Cute Pandas, a Hippoquarium, and a squirting Rhino! :-)
Written: Nov 21 '00 (Updated Nov 25 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: great habitats, panda, hippos, gorillas!
Cons: ummmm....I'm thinking.....
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| kevlog's Full Review: San Diego Zoo |
Well I finally made it to the granddaddy of zoos! I spent four hours last Tuesday at the “World Famous” (well, the sign says so!) San Diego Zoo and was not disappointed! A friendly Coronado cab driver handed me a two dollar off coupon as he dropped me off at the main gate, so I paid 24 dollars for the ‘deluxe’ ticket. This got me in the door PLUS a 35 minute double decker bus tour that went all the way around the park. Not only is the San Diego Zoo a great zoological park but it’s also a fantastic Botanical Garden as well as an all around treat for the senses. We went in November and had much of the zoo to ourselves!
I’ve been to the National Zoo in D.C., The Pittsburgh Zoo, the Detroit Zoo, the Houston Zoo, Tampa’s Lowry Park (see earlier Epinion!) and Roger Williams Park in Providence as well as Boston’s Stone Zoo and I must say that San Diego, as I’d heard all my life, was clearly the best.
Some of the highlights of my visit:
The Gorilla Tropics areas was truly amazing. Never have I been that close to a gorilla! We’re talking inches! The huge silverback, the dominant male of the troop (which numbered at least a dozen) came over to one of the viewing areas where only a couple inches of glass separate you from the gorillas and sat down directly in front of me. I was able to look into his eyes, study his amazing fingers, see his teeth, and stare in awe as he surveyed both the silly humans looking in at him, and the wrestling adolescent gorillas rolling around on the ground nearby. I took some of the best panoramic pictures of my life (OK so I’ve only had the panoramic camera for a couple months!) in the open air viewing area. Seeing the mother gorilla, baby on her back, following a huge male while a couple of adolescents piled onto each other brought me back to some of my wacky college days living in the dorm. Being so close to these magnificent creatures was truly a highlight of my trip to San Diego. Even better than the painted pony in Tijuana, but I’ll save that for my Tijuana epinion. If you have limited time at the San Diego Zoo (as some of my coworkers who arrived later in the day did) then Don’t Miss the Gorillas!!!
Another great thing you’ll find at this zoo is a hippoquarium. How often can you study hippos up close and personal while watching them both above and below the water’s surface? One of my co-workers who spent the better portion of an hour just staring at a pair who were basically doing a hippo’s version of water ballet, said he was reminded of the movie ‘Fantasia’ as he watched them gracefully swim circles around each other. Like the gorillas, the hippos are truly amazing!
The Reptile House! Name a snake, any snake, and it’s probably here! From tiny green snakes (blending in with blades of grass) to a huge twenty (or was it 30?) foot anaconda which looked like it might’ve just wolfed down a small poodle (something was working its way through its belly!) you’ll find them all here! There are cobras, rattlers, and boa constrictors, and many, many more! Just when you think you’ve seen them all you turn a corner and there are twenty more to see. This place is not for the squeamish!
The Elephant Mesa (and Rhinos, too) are another must see! Elephants are beautiful creatures and we watched as one of them cleaned his toenails (hoofnails?) with a stick held in his trunk! Pretty intelligent. There is a warning near the rhinos pointing out that they may spray up to 20 feet so you might watch yourself or bring an umbrella. Kinda like the Maid of the Mist boatride at Niagara!
If you get hungry during your zoo visit there are ten different dining options including a Mexican Café (called the Canyon Café), basic hot dog places (Lagoon Terrace, Children’s Zoo Cupboard, and Safari Snacks), and soft serve ice cream (Sydney’s Grill, Raintree Grill, Canyon Café Annex, and others). There’s also a ‘Java Cart’ if you’re needing a caffeine jolt, not that there’s anything to bore you at this great zoo!
There is one full service restaurant in the zoo called Albert’s Restaurant, serving steaks, chicken, salads, seafood, wine and beer.
The zoo is open at 9 a.m. and closes at 5, but the final tickets are sold at 4 p.m. As I said I spent 4 hours there but some of my co-workers visited for a mere hour and a half and still had a blast!
Other things to see at the San Diego Zoo:
There’s a tram that runs over the zoo called the ‘Skyfari Aerial Tram’ and it will take you from the Reptile House near the entrance back to the ‘Polar Bear Plunge’ way in the back. You need separate tickets for this ride unless you bought the deluxe ticket like I did. This gets you both the bus ride and a ride on the tram. The tram looks exactly like the skyride that runs through the Magic Kingdom at Disneyworld.
There are two shows to see while you’re here as well; a Sea Lion Show at 11 and 3 (near Reptile Mesa) and the Wild Ones Show which highlights exotic birds and animals from all over the world. (shows at 12 and 2 near Cat Canyon).
Zoophone Audio Tours are four dollars and involve carrying a digital audio player with you for an ‘enhanced learning’ sort of tour. Comes in many languages including German and Japanese. I skipped this, opting to simply look at and enjoy the animals at my own pace.
There are also cool moving sidewalks that take you up some of the steeper inclines near Cat Canyon and the Rainforest Aviary (a great aviary by the way!).
You could spend a whole day at the San Diego Zoo and not see it all but in the four hours I was there I felt I got a great taste of what this great zoo is all about!
When else will I get that close to a gorilla? It was truly amazing! Don't forget your camera. My panoramic shots of the giraffes, gorillas, and rhinos were huge hits at the office today!
Thanks for Reading!
(P.S. Many people tell me the Wild Animal Park, 30 miles north of San Diego and related to the San Diego Zoo, is well worth the drive and is better than the zoo in some ways! We didn't have time but you might look into it!)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kevlog
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Member: Kevin
Location: Southeastern Massachusetts
Reviews written: 233
Trusted by: 283 members
About Me:
I am constantly overwhelmed with the richness of life.
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