Family Pass

In June I bought a family pass membership to the Wildlife Conservation Society which operates the NY Aquarium and other zoos around the city, and we used it to visit the aquatic life at Coney Island.  Since then we've only used it one other time--to check out the zoo at Central Park in July--but I have a feeling this will come in handy over the next few months. The girls were in a particularly awful mood that day as we started our visit. Elisa was bouncing off the walls running ahead and Carolina wanted nothing to do with the animals. She was shrieking her way through the exhibits and her voice echoed off the walls of the rain forest. I was getting looks from other parents at a zoo, which is when you know you're in trouble. We realized after a few minutes inside that our best bet was to just get out of there quickly and take a walk around. 

 (This is Gus, the beloved polar bear who passed away recently. He was old and tired. Good for him.)

Making a bee line for the seals and then the petting zoo was exactly the right move. We got to liberate the kids from the enclosed spaces, and they were happy to feed and taunt the animals with food pellets. Considering this was Carolina's first time really feeding them, I was amazed at how eager she was and how much she loved their tickley tongues. She managed to pull back her hand a few times because she was laughing so hard, which the goats and sheep didn't really appreciate. But man, was it hilarious to watch. Her whole body seized up in a fit of giggles and big sister Elisa was right there watching and telling her how to do it better. Later we grabbed some ice cream and walked over to the Billy Johnson playground with its enormous slide. The girls loved having turn after turn speeding down it and climbing back to the top. Nacho even helped do a family slide and the girls could't have grinned any bigger. Somehow we salvaged what started off as a rough day, and knowing we had the zoo pass and could leave at anytime without really wasting it was a bonus. I think we'll be using this again soon.