighted not only the wildlife found on that island, but also the efforts made by the Wildlife Conservation Society (which is based at the Bronx Zoo) to help reclaim the natural habitats that have been brutally destroyed.
After we ate our picnic lunch and changed a few diapers, it was off to the Children's Zoo, which was my favorite part of yesterday's zoo trip. Everything in the Children's Zoo was perfectly well-suited (including being eye level) for a child. Garrett and Liam thoroughly enjoyed it. We all got a good laugh at the alligator tank where only a thick pane of glass separated two four-foot alligators from anxious children. Two brave souls decided to get as close to the glass as they could and when the reptiles decided to snap their jaws, the kids questioned their bravery right on cue with the most hilarious and horror-film-like screams I've ever heard. They had all of us laughing, whether they liked it or not.
Garrett in the Children's Zoo watching the prairie dogs.
Oh well, though. Next time, right? (Also on my must-see list for next time: the gorillas and the butterfly garden.) It was time to head home anyway. Thanks, Martha and Liam, for accompanying Garrett and I on such a fun trip to the zoo!
Martha, Liam, Garrett, and Lindsay in the Children's Zoo.If you look carefully, you can see two wallabys behind us.
5 comments:
That is so cool! We LOVE the movie Madagascar! We watch it about once per week!
I love the zoo, even if the animals are in cages. It's so fun to watch the little kids light up when they recognize animals or even see a new one for the first time. How fun!
I'M BACK... I ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF THE ZOO, THE VACATION, WHAT YOU LOVE AND CAN'T DO WITHOUT, ETC. ETC. I AM SO EXCITED, I THINK I MIGHT BE SHOUTING!!!!! (Mike worked on my computer for quite a while tonight. I guess he's my "geek." :)))
I hate going to those fun places with my kids and being swarmed by the daycare/daycamp kids. It can get overwhelming at times.
That looks like a neat zoo.
I am going to Aunt Karey's wedding on Sat. so I will post some pictures for you.
All I can think of "Madagascar" and the penguins stealing kids plastic spoons...
Post a Comment