Shame on You

As it turns out, Ol Dirty Bastard was not speaking entirely metaphorically in his eternal classic "Brooklyn Zoo".

This past Monday, completely on a whim, Lil Sippy Cup and I decided to go to the Prospect Park Zoo.

We both enjoyed the day immensely, especially since the zoo was mostly empty at 3pm on a Monday afternoon.

We learned a lot about wildlife, "red-butt monkeys" (a.k.a "baboons" in Sippy-speak), and I was able to further my cause for having earned the grandest suite at the retirement home when the time comes.

There are more pictures after the jump.  Hope you enjoy them.

Lil Sippy Cup got this toy dSLR over the weekend.  It cost $1.08.  It is his favorite thing in the world right now.

See what I mean?

We had to walk for a little bit...

...but we eventually found the zoo...

...which, as it turns out, is gorgeous.

Lil Sippy Cup was immediately drawn to the Sea Lions.

It took some convincing but we eventually moved on to the Discovery Trail...

...where Lil Sippy Cup promptly turned himself into a Ninja Turtle.

Did anyone else know there was a Kangaroo in Brooklyn?  I sure didn't.

Lil Sippy Cup was just as amazed by this discovery.

It is, literally, a jungle in there.

And you will bump into animals you have never seen before.  Like a Red Panda.

At this point in the Discovery Trail, we came upon a fork in the road.  There were all sorts of wild birds cackling in the background. 

At this point, I also realized that the concept of a "wild African safari" sounds amazing on paper. 

But I'd rather deal with pigeons any day.

Thankfully, my trusty sidekick led us to safety...

...and we were able to make it back just in time for the Sea Lion feeding.

From there, we moved on to the monkey house...

...where we found this awesome little dude...

...and Mr. Cufflink got some parenting tips...

...while Lil Sippy Cup provided evidence of Darwin's Theory of Evolution.

After his afternoon feeding, Lil Sippy Cup passed out in the stroller and I took pictures of, perhaps, one of the prettiest places in all of New York City.

While Lil Sippy Cup slept, I said goodbye to our Sea Lion friend, who barked unexpectedly and scared the hell out of me.

Now I could say something cliche about how the afternoon was priceless and so on.  But I won't. 

I will point out, however, that I spent less than $20 total on admission, bus/train fare, and food.

And I think that is more a testament to how amazing this city is than anything else.