Lions in Winter

There is something especially wonderful about being one of the few people strolling on a quiet city street early on a Sunday morning, or in an empty movie theater watching a weekday kiddie matinee, or at the zoo in the calm chill of January. It is the illusion of feeling as if the world just exists for you and your child.

At the Smithsonian National Zoological Park during less crowded visitation times just after the gates open or before close, especially on a winter's day, AS and I have observed the most remarkable animal behaviors. A drop in temperature seems to invigorate animals native to cooler climates, such as the Andean Spectacled Bears, and at dusk nocturnal animals begin to rouse from their daytime slumber. We have had the fortune of hearing the unmistakable whooping of acrobatic White-cheeked Gibbons and the howling of fox-like Maned Wolves and of seeing a deft Fishing Cat tap a paw into a pool of water to lure and catch its own meal. I watched breathlessly as an orangutan scaled a tower at the Great Ape House and traversed the O-line, the zoo's highwire Orangutan Transport System, directly above our vantage point on the Olmsted Trail, and AS beamed to behold six Asian Small-clawed Otters cavorting along the bank of a stream where they mostly pass their lives basking together in a charming heap.

Indoor exhibits, like the Reptile Discovery Center or the Small Mammal or Bird Houses, provide the perfect place to warm up. These exhibits and the animals that inhabit them tend to be smaller in size, so it is easier for small-fry to observe them more closely. Staff members and knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer questions and encourage children to touch and interact with curious objects (such as plant seeds or fragments of bone, horn or fur) on display. You may also watch keepers feed the animals throughout the day. The daily schedule of activities and demonstrations on the zoo website lists animal feeding times for the minutest insects to the greatest mammals so you can plan your visit accordingly. Activity sheets, such as scavenger hunts and "Zoo-per Bingo", may be printed from the website ahead of time to help enrich your child's experience. In the Science Gallery adjacent to Amazonia, an exhibit highlighting species from the tropical rainforests of the Amazon River, children may emulate research scientists in the field and lab by viewing specimens through microscopes side-by-side with zoo staff conducting actual scientific research. Strollers are not permitted in some buildings due to space limitations, so pack light and bring your old umbrella stroller (not the fully-equipped SUV model you'll be anxious about leaving outside).

Outdoor exhibits are also built with the youngest zoo-goers in mind. The Great Cats enclosure features kid-size windows for better views of the lions and tigers. The Kids’ Farm provides opportunities to groom animals such as cows and donkeys in the Caring Corral. Small children may play in the Pizza Garden on a giant rubber pizza playground and learn about the origins of food. Watch in surreal delight as your tot crawls through an enormous olive, stacks larger-than-life mushroom slices and clambers up wedges of cheese like an ant at a picnic.

On Sundays from January to March, bring your family to National Zoo's Visitor Center Auditorium at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for the Wild Side Stage performance series for children. These winter performances include "entertaining and educational shows by acclaimed, award-winning musicians, dancers, storytellers, and puppeteers from around the country" followed by special visits to animal houses to meet keepers and animals. Tickets are $7 for adults and children age two and older. Wee ones under age two are admitted free!

Enjoy Halloween by safely Trick-or-Treating together at Boo at the Zoo. Or celebrate the winter holiday season at the annual ZooLights event, an occasion to amble through the zoo after dark to experience dozens of colorful flashing light displays, animal exhibits and live entertainment.
Children especially love to see baby animals at the zoo. A highlight for us this past year was getting to know, Kibibi, the Western Lowland Gorilla born at the Great Ape House on January 10, 2009. The public was even invited to vote on her name. Information regarding animal arrivals, births and hatchings is updated on the website monthly. Some new arrivals to the zoo's animal family are raised at the Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia, but photographs by the zoo's professional photographers and webcams trained on the babies are a welcome representative until the animals are ready for their big debut at the zoo.

I was dismayed to read a recent newspaper article in which parents residing outside the beltway resolved never to return to Washington, DC for their children's entertainment after spending $100 at the zoo in one day. What was intended to be a cheap daytrip for the cost-conscious parents became increasing expensive as they found themselves paying for parking, treating their family of four to lunch then ice cream and coffee at a restaurant, and lured to the call of the gift shop.

