At the Zoo

Someone told me
It's all happening at the zoo
I do believe it
I do believe it's true
                          -- Paul Simon
                             At the Zoo

Owen learns about pandas ...

I'm not sure everything is happening at the zoo, but our visit to the National Zoo today proved that there is a lot going on there.

The zoo, which is one of the 17 Smithsonian museums located in Washington, is more than 100 years old (it opened in 1889) and currently houses more than 2,000 animals from about 400 different species. And, as today's visit once again demonstrated, it is also the most popular place in the DC area for the young stroller set and those that push them.

Our trip provided something for all of us. Audrey got to see her favorite, the giant panda. For Owen, it was the Asian elephants. Grandmom got to spend time with the apes. And I discovered a specialty food stand that featured gourmet $5 hot dogs. For the record, I had the Foggy Bottom (melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing) and the Berkley (spicy mustard, relish, and banana peppers).

... while Audrey dreams of unicorns

After lunch, Owen did what he currently does best at that time - he fell asleep in his stroller. Audrey used the break from her brother to convince Grandmom to let her get her face painted. Earlier in the day, she had said that while she loved the animals, she wished the zoo had a unicorn. So Audrey asked her face painter to turn her into a pink and purple unicorn. Looking into the mirror, Audrey proclaimed, "see Grandmom, now there is a unicorn at the zoo."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
Our visit to the zoo meant that we had now taken Audrey, 4, and her brother Owen, 3, this week to the 4 Smithsonian Museums most suited for youngsters. Audrey said she liked the stuffed animals and dinosaur bones at the Museum of Natural History best. As expected, for Grandmom, it was the apes at the zoo. I picked the Museum of American History, which has been my favorite since I was just a little older than my grandchildren are now. Audrey said Owen couldn't vote. The reason - he had slept through more parts of the museums than he had seen.