My Mid-Week Trip to the Detroit Zoo

Classes are back in session and summer is pretty much... well over. The neighborhood kids aren't laying around watching TV or playing street hockey until a time out is called for a passing car. No, it seems like America has stepped back into the busy routine of life.

Knowing all of this and realizing I only have a couple weeks or even days of sunshine and warm weather left, a trip to the zoo before the first snow fall was in order. (Yes, I just wrote the word snow. It's all in the back of our minds now, you know it). I hadn't been to the Detroit Zoo in about 4ish years and was anxious to see what I would think it of it. We went on a Wednesday after school had started so we didn't have to dodge youngsters trying to run away from their parents or the ones standing on the side of the exhibit trying to be the animal they were watching. While always entertaining, it was nice to enjoy the zoo and keep some of my sanity intact.

My favorite part of the zoo would have to be the Arctic Ring of Life. I could sit in that tube for hours and watch the polar bears and seals swim above me. Plus, if it's a hot day they usually keep it pretty cold in there so it's a great resting place. One of the polar bears thought it was a great spot to hang out too because when we walked into the tunnel, he was just sitting on top of the glass tube playing with a ball. Standing in the tunnel, you saw a big squishy ball of fur against the top of the tunnel, pure polar bear butt. AMAZING! He continued to play with the ball, biting it and swimming after it, continually returning to rest on the top of the tunnel. It definitely made the trip worth while.

As we continued to walk through to the other exhibits, we mostly saw animals relaxing. No wild fights or animals attacking humans. Damn. (Just kidding on the whole animals attacking humans thing). But out of all the animals besides the active polar bear, the sloth was the only animal to peak out of his resting place inside a log to wave hello to us. Thank you sloth. It was great to see you too :)

Overall the trip to the zoo was delightfully entertaining and relaxing. While it doesn't relate to animals per say, the best part of my trip was walking out the zoo towards the parking garage, looking up at the zoo water tower knowing Kwame's name would soon be down. The city of Detroit will now be able to move forward. Even if they don't get his name down till next spring.



General Detroit Zoo Information
www.detroitzoo.org

Admission Fees:
$11.00 - Adult, 13 years - 61
$7.00 - Child, 2 - 12 years
$9.00 - Senior, 62 years+
Free - Under 2 years

Hours of Operation:

April-Memorial Day and Labor Day-October
10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Memorial Day-Labor Day
9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
(Wednesdays in July-August
until 8 p.m.)

November-March
10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and
New Year's Day.