Once we decided this moving thing was actually happening, we knew it was time to get serious about soaking up all this city has to offer. Our good friends moved away years ago and somehow we’ve seen each other more in recent years than we did when we both lived here! They were in town for the weekend and invited us to the zoo, which was just the motivation we needed to head into the city for the day. 

I don’t know what it is about a 40 minute drive. Please tell me I’m not alone here! 20 minutes is nothing, 30 minutes is doable, 35 minutes is acceptable and 40 minutes is somehow dreadful. We live about 40 minutes outside of D.C…and we almost never go. As with most things, though, the second we get home from the long drive I look back on the day. All the hustle to get out the door, all the questions on the way there and all the crying on the way back; the less than lovely porta-potty experiences and everything in between. It’s all worth it. Every single time.

Except there was a family next to us at lunch that started feeding a squirrel cotton-candy. That was one of the creepiest moments of my life.

 

This particular Saturday fell on the first sunny and warm weekend since, well, October. It also happened to be Spring break so when I tell you it was packed, I mean Times Square on New Years Eve packed. For whatever reason, the animals were all really feeling themselves too and put on the best show I’ve ever seen at a zoo in my life! The orangutans were swinging overhead, a panda climbed a tree and rolled down a hill for a solid ten minutes and the lion gave us some top notch roars. Best zoo day of all time!

 

So far, my favorite zoos have been this one (the Smithsonian National Zoo) and the Bioparco in zoo. I get so sad when the animals seem unhappy, lonely or distressed. This zoo has a way of making it seem like you’re peeking into their environment and their the happiest of their species.