Walls Gone Wild

Tomorrow marks the two-year anniversary for Michael and me making a home together in Philadelphia.

To commemorate the special occasion, we decided to get out of our comfortable row home and visit the various habitats at the Philadelphia Zoo. Ahh, the zoo - what an ethical conundrum - so educational, so fascinating, so morally complex to keep animals in captivity. I can't help but think of Chris Parks' charming claymation short "Creature Comforts" whenever I view animals in these fabricated environments - his Brazilian lion rings in my ears, "we need the space to live...I need a space with blue sky where I can see the sun."

So, after conducting my internal moral debate, and freely shelling out $25 a person, we stood in line for a mandatory balloon ride on the Channel 6 balloon, offering a fine view of the City of Brotherly Love. It really is a beautiful place. Then, we waded through thousands of elementary school children to catch a glimpse of lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!) photos courtesy of Michael



I, as usual, had no problem getting in touch with my ancestral heritage, while Michael enjoyed his Indiana Jones moment in the reptile exhibit...



A good day was had by all (except, of course, those polar bears wondering how they ended up in this scorching climate). Odin and Samantha were also a bit miffed, wondering why we don't pay sixty dollars to watch them walk around. Here's to creatures great and small...