zoo day

thursday sullivan and i used our new membership to the zoo for the first time. we arrived around 10 or so and stayed until about 11:30. now that i have gone once, i have learned a few things that will come in handy on future trips:

1: Get there early! the earlier the better. like, i think next time i will be in the parking lot waiting for the doors to open at 9. i keep forgetting how famous the san diego zoo is and how people plan their vacations around going there. it is a crazy busy place. and all the school groups! craziness. but the school groups didn't get there until a little bit later, so 9 am is key.

2: i need to find some discreet feeding areas. i had been walking around looking at animals and before i knew it, sullivan was hungry, and he was hungry NOW. i found a bench under a walkway across from some plants, which i thought was a prime spot because there were no animals near there. but apparently, this plant area is the place where a lot of walking tours start, so when i sat down it was pretty empty, but within 2 minutes there were hoards of people walking up and down the sidewalk waiting for their tour to begin. and i had my little nursing cover AND was partially protected by the stroller position, but the noise of all those people was distracting sullivan from the task at hand so it took forever. i wonder if a semi secluded place even exists? will do some serious hunting next time.

3: the gorillas are amazing, but getting there with a stroller is completely different than just walking. to avoid all the stairs, you have to go through the aviary which has like 5 sets of double doors to make sure the the birds don't escape. i don't want to stop seeing the gorillas, because there is a 5 month old baby i am dying to see, but i think i need to find a way to open the doors while pushing a stroller that does not involve the use of my butt as a door stop.

and while i do love the zoo, it makes me a little sad. like my beloved elephants, who spend their whole lives walking in the wild, are confined to this space that is what? the size of a football field, maybe? and the lions were lounging in a barren enclosure the size of a basketball court. i know the san diego zoo is amazing and the animals are well cared for and the endangered ones will live long lives instead of being poached in the wild. but how is it to be a polar bear living in san diego? i don't know. i don't know...

pictures to follow when i get on the other computer.