Category: Vacations

Nebraska & Iowa Trip

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As always, I’ve been putting off writing about our recent vacation which was at the end of June so hopefully I don’t forget any good details!

Wednesday night (6/25) we dropped the rats off at a friends’ house as they agreed to watch them while we were gone.

Thursday (6/26) morning we left the house around 8 am, stopping at McDonald’s to grab breakfast to go and the gas station to fill up. We then drove many hours through Illinois and Iowa, stopping in Des Moines for lunch at a local BBQ joint called Woody’s Smoke Shack. The food was good, but the portion sizes were a bit small for the price.

At some point during the drive, either before or after lunch (I cannot recall which), the rain was pouring so hard we had to pull over onto the highway’s shoulder. Many people were doing the same except for a few idiots who were still driving dangerously fast with little to no visibility. We ended up getting back on the highway just long enough to make it to the next exit as we were afraid one of those idiots was going to hit us. Luckily we only had to wait out the heavy downpour at a nearby gas station for a half hour or so.

We arrived at our hotel in Council Bluffs, Iowa (just across the Missouri river from Omaha) around 4ish and checked in, then drove around Omaha a bit to get our bearings, and then had dinner at Sizzler because I have this thing about eating there whenever we’re on vacation since they no longer exist in our neck of the woods. Now I know why – they suck! That will be the last time I spend $30 on shit food. Our hotel shared a parking lot with a casino, so after dinner we tried checking that out but I was turned away due to my backpack. Like what could I stow in there, a slot machine???

The next day (Friday, 6/27) it was pouring rain so after breakfast we sat around the hotel room flipping channels, bored out of our minds. The plan was to visit the Henry Doorly Zoo and I was getting really aggravated that the weather was interfering. Finally fed up, we headed out into the city to find some rain ponchos because I wasn’t about to let a little rain ruin my vacation. After securing our ponchos, we headed to the zoo but decided to grab lunch beforehand since it was almost noon by this point. We ended up accidentally turning into an air force base in search of a place to make a u-turn, so that was interesting. We had lunch at a nearby Chik-fil-A that was overflowing with soldiers from the aforementioned air base.

With our bellies full, we arrived at the zoo just before 1 pm and were shocked to see how full the parking lot was considering it had just stopped raining shortly before we got there. I guess nobody cared about the rain? In any case, it was weird to arrive there mid afternoon since we’re always the early birds who end up leaving before noon. We got into the zoo for half price thanks to our Cosley Zoo reciprocal agreement which was nice since a single admission is normally $15.

Orangutan

The zoo is big and has a ton of great exhibits! The first one we came across was their butterfly house. The butterflies were just average, but the exhibit also had the cutest little black and blue hummingbird of which I was able to snag a few photos even though my lens was all fogged up due to the temperature change. We almost skipped their Garden of the Senses which would have been a shame since they have loose parrots in there (clipped wings, I’m sure, but no cages). The zoo also has free-roaming turkeys and prairie dogs on their grounds which I thought was pretty unique. One of their exhibits that stood out, which we checked out near the end of our visit, is what they call the Lied Jungle – think Tropic World Asia if you’ve been to the Brookfield Zoo, but better. There are free-flying bats in the building that will fly into your head if you’re not careful. It was really cool! I also enjoyed the lemurs exhibit, although I wish you could have gotten closer to the ring-tailed ones and not just the red-ruffed variety.

Red Ruffed Lemur

After spending a record three a half hours at the zoo, we were hungry, so we hit a taco place that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives years ago. It was a disappointment and I expressed my disdain in a Yelp review.

Once we arrived back at the hotel to eat our disappointing tacos (which we had taken to go), we were bored so we decided to check out the casino again, this time sans backpack. Joe played video poker for a bit (I didn’t play because I cannot stand to lose money) and we left when he was up $10. Woot!

Sundial

Saturday morning (6/28) we headed to Omaha’s Lauritzen Gardens. We paid $20 total (because they don’t do reciprocal agreements) which included an extra $3 per person for the lamest tram tour I’ve ever been on. The driver wasn’t even narrating; it was a pre-recorded tour. I really thought it would be more interesting but I don’t think it was worth $6 just to avoid having to walk out the the farthest point of the garden since you have to walk back. Unfortunately the entire place is designed where there’s only one way in and out of each section (see map). Even if you stayed on the tram for the full “loop” you’d just have to walk all the way out there and back again. Theoretically you can get off at a few of the scheduled stops and hop on a different tram at a later point, but that’s only if it isn’t full which all of them were. So other than the small amount of history provided by the recording, it’s useless.

