First stop on our tour of Atlanta: the zoo. Not “The Atlanta Zoo,” mind you: “Zoo Atlanta.” Is it me, or is that wardsback? Maybe a little French? Hmm…”Suitcase Polka Dot.” Something to consider. Adds a little class to the blog, wouldn’t you say?
Anyhoo. If you’ve never been, Zoo Atlanta is a city zoo. First thing we noticed, on this very hot June day — it’s wonderfully shady at Zoo Atlanta. Even while you’re baking outside in the zoo parking lot, you step through the gates and hit those great, winding paths…and there are these lovely, big trees that offer blissful shade. Kinda makes it easier to not purchase the $6 iced drinks. (Next sound you hear will be the business managers at Zoo Atlanta cutting down the trees.)
We arrived around noon, and for a hot day, the animals were surprisingly active. Maybe because most are from hot climates? Well, the lions were sleeping but that’s what they do best. The pandas (Zoo Atlanta’s got a panda cam if you can’t make it in person) were adorable, but the exhibit reminded me of the one in DC; a little sad, with the walls painted to look like they were actually in some deep forest when they were really in a cement room with a glass window. But as I mentioned in my post about the NC Zoo (“Zoo NC”?), I’ve got zoo issues so maybe that’s just me.
The grounds and the exhibits were clean, the animals looked well-cared for, and I really couldn’t get over the great layout (there’s shade!). Sir Buffalo Sushi had his heart set on a Komodo dragon squashed penny — he even had found its location near the carousel before we left home — but the darn machine was out of order. So that was a minor bummer. But you know what hit me the most? Oddly enough, the employees at the zoo. They were insanely nice and helpful. Seriously. I could have sat and watched them interact with the customers all day.
Sir (“Sushi Sir Buffalo”?) will have his photos up, probably tomorrow, and I’m hoping he’ll put up his fantastic elephant pic. And I’ve been totally delinquent all week, but I’ll have more info on the trip next week. Promise I Do.
