Misty San Diego Zoo
Meandering Life Rating: [usr 5]
We felt that we had to go to San Diego Zoo when we stayed near San Diego. It is the one of the most well-known zoos and has the distinction (to most people) of being the best zoo in the US. It is a bit pricey, but they do a crazy amount of conservation work, so we didn’t mind paying a little extra. Helpful hint: a great way to save money is to bring a small backpack with lunch and snacks and a refillable water bottle! The place is huge and takes all day to see everything. There were a few things I noticed that made the zoo “better” than others. The area for the animals are huge so it appears the animals have enough room to have a fulfilling life. They have several animals of the same species when the animals are social in nature. For example, there were no less than 25 bonobo monkeys living in the same space. I always hate to see social animals not have another animal with them. Not the case here, all the social animals had plenty of roommates. There were several babies when we were there too! We saw a baby giraffe and a baby bonobo monkey. Another reason this zoo is “better” is due to the type of animals you never see anywhere else. At least we have never seen these in any other zoo. The main ones were the panda bear and the koala.
Wow, loved seeing those animals for the first time! Amazing! The polar bear exhibit was another great experience, although we have seen them in zoos before (Cincinnati Zoo). It seems crazy, but the animals seemed happy there. I always have mixed feelings about zoos because of the way the animals are treated and them not being in their natural environment. Like I said, I think the zoo does a great job of socializing them and giving them plenty of space and I think because of those factors the animals overall seem happy and well adjusted to their zoo life. I didn’t leave sad at the conditions like I have at other zoos we have visited.
The only negative I thought was the size the park makes it that you couldn’t really see it all in a day if walking. They have a bus system that takes you to a few spots around the park which is good for people who only want to see certain animals, but I like to see all the animals. The bus system didn’t really work for us because once you were dropped off you would have to walk most of the way back to see the animals you missed.
Overall it was a fantastic experience and I think everyone should go if ever in the area.
Pacific Ocean – San Diego
Meandering Life Rating: [usr 5]
Jason and I have been to Florida several times so we both have seen the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, but neither one of us had ever experienced the Pacific Ocean. Our first trip to the Pacific was in San Diego. We went to Sunset Cliffs Natural Park shortly before sunset. Beautiful area to view the ocean! I was blown away by how different it looked. Then we were treated with the most amazing sunset either one of us has ever soon. A few days later we went to a different area (La Jolla) that is known for seals and sea lions and we were not disappointed. We saw them both (with some babies!) hanging out on the rocks, on the beach and in the water.
What an amazing experience! They were so close you could walk right up to them. Of course, we didn’t because we didn’t want to disturb them. They were amazing to see up close in personal in the wild. Beautiful creatures! If you are ever in the area, we highly recommend trying to find them to see for yourself!