There weren’t even that many flowers to enjoy and overall I think it was overpriced for what they had to offer. Sure, the model railroad garden was pretty neat, but I still wouldn’t necessarily recommend the place. Maybe once the ginormous greenhouse they’re currently building is complete it might be worth a repeat visit.

Across the parking lot from the gardens is Kenefick Park which features two of the original trains from the Union Pacific line. That was pretty cool to see and you wouldn’t need to pay admission to do so either.

We stopped at a burger joint, also featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, that was ok. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. The burgers lacked flavor, but I did enjoy all the cheese that came with mine! I guess the morale of this story is that Triple D is full of shit more often than not. ;)

Before leaving the area we went down by Omaha’s riverfront to check out the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and Heart of America Park. They were very brief visits since by then the sky was turning dark and it was getting ready to rain once more.

Heartland of America Park

After lunch we drove the two hours back to Des Moines to check into our next hotel. We debated what to do about dinner because it was, again, pouring rain (sensing a theme here?) and we were feeling too lazy to drive the twenty minutes to the Asia fusion pizza place that had come highly recommended by Yelp and a friend who visits the area frequently. Once the rain let up we ended up walking across the street to Culvers instead.

Red Panda

Sunday (6/29) we visited Blank Park Zoo which we got into for free thanks to our reciprocal agreement. Woot! They have a very cool outdoor red panda exhibit that provides awesome shooting angles from every side so I was stoked to get some great photos of one of my favorite animals. Unfortunately the pandas were inside that day. Bummer! But I’ve since learned they cannot tolerate temperatures over 77 degrees so I’m guessing that’s why they were inside. In any case, despite some negative reviews online, I found the zoo to be pretty damn nice considering how small it is. It has lions, a snow leopard, seals, penguins, parrots, monkeys, frogs, giraffes, etc.

I even got to snag a photo of a cute chipmunk since the only place I ever see them at are zoos.

Chipmunk

We enjoyed a leisurely hour and a half stroll through the zoo before heading home. And just in the nick of time too, because once again it began to rain. Ugh! So much rain during this trip!

We ended up stopping at a McDonalds off the highway to grab lunch to go on our drive home. You know how that goes – once you’re ready to get home you just don’t care. We arrived back home around 4 pm or so and had a mountain of laundry to do, plus pick up the pets from our friends’ house. It was a busy day and we didn’t get to bed until late.

Overall, it was a decent trip. Not quite what I was expecting, but the side benefit to all that rain was that it wasn’t blazing hot out which made walking around the zoos more tolerable. I had estimated we’d spend about $800 on this trip and we came in just under that total so it wasn’t too bad, although that still seems like a lot for a three day vacation, but whatever. We never ended up using the ponchos so I’m hoping the local Walmart will take them back. Otherwise I’ll just keep them in Joe’s car for the next time rain decides to try and spoil our fun!

Photo Sets @ Flickr
» Henry Doorly Zoo
» Lauritzen Gardens
» Blank Park Zoo

East Coast Vacation 2012

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Wow, I can’t believe we’ve been back from our 12-day trip to the East Coast for two and a half weeks already. Yes, it has taken me this long to upload all the photos I took and write this entry because life has been so busy since we got back. This is gonna be a long one, but if you’d rather just look at the photos, skip down the end of this entry where I provide links.

9/22 – Saturday – Travel

We left around 8 am with the intention of driving as long as we could stand it before stopping for the night to find a hotel, so we ended up driving through all of Ohio (loved their rest stops or as they called them, Service Stations, by the way) and most of Pennsylvania before stopping. We had trouble finding a hotel with vacancies in Bloomsburg and the only available rooms were ridiculously priced. We finally found a Holiday Inn Express for $99 night in Whitehaven, PA. We learned from the very friendly manager that a motorcycle event was going on in the area that weekend which explained why so many of the hotels were booked solid.

9/23 – Sunday – New Jersey

Since we had kept driving east the night before we were only an hour and a half from New Jersey when we left in the morning. I spotted a baby black bear along the road who ran into traffic and luckily make it back into the woods without a scratch. Unfortunately that would be the only true wildlife we’d see during this trip, but it was pretty cool and unexpected because I had no idea black bears were indigenous to New Jersey.

