Zoolicious

Another family activity while in SF was a visit to the Zoo. I remember going to the zoo on the first Wednesdays of the month as teenagers. Why? Boredom...and it was free. Plus, some of the boys found it funny to taunt and tease the poor caged up animals. I do have to say it was quite a different experience from what I remember. I mean look at how close this giraffe is! Maybe the whole tiger attack has brought in some fresh excitement. Way to go SF!! I loved all the renovations and plans for more improvement.



Here are five easy steps to making a zoo trip with little ones ZOOLICIOUS...
1. Wear comfy shoes. Yes, the bane of my existence..too tall and uncomfortable shoes...or is it just that I'm too short. Let's blame it on the short gene, not my decision to buy lots of tall, cheap, darling, Payless shoes. Grin...smile..act like it doesn't hurt... Actually, you walk around so much inside that I don't know if parking in the streets was worth the eight dollars saved. Yes, it was. That's expensive parking considering you already put a down payment on your entrance tickets. Plus, the little train ride was unavailable (sent away to be fixed) that could have saved a few feet of walking!:) Next time I'll bring the tennis shoes, despite how dorky I think I look.



2. Get one of these strollers. We were the last ones to get it, and I saw people coveting it as we passed. Worth every penny! And the kids loved it. If they could just have one adult seat on it I could have kept my feet in prime condition.



3. Bring some of your own sanitizer. I LOVED this petting area. It was heaven for the kids. I wonder if they drug up some of these animals? They were so tame. In fact a couple scared me because I thought they were statues. (The zoo does provide some sanitizer when you leave the fenced area, it was just empty.)



4. Make sure you eat at the cafes. Just save a few hundred dollars for the event, or get a donation from your grandparent. It may have been more zoo-like than the animals themselves, but it was a nice transition from petting world to our find-all-the-animals trek. We only spent a few hours there all together. That was smart--sometimes less is more.



5. Bring Grandpa along to watch the kids...definitely outnumbering the amount of children was a good idea. We were able to get these cool wheel barrels, tractors and play rakes much easier. While another parent headed for an item with kid in tote our extra adult could dash to it free as a bird and snatch it. Also, a grandpa this nice doesn't get mad when your kid (Noah) insists on climbing over fences and constantly refusing to go to the next animal stop because he's so interested in the last. Why didn't I inherit his patience gene?




Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the ferocious animals that were all hiding. The lions were laying on their backs with their limbs pointing towards the air. Do you think these ferocious animals were really "sleeping" the whole time we watched them? They must have drugged them too. Conspiracy. Law suit protection. Whatever! They were so still, I couldn't get Noah to actually see where they were. Plus, I had no idea they lay on their backs like that. I just watched Lion King again to check. Simba slept much more natural looking. Maybe they were scratching their backs on the rocks when the tranquilizer hit them?



BTW-I did dress Mary in the same outfit two days in a row because she insisted; however, they were washed after the beach. Who wears the blue pants in this family?