We happen to live a block from the zoo in both NYC and DC, so the kid's been going to see the animals a couple of times a week since she was like two weeks old. [Not to rag too much on the neighbors, but National Zoo is one hella ghetto zoo; so much walking, so little animal payoff. I'll take OCD-addled polar bears and ex-gay penguins over an arthritic kangaroo and a panda you have to park your stroller to see any day.]
Anyway, since finding the National Geographic WildCam last week, we may never go to the zoo again. They have a webcam trained on Pete's Pond, a Botswanan watering hole 24/7 that brings all our zoo and book favorites--elephants, monkeys, zebras, ostriches (which the kid calls emus), hyenas, but alas, no penguins--right to my monitor. We watched an elephant taking a bath for like half an hour yesterday. The kid was transfixed. And now I can cut back on my trips outside by up to 35%. It's win-win!
National Geographic WildCam, live from Pete's Pond [natgeo via IP]
we live in DC as well and are dissappointed in our zoo. Recently we were at the Altanta Zoo and my husband complained to me about the almost $20 a person to get in. Well, as we strolled around the manageable zoo and saw (multiple)animals in every exhibit, that resembled natural habitats, we compared it to our zoo at home and I concluded: you get what you pay for. I am normally not a fan of commercialization, but ceased to care that the Atlanta zoo was completely sponsored by corporations. Atleast there were animals to look at.
The only redeeming quality the national zoo has is that it is essentially one giant park with some animal habitats scattered about. If you think of it that way, as a place to go jogging or have a picnic, it's wonderful. Always easy if you've been there enough to find yourselves a quiet corner to chow down, change a diaper, etc. But as a Zoo with a capital Z? Sucks. I grew up in Philly. Even their zoo is 10 times better.
yeah, my oldest son and I reached the same conclusion after visiting the National Zoo in 2001, that our Oregon Zoo at home is much better as far zoos go. Even my hubby, a DC snob, agrees that our zoo here is better.
Greg, if you reduce your outings by that high a percentage, when will you ever get the most mileage out of your Bugaboos???
We are from Indy, which has a decent zoo for a decent price. We really liked DC's zoo because of it had animals that our zoo doesn't (for example: Pandas). Heck, we don't even have Gorillas.
Zoo? What is this "zoo" you speak of?
Montreal has Granby Zoo (about an hour out of the city), a pathetic pile of dung if there ever was one.