Statue of Liberty

Since we arrived too early to check into our hotel, we decided to visit Liberty State Park in Jersey City where we stumbled upon the ferry to Ellis Island and Liberty Island to see the outside of the Statue of Libertyy. It’s currently under renovation so we couldn’t go inside but it was really cool to see the statue up close. After reading that you have to climb 393 steps to reach the statue’s crown I’m fine with the fact that we only saw it from the outside. I get easily winded climbing stairs anyway.

After we returned to the mainland we had lunch at Hard Grove Cafe which was recommended in the Food Network app I had installed on my phone. I drank the best mango mojito ever and I don’t even like mojitos! And yes, I got “drunk” because I rarely drink so I’m a lightweight. Joe found it very amusing.

After lunch we checked into our spacious hotel room (Hyatt Place in Secaucus, New Jersey). We got at a great rate thanks to my connections at work which made the room even that more impressive. After checking in we walked around the plaza area and ended up grabbing drinks, appetizers and dessert from a restaurant called The Urban Plum which is located in the Holiday Inn Express near our hotel. It was deserted when we arrived seeing as though it was a Sunday night but I didn’t mind. The food and drinks were just ok, but the cheesecake we shared was pretty good.

9/24 – Monday – New York

Black Panther

We hopped on the bus outside our hotel in Jersey and which took us through the Lincoln Tunnel into the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT for short) in New York where all the train and bus lines seem to converge. From there we took the Red 2 subway train to the Bronx Zoo. It was a pretty big zoo, complete with a monorail. It reminded me a lot of Milwaukee Zoo in the way it was laid out. After what for us was a record three and half hours at the zoo (which didn’t open until 10 am, mind you, and we got there late because the bus/train ride took longer than I expected), we took the train back to Manhattan and visited the 9/11 Memorial.

Beforehand we stopped in a little hole in the wall place called It’s a Pizza that had good reviews on Yelp. We bought a few slices of pizza including one called mashed potato which was out of this world. I nearly choked to death on the wonderful stringy cheese, and unfortunately that’s about the 3rd time in my life that has happened. I had to pull the cheese out of my own throat (ew!) and then later Joe pointed out a paramedic was sitting right by us. Wonderful guy that was not even noticing someone choking to death. So that’s another vacation where I had a near death experience (the other being our honeymoon when I almost drowned at Discovery Cove when water went into my snorkel – someone keep me inside where I can’t hurt myself).

9/11 Memorial - Reflecting Pool

Something to note: You can’t just walk up to the 9/11 Memorial. First you have to go to a particular location to get tickets for an entry time (hence why we had time to get some pizza), then walk several blocks to the entry site, go through security, and then walk a few more blocks to the actual site which cannot be seen without doing all this as it’s surrounded by walls. Nonetheless it was a very moving site and brought tears to our eyes.

By the time we left the memorial it was around 7 pm and we were tired so we nixed our original plans to visit Coney Island or walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. There’s only so much you can do in New York in one day since the city is ginormous.

When we got back to the PABT, I thought we were going to be waiting in line for hours to get on a bus back to Jersey because the line was the longest one in the place but luckily they had several buses lined up waiting to take everyone across the river. They just cram people in like sardines too, including standing in the aisles of the bus which would freak me out since they are on so many elevated roads with ramps and whatnot. I think we made it back to the hotel within a half hour which wasn’t bad at all.

9/25 – Tuesday – New York

Polar Bear

Once again we hopped on the bus to the PABT, but this time we rode the Yellow Q subway train to Central Park to visit the zoo. It’s really small but the polar bear was awesome and had to be the biggest one we’ve ever seen. His exhibit was cool because you could see him at all angles. The zoo also has red pandas which are the cutest little creatures ever.

Times Square

After we tired of the zoo we took the subway to Times Square and marveled at the buildings and went inside the massive Toys R Us. Afterwards we walked around looking for somewhere to eat. The problem with New York is that we could not get our bearings and it felt like we were walking around in spirals most of the time. We’d look up a place on Yelp and try to pull up directions on the maps app but it wasn’t really helpful for walking (thanks for nothing, Apple, with your shitty iOS 6 maps update).

We finally ended up eating at an overpriced shitty cafe chain called Europa which I would not recommend to anyone (which is also why I’m not linking to it). I also got a stomach ache, which I’m not necessarily saying was related, but another problem with New York, like any big city, is that public restrooms are scarce. I finally found one at McDonalds in the nick of time and apparently caused quite the line to build up while everyone waited on me (there were two stalls but I guess a lot of people needed to go too because when I finally came out there were a good 10 people waiting).

