Day 7: Smithonian Zoo & National Mall at night

15.04.2022

Today we have the Smithonian Zoo on the program. Like the museums, the zoo is also 'free', you just need a 'Day Entry' reservation. I reserved the zoo online in advance for today. We take the free shuttle bus to the metro and then ride to the Cleveland Park station. Most zoo visitors get off one stop earlier at 'Woodley Park/Zoo', but according to the internet, you have to walk uphill to the zoo entrance. From the Cleveland Park station, you walk slightly downhill - perfect. My feet are still sore from the past few days.

It's hot again today. The forecast predicts over 30 degrees again - happy sweating!

We reach the zoo entrance around 10 o'clock, as well as the queues, checks of the day tickets, and of course, the 'pat-downs', having our backpacks searched again. Yawn, but we're used to it by now.

A special feature here at the zoo: there are pandas! We have been to many zoos around the world, but we have never seen pandas.

Therefore, the first stop is directly to the panda house and the panda enclosure. There, the panda stretches out luxuriously on its bed before flopping down and falling asleep. Sleep well! In the outdoor enclosure, another panda sits and happily munches on a eucalyptus branch 😍

The zoo is quite big, with many walking paths - and it's packed!!! After the 2 years of Corona, we are overwhelmed by these crowds. It was already intense at the Smithonian, but here it's even worse. I can't imagine that there were only a limited number of day tickets available to book today 😱🥴

We explore the entire zoo, starting with the Asia Trail including pandas, passing elephant enclosures via the Elephant Trails, passing sea lions, otters, and beavers, monkey and mammal houses, and starting the third desperate attempt to find something to eat around 2 o'clock. It's almost impossible! There are restaurants (okay, it's more like fast food stands), but the queues are easily 1-2 hours long. Madness!!! Do the Americans have nothing else to do all day except eat??? At 12 and 1 o'clock, we already postpone the kids with a "too crowded - we'll eat later", but now we're really hungry. For today, we'll have to settle for the food truck across from the pizza stand, where at least the queue isn't too long. Unfortunately, the vegetarian selection is limited here too - so today it's "cheese fries", the kids and hubby eat chicken tenders with fries. Here too, it takes nearly an hour to prepare the 'fast food'.

Hot and hungry, we eat our fast food on a little wall and then decide, after looking at the reptile house, lions, and bears in the lower zoo area, to leave the zoo. It closes at 4 o'clock anyway, so we have seen almost everything.

The zoo is on a hill, and the enclosures are spread out all the way down the mountain. So you walk up and down a few meters when you walk back and forth. Due to our multiple attempts to eat, we have already walked up and down certain sections several times. When we finally arrive at the bottom of the mountain and walk towards the exit, we learn from an employee that there is no metro station nearby. We have to use the main entrance up top.

Oh no.... It's 4 o'clock, the announcements about the 'Zoo closing' have already started. So let's go, there's no other option! For the 4th time, we walk along the Olmsted Walk, past the Przewalski horses, and sweating, we finally arrive at the zoo entrance and leave the zoo with the crowds.

On the way to the metro, we treat ourselves to an ice cream from the supermarket. We deserve it!!!

Never has it been so nice to sit in the subway 😂🤭

At CVS, we quickly get new drinks and a large frozen pizza for the kids, and for us, a bottle of wine, and then back to the apartment to chill. While the kids stay in the apartment, the hubby and I try to get a spot at the happy hour around the corner at the 'Grill'. Unfortunately, the entire bar is full - and happy hour only applies at the bar, which is why everyone is blocking the bar and ordering their food there. Too bad. We wait for 15 minutes, try 2 other bars, to no avail. Today it's just crowded everywhere. Too bad...

We eat the leftovers from the refrigerator - tomorrow we will continue towards NY - spaghetti, salad, and pizza for the kids, with wine - perfect.

Because we didn't walk much today, we want to go to the National Mall tonight, which is supposed to be beautifully lit in the dark. The kids refuse - okay, it was to be expected. So we go alone. Taking the shuttle bus there, then we walk from the Capitol to the Washington Monument, and then walk back, because the distance back to the shuttle bus would have been just as long.

At the end of the day, my pedometer goes crazy: well over 30,000 steps! Wow! Tomorrow will be quieter, as it's a travel day.