What I Did Instead

This was supposed to be a post about my TV husbands. (spoiler: Kyle Chandler as Coach Taylor is MINE, all MINE, got it?) Instead of writing it, however, I went to the Bronx Zoo with the family.

Asian deer. Taken from a moving train. 

Mongolian horses. I will never be a wildlife photographer.

He looks so harmless like that. 

Asian elephants are preggers for 22 months. No wonder elephants look so grumpy. 

He looked like he had somewhere to be, but really he just walked to a tree and stood there. 

Apparently this lady decided to join our family. 

Bird's nest. 

There would be more photos, except that Wednesdays are apparently the day that you can go to the zoo for a lower price. I have NEVER seen the zoo like that.  Not to mention the day camps, church camps, community centers and other groups of people wearing similarly colored t-shirts who also chose to visit today. Never have I wanted to smack so many people at the same time.

A Public Service Announcement

Need to check your map? STEP TO THE SIDE, DON'T STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PATH.
Watching the animals? DON'T PUSH TO THE FRONT IF YOU'RE TALL ENOUGH TO SEE OVER ALL THE CHILDREN.
Having a turn? OTHER PEOPLE WOULD LIKE A TURN AS WELL. TODAY.
Want to stand still? DON'T STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PATH.

The Bronx Zoo Is Better Than Animal Kingdom

I think I remember going to the Bronx Zoo once as a kid. I wasn't really into animals and my parents weren't really into driving all the way to the Bronx, so it wasn't a family thing. It actually wasn't until I did a project at the Oregon Zoo while in graduate school that I became interested in wild animals and conservation and such.

Which brings us to how I've dragged my family to the Bronx Zoo twice in the past month. And by dragged, I mean they loved every second of it. The kids are already making plans for our next trip. (If you have a bunch of kids and plan on going more than once, I highly recommend membership. It winds up being much cheaper, plus you're helping the Wildlife Conservation Society).

The Bronx Zoo is not only awesome, but its goal is to protect and preserve wild species, not capture wild animals.  And no, this post is not sponsored. I just love the Bronx Zoo that much. It's way better than Animal Kingdom at Disney World, and I looooove me some Disney World.

Those are nyalas. I had never heard of them before. 

This is our gorilla buddy. Pretty sure he was watching Ironflower.

 Giraffes are now Hugmonkey's favorite animal.

Climbing in the Children's Zoo. 

A bit of advice, though: Make sure your 3G is working if you intend to use your cell phone maps for directions. Our trip the other day almost turned into, "The Day We Went to McDonald's in the Bronx" because we got kind of lost. We wanted to avoid traffic - which we totally did - but I hadn't memorized the new directions very, um, well. And my cell didn't work. And despite living less than 15 miles from the Bronx for most of my life, I've only been there 5 times.  So I really had no idea where the fuck we were going. 

But the McDonald's on Kingsbridge has a play space and wifi, so eventually I figured it out. Basically. 

Hot Guy deserves major kudos for not losing it yesterday as he tried to drive in NYC while I freaked out. And also? He's the one that found the McDonald's. 

Next time I'm printing a map.