Day Trip | SF Zoo

My kids had last week off for President’s week. After being stuck home for several weekends being sick, we needed to get out. We made an unplanned and last minute decision to jump in the car and head towards San Francisco, to go to the zoo. I had heard good things about the S.F. zoo and it ended up being exactly what we needed. Not only did the zoo itself not disappoint, but I can not put into words just how much days like this feed our souls. Being a recently divorced single mom, it’s so easy to get bogged down in the hum drum of laundry to do, a house to clean, homework projects to complete, and dinners to make. I feel like there’s always more to do than I will ever actually complete, so when these sweet opportunities come knocking and things line up just right....I try to embrace the crazy and this particular day it was just what the doctor ordered.

SF Zoo | 2019

We have a long standing joke/seriously abides by rule in our family that Denny’s is only good on road trips. So, it just made sense to kick off our mini road trip with a quick stop at good ol Denny’s. The kids were really excited about this. After the three of us devoured our shared lumberjack slam (which btw was the perfect amount of food to split between the three of us), we hit the road. It was about a two hour drive from where we live to get to the zoo. It was rainy and cold at home and when we got to San Fran it was a beautiful day.... windy and chilly, but sunny and beautiful. 

By the time we got through the gates, we had about two hours until the zoo closed. This was a concern at first, as it could have been so easy to skip the whole experience because we weren’t going to have much time. As it turned out, we had the perfect amount of time. The three of us had so much fun wandering this new place and seeing some really exciting and unusual animals that we had not seen before. There was a hippopotamus that was pretty awe-inspiring and penguins (the biggest hit, because who doesn’t love a bunch of adorable penguins waddling around all over the place). There  was also a rhino, and the the usual suspects such as bears, tigers (my favorite), and a very cool safari area that housed a whole slew of animals that have clearly become good friends. We finished out our time a little bit early, because the penguins had a scheduled feeding that happened a half an hour before the zoo closed, which we ran to make sure we were able to watch. After the penguins ate, we were on our way back to the car. 

SF Zoo | 2019

Our original intention was to also squeeze in a stop for ice cream at the famous and delicious Ghirardelli square on our way back home. By the time we arrived the line to get ice cream was intense. I left it up to kids on whether they wanted to wait or not, because let’s face it... if they wanted to wait, I wouldn’t be turning that deliciousness down. Both kids agreed that they would be happy with just some chocolates, which we could buy at the mostly deserted upstairs portion of the store. So we loaded up on some candies for the ride home and headed off in search of the Golden Gate Bridge. This was also a request from the kids, they had asked to cross the Golden Gate Bridge since we had been on our way to the zoo earlier in the day. So, we easily made our way to the famous bridge and then continued our way back toward home.

SF Zoo | 2019

All in all, this quick little trip that was last minute and not anything extra noteworthy ended up being the perfect day that my kids and I will remember for a long time to come. It also serves as a healthy reminder to me to not put things off. Just because we didn’t have the whole day, or just because there were chores that could have been done, sometimes it’s important to remember to simply embrace the day and take the time to have fun together. Those are my favorite days, and I hope they will be cherished by my kids as well.

♡ Tara