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| James loved the animals, but the playground was just as much fun! |
We kicked off the new year in San Francisco. While much of the city seemed to still be recovering from their New Years Eve celebrations, Beth, James and I were up and moving early. First up was a visit to the hospital to spend a little time with Sarah, Joey and Emma Joy. The trio had a nice first night together. Sarah's hospital room overlooked the city and she said they were able to see some of the city's fireworks. While most folks think the fireworks were ringing in the new year, we know they were really announcing the arrival of Emma Joy.
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| James wishing Emma Joy a Happy New Year! |
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| Brother and sister are already bonding |
After a short visit to the hospital, Beth, James and I were off to the San Francisco Zoo. We had enjoyed previous visits to the Oakland Zoo, which is quite nice, but this was our first time at the San Francisco Zoo.
San Francisco Zoo
The zoo is in an incredible location. It's a 100 acre tree filled park located a short 3-5 minute walk from the very scenic sand and crashing waves of Ocean Beach.
The zoo itself is really nice, with a wide variety of animals. Among our many favorites were the grizzly bear and outdoor penguin displays. James also really enjoyed the "bug exhibit", racing from one display to another looking at spiders, Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, beetles and more. He also loved the huge playground that was full of all types of playground equipment that was themed for various regions around the world (rainforest, desert, polar region, etc.). The zoo was so nice and so large that we enjoyed it for longer than we had originally anticipated. If you're visiting San Francisco, it's a great place to spend a few hours or an entire day. The close proximity to the beach is an added bonus.
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| The Zoo Christmas Display was still up and added to the festivities of the day. |
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| The carousel at the zoo is the last one hand crafted by William Dentzel. The horses were all carved by hand. It's been enjoyed by young and old alike since 1921. |
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| Enjoying a ride on a John Deere in the petting zoo area. |
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| He asked me to climb through the hole......…..I passed! |
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| It was hard to get him off the playground! |
Below are a few ideas/suggestions if you are planning a visit:
- Admission is reasonable. Currently $22 for adults. Children 3 and under are free. If you have a zoo membership elsewhere, check to see if it is reciprocal with the SF Zoo. With our ZooTampa membership our admission was half price.
- Parking is $13 in the zoo parking lot. There is free parking up and down Sloat Blvd. which runs along side the zoo. We got there early enough that we found free parking just a few blocks up the street.
- Food and beverage is expensive, but you can bring your own. I would advise you to do so or be prepared to pay "stadium prices".
- Check the hours. The current hours are 10:00-4:00 but they may vary throughout the year.
After the zoo we pulled into a nice parking space overlooking Ocean Beach. Unfortunately it was a little too windy and chilly for us to get out and on the beach. Beth and I sat for a few minutes enjoying looking out at the large waves and kite surfers, who with full wet suits, were enjoying the windy conditions.
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| Looking north along Ocean Beach Boaardwalk on a chilly, windy afternoon. |
As for James, he missed it. He fell sound asleep on the one minute drive from the zoo to the beach, slept while we were parked at the beach, as well as on the entire drive back to Sarah and Joey's house.
