Washington, DC (USA)

After weeks of rain, Mollie and I awoke to sunshine and realized we should seize the day - so we headed to the National Zoo! We left my apartment at 0900 and, driving through the area near the Kennedy Center, arrived about 45 minutes later. We normally take the Metro but this time we used our FoNZ membership perks (free parking, discounts on food, free tote bag). For several hours, we walked around the entire place, enjoying visits and visuals on several animals we hadn’t normally seen. Mollie was able to get information about conducting an interview with one of the Pinniped Handlers (for a school project). We also learned some new things about Genus-Species-Subspecies. First time & special highlights today: cute animal babies (gorilla, panda, grey seal, orangutan) playing, elephant with huge tusks (“Spike”), Komodo Dragon, tiger swimming, Orangutan crossing O-Line and more. Before leaving, we ate lunch at the Mane Diner and then walked around the Zoo one more time. We really made the best of the beautiful weather and can’t wait to return!