Such a Lovely Place: Pachy' Pro Goes to San Diego

1/3/18, Day 4: A Rocky Climax - Part V

After making through the incredibly mixed odyssey, I once again went through Africa Rocks once last time too get a feel for the area again. It was about the same as the first time. Still missed a few species here and there but for the most part saw everything but the ratel, two lemurs species and some passerines. Though I was very happy to see the geladas considerably more active this time around.

Gelada In Tree - Africa Rocks

Gelada In Tree - Africa Rocks


After I exited the African penguin underwater viewing section, I went to the area of the park I have never been to be for. Absolutely Apes and the Owen's and Parker aviaries. I'm sure some of you must be shocked I missed this section so many times, its just really hidden away and there is also just so much to do. The two aviaries are both bloody brilliant. the Owen's aviary is the larger one, more like Scripps. Though getting hit in the head by an unsuspecting branch after being spooked by a Philippine colored-dove.

The Parker aviary, though it being maybe half the size of the other two ended up being the most memorable to me. Perhaps seeing less animals in a more condense space was easier for me to comprehend. For one, I have a new found appreciation for Capuchin birds (of which one was right in front of me). What other zoos are these birds at? I believe I heard the mention of Cincinnati but I'm not sure if that is still the case. There was also a colorful trio of Andean cock-of-the-rock who were chirping their heads off. Very fun time in here all around.

Parker Aviary - Capuchin Bird

Parker Aviary - Capuchin Bird


Andean Cock-of-the-rock - Parker Aviary

Andean Cock-of-the-rock - Parker Aviary


I made it to Absolutely Apes (I don't like that name at all) and only three orangs were present. Siamangs were no where to be seen, but I quite liked the exhibit. Its an easy contender for top five orangutan exhibits in the US (Though similar to the leopards competition isn't exactly that high). It was a tropical long space and I was pleasantly surprised to see not a single orang on the ground. Those climbing structures may not be that aesthetically pleasing, but clearly they work. Next door was a smaller exhibit for silver leaf langurs. At first I didn't see anything, but then I look up and see a dozen tails hanging down from the enclosures highest point. The exhibit is rather basic but certainly passible.

Orangutan - Absolutely Apes!

Orangutan - Absolutely Apes!


After I finally exited the tropics I headed to the skytram. My calves were starting to ache and I needed to sit down just for a few brief moments. The line was a bit long but it moved quick and I was thankful for that. I peacefully admired the view of the architecture of Balboa Park (Including some strange bronze cage like structure in the distance). On the way down I noticed some of the off exhibit hoofstock yards. I spotted a few peccaries in one and some takin in the other. I also spotted some sort of deer or antelope in the distance but I could not ID. I landed feeling much better if still a little soar. I went back down the steep hill of hoofstock and made it to a tropical bird marsh. It was wonderful. Looked like it was mostly for African birds buts some wild egrets made residence there as well.

Then it was time for what's arguably the zoos star attraction...
 
1/3/18, Day 4: A Rocky Climax - Part VI

Panda Canyon features two sections. The newly constructed (2015) Asian leopard habitats, and the also fairly new (2011) Panda Trek (The actual panda exhibits being older then that). The leopard yards are average in size, but have great climbing opportunities and lush furnishings. The overhead walkways are becoming the norm for modern cat exhibits in zoos, but there is also glass views of a transfer den between the four exhibits. Its a pretty good set of habitats and similar to the mountain lion exhibit, isn't much bigger, but is much better then the old cages.

Now Panda Trek itself also caused a fair bit of debate on here, though not nearly as much as EO. I thought the area was pretty good if a little messy in parts. The red panda exhibits was great even if the inhabitant was asleep in a tree. Mature trees of different sizes round out a decently large yard for the raccoon like critters. The takin exhibit across is fun to watch. There were some great family dynamics between two calves and a young adult as they bumped horns on a few occasions. The exhibit is a fine size, but good god is that "mountain" ugly. There's also a hideous black fence at the very back of paddock that makes this yard good from an animal welfare perspective, but sloppy from a design perspective. Lastly the Mang Mountain pit viper terrarium is a great way to exhibit the species. There's another terrarium in the main reptile building, but the ones here get the Conway bullfrog treatment. I see it all the time, people in reptile buildings spending about five seconds at each enclosure because they are "just a bunch of snakes and lizards." These snakes are treated like royalty at have a furnished massive terrarium that guests were loving them as they are gorgeous snakes.

