As free time dwindles down towards the black hole that is finals week, Sarah and I have been seizing every opportunity we have to cross things off our bucket list. Since Fordham classes ended on Wednesday, Sarah and I decided to go visit one of the locations on our bucket list before heading home for the Easter break. This week, Sarah and I decided to take the lengthy journey all the way across the street to visit the Bronx Zoo.
For those of you who are unaware, I am nature crazy. I love animals, I love the environment, and I love learning about the animals and the environment. If I was any good at science, I would likely be pursuing a career in zoology so that I could work in a zoo. I’m a total fan of zoos.
That disclaimer having been made, I have to admit something. I actually had a really awful time at the Bronx Zoo. This is a first in NYC Bucket List history. Most of the places I go I can’t stop raving about or recommending. The Bronx Zoo was just kind of …a total dud.
It may be totally circumstantial. I think Sarah and I accidentally visited on “National Everyone In The Entire Metropolitan Area Visit The Bronx Zoo Day.” To say the zoo was overcrowded was a vast understatement. It was more of a collection of people than a collection of animals. Normally I love people (and I LOVE people-watching), but this was just too much. For one unpleasant, experiencing-encompassing example, Sarah and I visited the monkey house. Normally, I believe the monkey house should smell like monkeys, or whatever monkeys eat, or variations on that good old zoo odor (everyone knows which one I’m talking about). But the monkey house actually smelled like human body odor because of the sheer amount of people that had packed into the house. Ew.
I’m still glad we went. It was certainly an experience. Plus we got awesome souvenir cups with giant animals (that we were absolutely sure were cool in the zoo, and then became extremely ashamed of once we stepped out into the Bronx). For anyone looking to visit, definitely go on a Wednesday. The zoo is free that day, or you can give a donation to help support some of their conservation efforts. Sarah and I both donated as a small way of celebrating Earth Day! I can’t say I totally recommend the Bronx Zoo, but definitely try it out!
(For anyone wondering, we didn’t even get to see that famous renegade cobra, Mia. The zoo was so crowded that we couldn’t even find the reptile house!)