Lions, Tigers and Bears (Oh My)!

For the first time ever, we attended a birthday party that both adults and children could enjoy equally. Jenny's friend Louise held a first birthday party for her twins at the San Francisco Zoo on Saturday, and I can say without hesitation that I really had a good time. And so did Jenny, Russell and Punky.

Arriving at the zoo about 30 minutes early, we immediately headed for the lion and tiger dens. Luckily for us, the lions and tigers had just been fed, so they were stll indoors in their cages. The cages were barely an arms-length from the viewing area, so we were able to look at the big cats up close. At times, they animals stared directly into our eyes and that was certainly a big thrill for Russell, who is a huge lion fan. Punky is more of a tiger fan, so he preferred watching the Siberian tigers.

After prying Russell away from the lions, we walked to the party room which was large and inviting. In the back, there were play tables with Play-Doh, toys, coloring books, stickers and animal cutouts for the kids. For us adults, there were plenty of yummy hors d'ouevres, hot food and holiday treats (plus an open bar). For the more daring, zookeepers brought in various animals for the kids to touch, including a snake, an armadillo, a ferret and a iguana. The kids loved it. Jenny and I loved it. No meltdowns. Nirvana.


Punky observes a large polar bear walk into the party room


Afraid at first, Russell later did not seem to mind the polar bear sitting at the arts & crafts table


Punky grabs a sticker as Russell looks over his shoulder

Russell munches on a slice of cheese as Punky looks for that perfect shade of red

Russell surprised me with his open attitude towards touching a snake

Russell adjusts his antlers


Punky enjoys coloring the Little Mermaid


Before heading to the birthday party, Russell stood in front of the lion cage for 20 minutes 


The lion lets out a roar--one that Russell and Punky often imitated that day