Now the pandas of course had an a bit of a line as guests penitently waited for what we could all agree are perhaps the most overrated zoo animal of all time. I like pandas, I think there very cool creatures and do very charismatic activities (Or in simple terms: Are fun to watch), but I ust don't get exited for pandas like I do other animals. There were two yards, each lush with plants and plenty of climbing logs. Though the yards are much too small to be considered anything groundbreaking. I left after about two minutes and continued on to the final section of the Lost Forest.

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Tiger River was one of my most anticipated areas going into the zoo. Malayan tigers are my favorite sub-species of tiger and they looked gorgeous here. I don't exactly like how they split part of the exhibit into two, but it isn't the worst thing in the world. The obvious fencing in the back is annoying. Would look so much better if they just replaced it with glass, but I digress. The exhibits following were honestly very enjoyable if a bit small for a few species. I heard a loud squealing in the distance and I assumed is was either a noisy bird or the screeching double-decker busses (Like nails on a chalkboard). To my surprise, it was a Malayan tapir! I never knew they could screech like that (Someone is laughing at the irony of this because of my username). It was such a great surprise as he was romping wild all over the exhibit, which was a bit too small for my liking. I then found a pair of Siamese crocs that-I'm going to say it again- looked awesome! They just exuded awesomeness from there scaly bodies as the sat outside the water staring at the guest. I know the photo I put below isnt too good, but you can still see the awesomeness shining through. Certainly my new favorite species of Crocodylidae. I missed the coconut crab unfortunately, but I did see the fishing cat. I was a bit upset it was later in the day, as if I would have came earlier the lighting would have been perfect for a great photo in that spot. I then made it back to the entrance and did my final activity at the zoo, the bus tour.

Malayan Tapir - Tiger River

Malayan Tapir - Tiger River


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I scurried over to the bus loading area and just barely made it there and I was the last to board. I barely caught a glimpse of a small aviary that visitors can watch while their in line. It was the last bus for the day so they let me sit in the reserved handicapped parking up front. We took off with about an hour left until closing. My caves were killing me and I needed to sit down again, much longer this time. While I could have skipped the bus and went down to the pygmy hippo and slender-snouted crocodile pools, I felt this is what I should have done. I feel I made the right choice to do this. It was a great way to recap one of my favorite visits to any zoo in my lifetime. To see the tigers immeging from the thick vegetation, the polar bears walking about the perimeter of the pool, the elephants eating from the enrichment feeders and so many other things. It was a fantastic time to recap everything that happened on my visit, it was great.

Though I just have to say one more thing, about Urban Jungle. I've been very vocal about my displeasure with this exhibit area and not much has changed. The Indian rhino yard is functional but unremarkable, the giraffe yard is small and unsightly (Though an adorable 2-week old calf partially made up for it), the zebra/donkey and red kangaroo yards were too tiny for their residents, the flamingo yard was plain but probably the best in this area, the trio of metal gaes were incredibly ugly and disappointing and the cheetah yard was long but narrow and lousy (The fact this replaced the old Sumatran rhino exhibit made it 10 times worse). I didn't even bother going through this area on foot.

Anyway, even though I went out on a slightly sour note, I still Loved (with a capital L) the San Diego zoo. It had some bad things, some things that really needed work. But it also had some great things, some things that could be argued to be the best of their kind. This zoo is so immaculate that There are still parts I did not see properly if at all (Hummingbird aviary, Pygmy Hippo & Slender-snouted Crocodile Pools, Passerine Aviaries by Northern Frontier etc.). In fact, I'm so exhausted from visiting three big hitters consecutively, I took day 5 off. No zoos that day.
 
1/4/18, Day 5: Island Liven'

Today, I visited not a single institution. I was so worn out from the day before I just needed a day to relax. I also wanted to explore the scenery of the island. I spent the morning just like I have every morning here. I sipped some tea while watching the crashing ocean waves. Its such a fine thing to do. I then went for a stroll around the island. Spent some time on the beach and the waves were crazy high today. Watched some surfers get flailed off their boards and into the ocean, which was pretty entertaining to watch.

After that I went back my hotel room. I had originally intended on taking some photographs of the islands beauty but I had accidentally left it on overnight while uploading the zoo photos. Ah well. I continued on and grabbed some lunch at Shearwater, which is the main dining area for the del.

