Monday, April 13, 2009

URBAN SAFARI

As a Chicagoan, I am used to having pay through the nose for most things. Parking, booze, concert tickets, you name it, I get raped for it. Having said that, there is one bone throw at us, the Lincoln Park Zoo is free, and open 365 days a year! I went yesterday with a friend and had a lovely afternoon. The first picture below is from a sweet vantage point, on a bridge that affords one a superb view of the big buildings on the north side of the Loop. Note: Blogger is being a little bitch today so the following pictures are out of sequence. 

OK...this was SO FUCKING COOL! My favorite part of the zoo is the Lion House, where they keep all the bad-ass kitties. I was hanging out in front of the cheetah cage, when Mr. Cheetah voiced his displeasure about some damn thing. While he was growling/bitching, Mr. Lion, on the other side of the room decided to tell Mr. Cheetah to SHUT THE FUCK UP. WHOA! I have never heard a lion do an impersonation of Tom Jones, but it was damn cool, to say the least (see below).

Who doesn't love a barrel vaulted ceiling, circa 1921? The brickwork, and tiles imbue this room with a sense of what it must have been like to live ever so long ago. Note the manually operated windows. NEAT!

Love the brickwork on the outside as well. They literally do not build 'em like this anymore...sigh.

Ooooo, baby, that is one fine looking cat. I forget is this is a Jaguar or something else similar. Dude seemed pissed though and kept pacing. I think he/she wanted to eat a small child or something.

Lazy bitch!

TIGER! ROAR! I must say I think Tigers are overrated. They don't have the grace of a lion nor the smoothness of a cheetah. 

I have a special place in my heart for Alpacas and I don't know why. Maybe it's because they seem so chill. I want one!

I also want a sea lion. They seem like lazy sacks of shit, but from what I can tell, they can fuck some shit up. They also seem to have the "maxin' n' relaxin'" thing down pat. They strike me as the stoners of the animal world. 

MONKEYS! I forget the exact type of these guys, but they are awesome as all hell. If you look close there is little baby (the light brown one) that everyone, including this thug dude with his girlfriend "awwwwed" over. 

So yeah, bottom line, animals are cool. And despite that the zoo is located in the epicenter of the douche bag universe (i.e. Lincoln Park) I suggest you check it out. It's one of the awesome little jewels that comprise Chicago. 

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree!

And isn't that a cougar/puma in the fifth picture?

-- Kyle

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Devyn said...
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Dean Grey said...

Thank you for sharing your "Windy City jungle safari" with us, Justin!

A lot of unique animals to see. Though it did look like a lot people packed into the Lion House.

I haven't been there in a while. I once saw another artist get off the bus to go draw/sketch the animals at the LP zoo. That was such a unique idea that I might have to go back and do it myself!

Oh, and regardless of what you think, Justin, Lincoln Park absolutely rules! I volunteer right around where you were so Lincoln Park will always have a special place in my heart.

Thanks again for sharing!

-Dean

S J D said...

I don't mind paying for it, I'm all about Brookfield. LPZ's exhibits/habitats make me sad because they're so small!

However ... zoo + city = inability to go wrong

Thomas said...

The way you write it, I get the impression that you were one of those kids, back when you were 5, you ran up to the cage windows and banged on them while screaming non-stop.
Argh, those damn kids.

Crap Newsman said...

That's not a jaguar. That's a mountain lion. Jaguars are spotted or rarely, black.