I have lived here for over a year and have never made it to the Lincoln Park Zoo.  Lame, I know.  It’s free, it’s super close, it’s free…how did I never find time to do this?  Well, today at 10am, I found time.  After a Starbucks stop, my man friend and I walked over to the zoo.  It was 75 degrees by the time we left the house so we could have been walking to the landfill and been as happy as we were to be outside in weather that didn’t include ice, snow, or sleet.

Lincoln Park Zoo is really something.  Founded in 1868, this place all started with a pair of swans.  Apparently, there was also a bear that used to escape and roam around the nearby neighborhoods.  Today, I saw a lot of animals living happily in their habitats.  The “cat” exhibit kind of made me sad, the leopards seemed way too big to be in such a small area but there was one asleep on its back with its paw in the air that reminded me of Luna Bell.  Cats are cats, I suppose, although this leopard would not have fit in my window sill the way LB is right now.  And I suppose it would also eat more.  Anyways.  We saw lions, leopard, blue frogs, bats, flamingos, zebras, swans, guerrillas, monkeys and snakes. The Zoo was packed with families by the time we left and kids were noshing on cotton candy, popcorn and pretzels.  Such a cool options for kids in the city.  Free, fun, educational and it gave us something different to do.  I will definitely be looping in there on my next run, just to wave hi to my new guerrilla friends.