Note: A coke tastes 10 times better with some lime in it.

After a bit more of admiring the lovely view of the plaza and the Pacific ocean, I returned back over in the main city San Diego. I went to buy some gifts for friends of mine at shopping plaza not to far away from the bay bridge that connects the city and the island. The place had some lovely Spanish architecture that applied to just about every building on the site. There were a lot of shops that I had never heard of before. My favorite was hot licks, a specialized hot sauce shop (yeah you heard me). I grabbed some dinner at a taco place in the area which was average at best. Though it was certainly not to appetizing meal I've ever eaten in my life.

I came back to the hotel a little early as I really needed to finish writing for the day, as I was incredibly behind. Luckily, It looks like I'll finish it by midnight so I can get some shuteye. It was nice having a day off of "zooing" but I think I may be having zoo withdraw. No problem, I'll be getting my self to another facility tomorrow.

Goodnight everyone.
 
The bronze looking structure you saw from th sky tram is the free to enter Balboa Park Botanical Building. It is all wood and was built for the 1916 Panama California Expo.

The shopping center is called Seaport Village. It's lease is up soon (great that you made it in time!) and will be redeveloped into a new center which will include a new aquarium made by the same guys who did OdySea in Phoenix.
 
When I was young I never understood why Coronado was referred to as an island when it was connected to the continent by land. Took me a second to remember that while reading your day 5 adventures. For a few seconds I wondered what island you were referring too. I always drive down and up the silver strand to visit Coronado. I hate that horrible Coronado Bridge. Too scary for me.
 
timmychompchomp said:
When I was young I never understood why Coronado was referred to as an island when it was connected to the continent by land. Took me a second to remember that while reading your day 5 adventures. For a few seconds I wondered what island you were referring too. I always drive down and up the silver strand to visit Coronado. I hate that horrible Coronado Bridge. Too scary for me.
Click to expand...

Silver Strand is where the navy seals train. Great beach there too. It is a great place to go when Coronado is too busy.
 
pachyderm pro said:
1/4/18, Day 5: Island Liven'

Today, I visited not a single institution. I was so worn out from the day before I just needed a day to relax. I also wanted to explore the scenery of the island. I spent the morning just like I have every morning here. I sipped some tea while watching the crashing ocean waves. Its such a fine thing to do. I then went for a stroll around the island. Spent some time on the beach and the waves were crazy high today. Watched some surfers get flailed off their boards and into the ocean, which was pretty entertaining to watch.

After that I went back my hotel room. I had originally intended on taking some photographs of the islands beauty but I had accidentally left it on overnight while uploading the zoo photos. Ah well. I continued on and grabbed some lunch at Shearwater, which is the main dining area for the del.

Note: A coke tastes 10 times better with some lime in it.

After a bit more of admiring the lovely view of the plaza and the Pacific ocean, I returned back over in the main city San Diego. I went to buy some gifts for friends of mine at shopping plaza not to far away from the bay bridge that connects the city and the island. The place had some lovely Spanish architecture that applied to just about every building on the site. There were a lot of shops that I had never heard of before. My favorite was hot licks, a specialized hot sauce shop (yeah you heard me). I grabbed some dinner at a taco place in the area which was average at best. Though it was certainly not to appetizing meal I've ever eaten in my life.

I came back to the hotel a little early as I really needed to finish writing for the day, as I was incredibly behind. Luckily, It looks like I'll finish it by midnight so I can get some shuteye. It was nice having a day off of "zooing" but I think I may be having zoo withdraw. No problem, I'll be getting my self to another facility tomorrow.

Goodnight everyone.
Click to expand...

I shall eagerly await the conclusion.
 
I wish you could have visited during a time when it was not so crazy crowded. I tried bringing my 2 grandkids there on Thursday but we left after an hour. I feel grateful that I live so close and am able to enjoy the zoo without the crowds. It truly is a different experience when it is quiet. Did you not visit the gorilla and bonobo exhibits?
 
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I just want to thank you for all the amazing reviews you have done and I wonder if there is still one or two more to come:)
 
Thank you all for your replies.

@The_UltimateBea Thank you for those interesting tidbits. Its nice that I'll have a new institution to visit net time I'm in the area. I hope they don't completely do away with the Spanish architecture, as I'm quite fond of it. I also believed I walked near that Navy Base on the island yesterday.

