Where's Eldo? In Chi-Town, at the ZOO! Part III

Elkhart, IN      High:  71    Low:  58

After leaving Millennium Park yesterday, we headed to Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago's FREE zoo, which is right in the heart of Chicago. It was too far to walk from the park, so we took the bus for 2.50 a person...The kids had lots of fun looking out the windows on the way there and back and seeing some unusual things.  Like this orange water fountain....

Trevor wanted to know if there were hobos in Chicago. We had a long and interesting discussion about them. He worried about them all day long...Every time he saw one, he wanted to give them some food or money. He sure has a big heart....

We arrived at the zoo, and it was PANDA-monium ...HAHAH!  Coudn't resist that one!...we didn't see any pandas, but we saw LOTS of people weirdly dressed, both adults and children. Turns out it was TRICK-AND-TREAT day at the zoo...UH-OH! This could have been a problem for more than just the kids and it was. The primates--the gorillas and monkeys-- were upset by the weird costumed kids and adults that came by the exhibit--so much that they had to put up screens in front of the nursing gorilla mothers. That didn't work, so they closed the primate house early. Back outside we went.

All the adults in the family kept distracting and steering the grandkids away from the treat and treat line signs so we managed to enjoy the zoo without the sugar high and crash that comes later!

Love this octopus costume!

Eldo attempted to get in one of the trick or treat lines, as he had a craving for candy corn, but Sparky grabbed his arm in the nick of time and hustled him away from temptation. (Darn it! says E.)

For a free zoo, it was really nice! Some nice habitats for the animals...Some wonderful indoor tropical rainforest areas.....Some really cool animals...Sparky loves the giraffes...

and the little baby ones, too! No relation to us, but too cute to pass up!

We saw some cool bears...this is a "spectacle bear" or an Andean bear....He looked very thoughtful as he posed for his picture....

Zoos are almost as much fun for people watching as they are for animal watching....Sparky caught this little girl talking to the hippos and wanting them to come and see her.....

We took photos not only of the animals, other people's children, but of ourselves as well!

Kristi and her "sister" Bobbi

Eldo and Sparky at the park just outside the zoo....

The grandsons exhibiting art with attitude just outside the zoo.....

We just had a fabulous time with fabulous weather! After the zoo, we found a rooftop restaurant where everyone just collapsed and had either a 1) root beer or 2) a regular beer....Don't the grandsons look like they've seen it all and done it all today? And they look tired, too! This was not the place we should have gone at 4.00 a root beer, and about 9-12.00 for a beer! But we were thirsty and it was across the street from the train station....

We highly recommend the Lincoln Park Zoo when you are in Chicago...Brookfield Zoo is one of the top zoos in the world, but today, the free one fit the bill!

Fall color at the Lincoln Park Zoo

Tomorrow, we leave Elkhart.......We'll let you know where our next destination is, when Eldo figures it out!