NBC Studios at 30 Rock

From there we walked to 30 Rockefeller Plaza where we passed Jane Krakowski filming a scene from 30 Rock. We could have been on tv (they were lining tourists up behind the stage Jane was on so they could be “extras”) but skipped it as my stomach hurt. Once we made it inside the building we asked a security guy for directions to the nearest restroom and he was very helpful because my stomach was not letting up even after eating some Pepto-Bismal. I was really starting to worry we were not going to be able to make the Jimmy Fallon taping.

Once I finally emerged from the bathroom we high-tailed it upstairs to stand in line and it was looong. I started getting a sinking feeling that we wouldn’t get tickets but luckily we did. We were asked to come back in an hour and to make sure we had used the restroom by then as we would not be permitted to get up at any time during the taping. I returned to my post in the bathroom a few more times and slowly my stomach started feeling better (thank you sweet Jesus).

Jimmy Fallon Show Ticket

The taping of the Jimmy Fallon show was awesome! First a very funny comedian came out to warm up the crowd and give instructions. Then out came… Jerry Seinfeld! It was fun to hear them talk about stuff that never made it air (which is why they don’t allow anyone to take photos and they make you turn off your cell phone completely while pages stand in the aisles watching everyone like a hawk). The male cast from the new NBC show, Guys with Kids, came on next and did this awesome music skit of old theme songs with Jimmy which concluded with Jimmy coming up the aisle and standing about two rows in front of where we were sitting (my niece was able to get a very unflattering still image of us which I am NOT posting here – haha). We didn’t get a high fave from Mr. Fallon though even though he went down our aisle. I admire the amount of energy that man has (they ended up doing the musical number twice) but felt rather bummed not getting to interact with him at all when three different girls jumped on him and got hugs.

Overall impression of New York

No thank you! It is way too crowded and fast-paced but the people are all nice (save for one NYC police officer who yelled at Joe when we tried to walk down a street that was blocked off (it looked like the street was blocked; not the sidewalk)). I’m happy that we visited since everyone talks about New York and it’s featured in so many movies and TV shows but I was also happy to leave that hustle behind.

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Tennessee & Atlanta Vacation

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I can’t believe how quickly our vacation came and went! I wish I could be paid to tour the zoos and aquariums of this great country; how awesome would that be?

Saturday, April 16

We left home around 8 am and stopped in Louisville, Kentucky for lunch at Tumbleweed. The food and service were fine but the place was really dirty.

We drove a few more hours and arrived in Nashville, Tennessee in the late afternoon in the area of the now defunct Opryland looking for food and entertainment since it looked like a hot spot, only to find the large mall, Opryland Mills, was closed due to flooding. We drove around the area a bit and then headed to the Loveless Cafe where I fell in love with biscuits and blackberry preserves.

Loveless Cafe

After a frustrating hunt for a hotel, we ended up staying overnight at Comfort Suites in Franklin, Tennessee. It was one of those outdoor entrance hotels that I really don’t care for, but it wasn’t bad for one night. They had free internet and breakfast which was nice.

Sunday, April 17

After breakfast we headed back into the city to visit Nashville Zoo which was the best amongst the zoos we toured. I almost felt guilty for getting in free due to our membership at our local zoo. I love how much land each animal is given and how realistic their exhibits are made to look. Most of the enclosures allow good photo ops as well which is always a bonus. I even got a decent photo of a red panda and believe me, that’s not easy. They are always either sleeping or have their back turned. It’s like they know how cute they are and don’t want you to capture it.

Red Panda

After the zoo we grabbed some steak tacos with the best hot sauce from a little hole in the wall place and drove two hours to Chattanooga. We drove up Lookout Mountain to see the Incline Railway, also nicknamed the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. We didn’t ride it but got some great views from the top as well as at the base of the mountain once we came back down.

Incline Railway

From there we drove two hours to Atlanta and looked around the downtown area for accommodations. We didn’t care for the hotels in our price range so we drove a bit away from the city and ended up at a real nice Staybridge Suites near Perimeter Mall. The front desk manager gave us a great rate and was very helpful.

We had dinner at Boneheads where I tried salmon for the first time and it was amazing! The cucumber lime and yogurt sauce really complimented the grilled flavor. I originally ordered mahi mahi but they ran out so they substituted the salmon which luckily was really good since I was nervous about trying it. As an apology we were each given free dessert – a slice of keylime cheesecake – which was so good I inhaled my entire piece even though I was already stuffed from my delicious dinner.