It is possible to spend $20 or less for a family of four if you plan ahead. Admission to the animal exhibits is always free, and public transportation to the zoo is cheaper than parking there and more convenient. The Woodley Park-Zoo metro station is a short walk to the main entrance on Connecticut Avenue. Pack a bag lunch; there are plenty of shaded picnic tables or sunny, grassy areas to spread out a blanket in the warmer months. During winter, benches indoors are a convenient spot for enjoying a PB&J sandwich and slurping a juice box with your child.

Joining Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) is an initial investment of $60 for a Household (two or more people living at the same address) Membership but worthwhile if you plan to visit the zoo often and are eager to take advantage of free parking, 10% discounts in National Zoo stores, a complementary subscription to Smithsonian Zoogoer magazine and discounted tickets for special events. These include annual member events, previews of new exhibits, summer camps, classes and workshops, and Snore and Roar overnights. Snore and Roar overnights? Yes, from June to September you and your Mini-me can camp out under the stars listening to the roars of lions and tigers nearby! FONZ members also enjoy free or discounted admission to other zoos and aquariums nationwide.

Check out the online calendar and website to see when special events are scheduled. The zoo is open every day of the year, except December 25th. Animal exhibits are open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. November to March and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April to October.

Walk, Don't Run

Affirmation that my husband and I had made the right choice to stay in the city came during the weeks immediately following our son's birth. During my six week recovery period, daily exercise was limited to short constitutionals in the neighborhood. I ventured out for 30 minutes to an hour with baby in stroller and found myself rediscovering our neighborhood anew from a Mom's point of view.

I set goals of finding parks, outdoor cafes, and other quiet resting places for a self-conscious first-time mother with a squawking infant and cumbersome stroller to sequester herself. But to my amazement, I had seemingly joined a new social club. Suddenly, complete strangers were stopping me on the street asking about the baby. Some of these folks, like the fellow often grabbing a smoke and exchanging barbs with fellow residents of a homeless shelter down the block, asks about our son regularly. "How's the little man doing today? How old is he now? Alright, alright." We were also befriended by other stay-at-home Moms and Dads, especially at the playground, as well as grandparents, nannies and other neighbors simply interested in the newest baby in their midst. I was perplexed by but immensely grateful for the generous morning commuters waiting at the Metro bus stop outside our apartment building who rushed to hold our front door as I fumbled to get the stroller inside. And I was taken aback and humbled again by the bagger at the grocery store who offered to carry my groceries. Who knew city people could be so nice? I resolved to pay it forward somehow.

On one particularly hectic but sunny day, I found myself desperate for a restorative dose of Vitamin D and fresh air. I knew we wouldn't get far by the time I changed another Huggies, organized the baby bag, and packed my son into his infant carrier. So instead, we left all the accouterments behind and went on a "nature walk" as I carried him down a tree-lined residential street adjacent to our building. I stopped to point out the first daffodils and to give him an opportunity to experience the feel of waxy leaves and grass through his fingertips. It was one of our shortest but most memorable walks to date.

Leisurely afternoons, I actually took time to stop and read the informative illustrated signs along one of the District's many wonderful Cultural Tourism DC Neighborhood Heritage Trails. The trails are a system of self-guided walking tours marked with signs that tell stories of Washington’s historic neighborhoods.

When I felt impatient to shed both the baby fat and the maternity clothes, a little retail therapy seemed like just the ticket until I reminded myself that I was not bringing in a paycheck while on family leave. Determined to stick to a budget, I found sidewalk window shopping and trips to the library squashed the pesty consumerism bug. A power walk up the steep incline of the National Zoological Park's Olmstead Walk increased my heart rate and provided our only child with more socialization opportunities. The sites and sounds of the wildlife and zoo visitors provide great topics for conversation, especially when the parent is the only one doing all the talking. And perhaps mostly importantly, entrance to the zoo is FREE!

Washington, DC is a pedestrian-friendly place to live, but soon-to-be parents often flee the city for the suburbs where commuting by cars is a must and sidewalks are few. Each time I take my son on another walk here, the challenges of raising a child in the city seem at least temporarily to fade.

Want to share your favorite place in Washington DC to walk with kids? Where do you go for a stroll on rainy or cold days? Let us know. Please submit a comment!