@timmychompchomp How could you hate the bay bridge? I love it. The view up there is incredible and you can see almost the entire city from there. Ah, I suppose will just have to agree to disagree.

@betsy Don't worry ;). I saw both the gorillas and bonobos, but as there were both sleeping and/or lying around so I only saw them from one view. The gorillas by Treetops Café, and the bonobos right before the Scripps aviary. I they were more up and about I would have stayed longer.

@TZDugong Glad I've been able interest people in my traveling such as yourself. Unfortunately, I leave tomorrow afternoon so today will likely be my last facility.
 
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Fear of heights and a serious fear of the ocean. Always had a fear of heights and developed a fear of the ocean on a trip between Catalina and Long Beach. Long story short, as a young child I had to hold on for dear life on a catamaran in open ocean while adults were oblivious and probably drunk. After that, avoid the ocean. When possible I avoid high bridges over large bodies of water. If there is no other option I can be brave, but that bridge is too scary for me to save 20 minutes.
 
@pachyderm pro @timmychompchomp
If you want a great view of the city without going on the bridge you can go to Cabrillo National Monument which is on a cliff above san diego bay. Better view than bridge.

The Aquarium is in the very early stages of planning. It's unlikely to be completed anytime soon.
 
1/5/18, Day 6: Won't you Save me San Francisco Diego - Part I

Well today was my last full day in California. In 24 hours from now I'll have returned to ice ridden Chicago. However, today I visited my final facility in California, the Living Coast Discovery Center.

Like most people, I didn't even know this place existed until @snowleopard visited it in during his 2017 road trip over the summer. I figured since it was small and a mere 10 minutes away from the island I should stop by for a visit, so I did. Let me say that I didn't expect much from Center. I expected some decent exhibits for a rather uninspiring collection. However, I was gladly proven wrong. I arrived about 15 minutes after opening and patiently waited train to arrive (That may have inspired what song I chose to rip for the title) that takes you to the main center. It came after around 10 minutes and it took about half that to reach the actual facility. It has a fine view on the way here though and there only perhaps eight other people on the train.

Wetlands

Wetlands


Once you get there you are immediately greeted with Turtle Lagoon, a pool for Eastern green sea turtles. There were two that were being fed by a keeper what looked to be crab legs. Once inside the building you must pay a minor $16 admission fee before entering. The inside of the building is mostly comprised of small reptile/amphibian terrariums and some aquariums. The best of the aquariums was a large rainbow trout pond with several viewing angles. Others included a giant pacific octopus tank, some jellyfish and a native pond tank. As far as reptiles go, a couple native species and that's about it, all in solid if unspectacular exhibits. I didn't notice the mouse house which was spotted on SL's road trip, it seems to have been removed all together which means there is not a single solitary mammal in the parks grounds. That's a rare sight for a modern zoological facility.

Sea Tutle Close Up

Sea Tutle Close Up


Once in the main outdoor area of the park you can either head right to the bird cages or left to the shark & ray experience. I went left and went in to a large touch tank for leopard sharks, some bottom feeders and some large rays. There were several viewing angles and the tank is above average all around. One of the rays was even splashing an older gentlemen by the glass. There was also a large blue tub for horseshoe crabs which were off exhibit. It seemed a bit strange as why not just build a much better looking touch tank for them? It wouldn't cost that much I'd imagine.

The other side of the park was exclusively birds. Raptors and shorebirds dominated the rest of the facility and were all found in above average habitats. The most notable is the light-footed ridgeways rail, a bird which is not found in a zoo any where else on the planet. Unfortunately, I didn't not see the birds despite stopping at the exhibit area twice. The exhibit is self is quite good providing space and privacy for the small coastal birds. Its adjacent to a lovely shorebird aviary which was my favorite area in the park. It contains some seagulls, black oystercatchers, egrets and a few native duck species. Its a small little gem of an area if you ask me. Next up was the "Raptor Row" which is a series of cages for rescue birds of prey in chain link exhibits. A turkey vulture, osprey, red-tailed hawk, great horned owl and some others are included in basic functional aviaries. Still very nice.

