I was brave.

On Friday, we took our annual trip to the zoo to kick off the school year. This year was exciting as we visited the nation's first zoo! With my trusty Magellan at the helm, I followed the turnpike into Philadelphia. Once off the turnpike, we drove on a freeway that skirts by some of the old buildings of Philadelphia. We took our guesses at what the buildings might be -- they looked old, they looked historical, they looked important! We don't know what they were, but hope to on future visits.

We knew the zoo was close by when we drove through an underpass that was painted with patterns of tiger, giraffe, zebra, and other exotic animals. After adding up the costs of parking and entrance fees for all of us, we opted for membership. We can bring two guests for free each time, so count that into your savings when you come to visit! The Philadelphia Zoo is definately a city zoo. In fact, on one end of the zoo you can hear the commuter train rambling and shreeeeking on the tracks. For the first 40 minutes, we heard constant sirens outside the zoo walls, which had me a little concerned as to our safety, but I guess the fugitive was apprehanded because the sirens died down and I didn't really notice them anymore after that.

With Audrey's tired feet and Benjamin needing a nap, and me desiring a break from the 90 degree day, we opted to stop our visit short of seeing the whole zoo. Well, I guess that membership will now be paid for, as we are already saving money the next time we go. I was proud of myself, as I braved driving the Turnpike (you'd be proud if you saw it!) and I braved a new city, and I braved eating a zoo hot dog for lunch (yelsh) and I braved sending my precious children into a swan boat to pedal by the Lemur Island where they were out of my sight (in a big city!). I was brave.