Monday, April 18

We visited Zoo Atlanta as soon as they opened and headed straight for the giant pandas. Neither of us were terribly impressed with the rest of the zoo even though we got some nice pictures. It felt like the animals were too crowded and the zoo was laid out in a way that it was easy to miss parts of it. That being said, the baby panda was worth the visit alone. The last time we saw any giant pandas was something like nine years ago when we visited San Diego.

Baby Panda

After seeing everything the zoo had to offer, including riding their little train, we decided to check out the Silver Skillet which had been featured on the Food Network. I had the breaded pork chops which were really good and we shared a slice of their homemade lemon ice-box pie which was voted one of the “5 Best Pies in the USA” by Life Magazine. I have to say, I didn’t understand the rating. It was ok, but nothing to write home about.

Silver Skillet

After lunch we were feeling a little run down so we headed back to the hotel to relax. I read my Kindle for a bit and then took a nap before we had dinner at Tin Drum Asian Cafe. I had the sesame chicken and Joe had the pad thai. It was ok and the food was fresh but it wasn’t outstanding.

Tuesday, April 19

After a fantastic complimentary breakfast, including the best waffles ever, we visited Georgia Aquarium. I have mixed feelings about that place. While it looks very colorful and clean inside, I don’t think it was worth the $80 we spent between general admission and tickets to the new dolphin exhibit, Dolphin Tales. I can respect the effort they put into the production, but I found it to be a snooze-fest.

The aquarium also has the worst problem with accurate signage and traffic flow which is desperately needed based on how ridiculously crowded it was. Most exits from the Dolphin Tales theater were not available and there was even a door labeled alternate exit that was anything but. I had read online you could view the dolphins without a ticket to the show but the only viewing window we could find was right outside the theater which was completely packed, not to mention you couldn’t even access that area without first showing your theater ticket. So if there was a way to see the dolphins elsewhere they didn’t make it easy to find at all.

In all I found there weren’t really that many exhibits in the aquarium but it seemed huge because of the way everything is laid out where there’s a big open area in the middle and different exhibits branch out from there. It is very modern, however, compared to all the other aquariums we’ve visited.

Lionfish

We left the aquarium around 1 pm and drove the two hours back to Chattanooga, stopping along the way for a quick lunch at Krystal, which based on the history of the establishment, is a nearly carbon copy of White Castle which opened a decade before Krystal came into existence. The only exception is that Krystal burgers are slightly larger and come standard with mustard in addition to the pickles and onions. They taste just like sliders although the buns are more moist.

Even though it was late afternoon by the time we arrived in Chattanooga we decided to try our luck at the Chattanooga Zoo and were greeted by a nearly deserted parking lot. That should have been our first clue how disappointing it would be. Don’t get me wrong, I think they did a nice job with the exhibits they have, there’s just not much to speak of, and considering how much empty lawn they have near the entrance, and the over-sized parking lot, they could easily expand. The blue and gold macaw did try to welcome us by coming down off his perch to wave, however. He was my favorite. And we got in free so that was cool.

Blue and gold Macaw

We were at the zoo less than an hour before heading to a Staybridge Suites near the expressway. We were disappointed to find the rate was much higher than we paid in Atlanta, plus they gave us a handicap room which meant no kitchen counter or even a bathroom counter.

We had dinner at O’Charley’s which seems like the South’s version of Bennigan’s. Or maybe it’s the other way around since I’m not sure which came first. In any case, their brownie lover’s brownie is, to use a very out-dated phase, off the hook. Yum-O! I definitely gained five pounds by eating it, or perhaps only two since I had the mini version which was still fully satisfying, and worth every bite.

Wednesday, April 20

Our last destination was Tennessee Aquarium, which while clearly older than Georgia Aquarium, blew it out of the water (pun intended). I love how this aquarium is set up so traffic keeps flowing and you don’t miss a thing! It’s no wonder it’s rated the top aquarium in America. We did the Ocean Journey building first where I got to pet a shark. It took about an hour for us to see everything in that building and then we did the River Journey building. In both buildings you ride an escalator to the top and then work your way down through exhibits. It’s brilliant and they fit a ton of animals in there, not to mention lots of my favorite of them all – jellyfish!

Jellyfish

After seeing it all we decided to grab lunch at Big River Grill a block or so away from the aquarium (I love how the campus is set up – everything is easy to find). We shared the fish tacos which were awesome – mahi mahi sautéed with Cajun spices, in a crisp blue corn tortilla wrapped with a soft flour tortilla with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo and avocado remoulade and served with black beans and Spanish rice. Doesn’t that description just make your mouth water? When we explained to the waitress that we were splitting the dish she had the kitchen plate each taco (the dish comes with two large tacos) with half the serving of rice and beans to accommodate. I thought that was incredibly thoughtful of them so we left her an extra generous tip.