Black Oystercatcher

Black Oystercatcher


The final area in the park is Eagle Mesa. Its comprised of a single exhibit split in half. One half contains a bald eagle, the other a golden eagle. Its a great to see such a great comparison of the species up close. Both habitats are perfectly acceptable, though they could use more areas to climb (Not fly, as I assume both birds are injured). That was the last main animal attraction in The LCDC (Not to be confused with ACDC) is a small pollinator garden which was about empty on my visit. There was a great sign about bee conservation and it was a nice way to end my visit. I was done with my visit and I patiently waited for the bus to come back, and I spent to final few minutes watching some sea turtles.

The Living Coast Discovery Center/ Chula Vista Nature Center/ San Diego Bay Nature Rehabilitation Center is a fine little facility. After all the walking and running around massive parks for three days straight this was a lovely change of pace and I am really quite glad I made it here. I recommend it as it has some great stuff and they need all the support they can get. Only a third of 100,000 visitors come each year.
 
1/5/18, Day 6: Won't you Save me San Francisco Diego - Part II

After wrapping up my final zoo/aquarium of the trip, I returned back to Coronado Island and grabbed some grub at a local pizzeria about two blocks from the del. It was quite cheap compared to some of the other food I ate this week. After lunch I went and completed my daily activity of having a glass of tea while watching the ocean. Seriously, I don't know why I enjoy this so much, its an anomaly!

Moving past my daily tea time, I went down for another walk around the island. This was the most crowded day of my trip since the evening I arrived. For the first time, I was unable to find a parking spot by the shore like I have every other day of the week so I found a slightly tight but close spot in a nearby subdivision. It was packed with cars today and just about every part of the island was crawling with tourists. I went down to the beach once more for a about a half hour. I'm a bit of a sucker for the ocean, In fact, while writing every day of this trip, I've had a sliding door open so I could hear the waves while writing. It truly helps you think clearer.

After being harassed by some seagulls for a few moments, I went back up to my room once more to take a quick 2 hour power nap before getting dinner at Shearwater. I was served by a funny women who apparently works at SeaWorld as her main job. We had a brief conversation about the place as I had told her I visited earlier in the week. The food was good but still not worth the price it ended up being. I guess that's California for you.

I now sit in my hotel room during my last night in the golden state. Its been great. Not just the zoos even. The people, the views, the weather, the places...

Ah who am I kidding, the zoos were amazing. My currently zoo/aquarium tally has been brought to 15 and I hope to add at least a couple more throughout the year. I'll discuss some future travel plans in the coming days but lets just say, I'm really happy about where I'll be heading (Though I'll still remain in the states for now).

I'll see you all tomorrow in my last day of the trip...
 
1/6/18, Day 7: And Now You Say Your Leaving California

Bonus points for whoever's able to guess what song I quoted for the title.

Well, I'm back. Back in the frigid temperatures of Illinois and am already missing the golden state. Today was fairly uneventful. The plane ride was much better this time around though, maybe because I slept through most of it. I arrived back about three hours ago and my oh my is it cold. To my extremely pleasant surprise, temps are supposedly going up to 48 later this week which I was overjoyed to hear. Of course then it will drop back down to the 20's but at this point I'll take what I can get.

Well sense today was really nothing but an uneventful flight and me packing and leaving the hotel, I decided to do more of a recap. A recap of all the events of the trip. The best moments, the worst moments, and everything in between. As for a zoos go...

San Diego Zoo - As I said earlier, my favorite zoological facility. Still needs some work in a lot of places, like Bear Canyon, Urban Jungle and the Children's zoo. However, the great out ways the bad very heavily. I like to think of the zoo as like a giant metropolitan city in itself. It has street names, views of nearby architecture, some bad areas like any city and some great food and dining areas. Just like Chicago, but with tropical plants, and constantly good weather... and practically no crime rate, but you understand what I'm getting at. Its a fantastic place.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park - Fantastic just like the zoo. The rolling field exhibits are brilliant and the nearby habitats (Mainly for hoofstock) mesh in seamlessly. The views from Condor Ridge are breathtaking and can't be found at any other American zoo at least that stunning. Not a single really bad area, but is beaten out by the zoo in terms of variety in collection and variety in exhibits. A lot of the Safari Park feels the same, which may not be bad when everything's so good, but it gets a little stale after a bit.

SeaWorld San Diego - A highly flawed but still very good establishment. They've made some great choices recently, mainly regarding the orcas but other things as well and the park is slowly improving. The dolphin show was pretty painful in parts and I'm not quite sure I could do it again, even for the pilot whales. It was a bit to commercial for my taste but it was enjoyable none the less.

