Our usual course is have a couple of beers and lunch, see two or three exhibits, and hit the gift shop. So when Nathan suggested I take the weekend off and go with him to the zoo-well, that sounded great! There has been very little time to see each other, let alone hang out. Nathan and I have been the busiest we’ve ever been since the beginning of 2020-and recently, I’ve had so much on my plate I’m basically working through nights and weekends. Over the years, the zoo has been a place to escape for a few hours, an inspiration for several short stories, and a place where magical memories are made. The guy turned out to be a class-A jerk, but I’m grateful, because it was the zoo that became a true love. Most of our dates involved, if not the Bronx Zoo or New York Aquarium, some other zoo or aquarium. I was also dating a guy at the time who was, like me, an aquarium volunteer and loved animals. In my earliest days of being a member, it was because I was heavily involved volunteering for two aquariums, and there were volunteer opportunities at the zoo-such as decorating for the Holiday Lights-that were offered to members, so I joined. I’ve been a member of the Wildlife Conservation Society (New York City Zoos and Aquarium) for twenty-one years now-I’m lucky enough that I live just about an hour away. This was the first sign you saw as you entered the Main Zoo at the Southern Boulevard Gate. Nathan and I went prepared with plenty of water.

Snake escape bronx zoo