Not every centerpiece attraction needs to cost $83 and require a year’s worth of mental energy to endure. I think the Diz-nee folks charge the equivalent of one kidney and provide an experience stressful enough to require hospitalization.

But Chicago’s zoo is free and on a foggy Sunday morning in November, almost nobody is there. Not quite sure what this says about me. But it made for a great time just to walk around and calmly view nature in a caged environment without interference from six-thousand people and/or a stuffed lunatic mascot making $3.40 an hour.

Chicago skyline from zoo entrance

zoo = fun time

kangaroo mom nursing

sooo lazy; you can see the hint of a window on the right of this picture; you can walk up to that window and see a lion three feet away; it’s rather crazy; but I didn’t want to take a picture there for fear I’d wake this dude; waking lion not a good plan

this lynx was pacing back and forth along the cage trying to get a squirrel ala what my dogs do; as with my dogs, this guy was equally unsuccessful in tasting dastardly squirrel flesh; but it was cool to see the same behavior in another creature of the animal kingdom