Living Coast Discovery Center - Completely different atmosphere then the other three, as expected. A lovely little place that was a great way to spent an hour. The shorebird aviary is my favorite and the everything else is above average.

Yes I'm very much aware that the posts I have written have several typos (A rather humorous one @Chlidonias pointed out). I don't mean to make excuses, but I wrote those between 10PM- 12AM WCT, and my body felt like it was 12AM - 2AM CST. I was incredibly tired and I'm surprised I had the stamina to write these at all.

I'm incredibly thankful to those who contributed to the thread and read along. It gave me some extra motivation to write when I really wanted to sleep. Thank you all for following me along on this vacation.

Well, now that I'm done here, time to start planning my next trip.

Up Next - Spring has Sprung: Pachy' Pro Goes to Florida (Working Title)
 
I looked forward to your posts everyday and really enjoyed your opinions on the institutions in my home city.

I thinks the safari park's sameness stems from a good thing. One of the greatest distinctions between the zoo and the safari park is the park's master planning vs the zoo's gradual evolution over time. Although the Safari Park has been renovated and developed the structure remains the same as it was when it first opened. This has some great benefits in that travel from one exhibit to the next is really straightforward and easy and the park's unifying theme adds to immersion. Everything revolves around the center lagoon and the planning is just smart throughout.

Although movement has and will dramatically improve with the addition of the Bashor bridge/elevator, the zoo is still much more of a difficult maze than the safari park. It's incoherence of placement not only applies its poor exhibits like urban jungle but also to its stellar areas like lost forest. It definitely loses to institutions like Colombus or the Safari Park in terms of definitive areas.

All this considered I do agree with your central argument for the zoo's supremacy over the Safari Park. Although almost every exhibit in the Safari Park is amazing, something which can obviously not be said about the zoo, the zoo's density, sheer exhibit amount, and species collection ultimately wins out.

There is another subjective factor which always makes me struggle with where the two institutions land in my heart. The zoo is an easy bus ride from my house so I can go there quite often despite my lack of car or license. The safari park, on the other hand, is always a trip. While this is clearly a downside it makes every visit to the park that much more special and exciting. This added with the stellar immersion of the park makes the visit feel almost like an adventure every time. Despite this institution being so close to home I get some of the same spark that others like Pachy get when they visit for the first time. The more I think about these two institutions the less I am able to pick a favorite.

Sorry for my rambling on your thread, Pachy. I wasn't really planning on writing a whole comparison. :)

P.S. I hope you understood my believed benefits of master planning; It was hard to explain.
 
Thank you for this wonderful road report @pachyderm pro! I really enjoyed reading your zoo reviews, and was a fan of how you integrated your personal experiences savouring the California warmth and life style in with the zoo discussion.
This thread will be quite helpful for me planning my first trip to California (hopefully this spring).
 
Thanks for making all the reviews and I really enjoyed this thread. Also it"s good to hear another thread is on the way!
 
@The_UltimateBea No need to say sorry at all. I have similar feelings towards my local zoos as well. The Brookfield zoo is a fairly short drive from my house, but Lincoln Park is a bit further and in the city were is always crowded. This makes me go to the Brookfield zoo more often and Lincoln Park less. Similarly, Brookfield is by far the superior zoo.

Now your other point. About the zoo being superior with a handful of nasty areas, but the Safari Park being lesser with basically not a single awful area. This is quite similar again to my local zoos. Brookfield I don't believe has a single "awful" area but they do have some weak parts (Parts of Tropic World, The Bird/Reptile Building(s), Cat Grottos). Lincoln Park had plenty of weak parts, but almost all of them have been demolished and replaced with new exhibit areas for polar bears, African penguins and Japanese macaques in the past 5 years. Up next, what is arguably the worst cat house in any AZA facility is getting renovated into a new exhibit for lion, and most of the old inhabitants have been cleared out. This will leave not a single awful area on the zoos grounds, but its still lesser than the Brookfield zoo, which only builds a new exhibit area around every 5 or so years. Because of Brookfield's massive collection and variety in exhibits, it beats out Lincoln Park zoo.

@m30t I was wondering why you skipped California during you road trip earlier this year. Please do another trip report if you can, I will gladly read along and I'm sure other will to. Glad I could be of help during its planning :).

@TZDugong which reminds me, weren't your California trip reports suppose to start a week ago? ;)
 
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