Instead of driving to Louisville, Kentucky and staying the night so we could visit the zoo the next day as we originally planned, we decided to drive straight home from Chattanooga. We were both a bit burnt-out on zoos, our feet were sore, and we missed sleeping in our own bed. It took about 9 hours but with the time zone change we were home before 9:30 pm.

Observations

Southern hospitality is no myth – once we got into Tennessee everyone was incredibly nice, and not just at the zoos or restaurants but also at fast food places and gas stations which you don’t always see. We went through the drive-thru at Wendy’s to grab some food between Chattanooga and Atlanta and asked for cup of ice. The woman not only filled the cup to the top with ice but she also included a straw, anticipating we were going to use it for some drinks we already had in the car. That’s the kind of service we received from everyone we encountered during our trip. It just blew my mind and put Tennessee on the list of possible places to move when the kids are older. I really hated coming back to the rude Chicago area where everyone drives like an asshole. It just wasn’t like that in Tennessee and Georgia. I don’t think it was vacation goggles either because I noticed the shift from good to bad as we got into Kentucky.

Since we decided to wing it with hotel accommodations, which we have never done before, we wasted a lot of time looking for a place in a decent neighborhood. For future reference I will make it a point to find a hotel that’s not only near the expressway, but also by an indoor mall. They are always in a nice safe neighborhood, at least in our experience. Staybridge Suites has been added to our short list of affordable accommodations that feel the most like home and are extremely clean with free breakfast and wireless internet.

Speaking of breakfast, I want to buy a waffle iron now! I’ve been spoiled by the waffle makers at the hotels we stayed at and will never be able, or willing, to eat a frozen waffle again.

Photo Sets

Nashville Zoo – Perfect Pixels // Flickr
Incline Railway in Chattanooga – Perfect Pixels // Flickr
Zoo Atlanta – Perfect Pixels // Flickr
Georgia Aquarium – Perfect Pixels // Flickr
Chattanooga Zoo – Perfect Pixels // Flickr
Tennessee Aquarium – Perfect Pixels // Flickr

Ohio & Kentucky Mini-Vacation

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We spent a few days out East earlier this week.

Sunday we drove to Columbus, Ohio, arriving around 3:30 pm at the most beautiful hotel we’ve ever had the pleasure of staying in – a Cambria Suites. Seriously, this place was swank without breaking the bank. After taking pics of the place and settling in, we drove over to the nearby mall to check out our dining options. We finally settled on a restaurant just outside the mall. The food was average but the dessert we shared, something they call Pazookie, was delicious. It’s described as a “freshly baked, hot out of the oven, rich and delicious cookie topped with two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream and served in its own deep dish.” Mmm, mmm, it was very good; the combination of the hot cookie with the cold ice cream was devine.

After our relatively early dinner we decided to hit the local movie theater to see MacGruber. The movie was about as dumb as we expected, but entertaining. I couldn’t stop laughing at the love-making scene; I was nearly crying! After the movie we went back to the hotel and relaxed in the hot tub for awhile before turning in for the night.

Monday we were up early to get donuts for breakfast, then made our way to Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, home of the famous Jack Hanna who is known for bringing animals on Letterman’s Late Night show. The zoo grounds are beautiful and the zoo is laid out nicely, but I found the exhibits often prevented any decent photography. Obviously the number one priority is to contain the wild animals, but I wish they’d use anti-reflective coating on the glass and wipe off the fingerprints once in awhile. I couldn’t get a decent photo of any of the manatees they have at the zoo, or the cool sea turtle that was in the tank with them. :(

Polar Bear Sleeping

The zoo has an interesting collection of animals, including a very nice Lorikeet Garden which I enjoyed, but I thought it was weird that they don’t have any zebras or giraffes. We tried our best to take our time and not rush through the zoo as we unintentionally tend to do, but even wasting time by riding their train and visiting a few sections twice didn’t stop us from being done by 12:30.

We consulted Yelp and found a cute burger joint for lunch and then drove around a bit. We ended up at a dumpy little amusement place to play some miniature golf and skee-ball before deciding to order pizza for dinner and taking it back to the hotel to munch on while watching the season finales of How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, and The Big Bang Theory (thank goodness for the nice LCD TV in our room and the digital stations).

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