It's All Happening...At the Zoo

With apologies to Simon & Garfunkel, of course.

Since it was my birthday and I'm spending the week in D.C. with Significant Eater (it was also our anniversary), I decided to treat myself to some pho. This pho was from a joint in a strip mall called Pho 88, out in Beltsville, Maryland, and it was damn good. That raw beef next to the bowl cooks up just right in the steaming broth, and it's served with half a lime, bean sprouts, herbs and chilis, all to be added as the diner prefers...

I like to do a little reflection on my birthday (why? I dunno)...you know, go to a museum, wander around, take pictures, whatever. Washington, D.C. is a pretty amazing city for that - it's OUR city, and by our, I mean all Americans. Many of the museums are free; they're the ones that are part of the Smithsonian. (Hey, even the Cooper Hewitt in NYC is a Smithsonian Museum...but it's not free...what are you kidding me?)

In my opinion, one of the great "museums" the Smithsonian has to offer is the National Zoo. It's in a beautiful setting, it's within a mile of our DC abode, and it has giant pandas...and who doesn't love a giant panda? It was cold yesterday, but I figured pandas love the cold; after all, they have all that fur. Upon arrival, the first sign of giant pandas appears:

Okay. Walking a little further on, there's this...

Located within...

So, you know, there's gotta be giant pandas somewhere. Getting closer, I spot...

And...

As well as...

Now, I figured if there's one of those souvenier penny thingies, there has to be a giant panda around, right? Starting to panic, I thought I spotted one in a tree...

Till I finally realized we have those wandering all around NYC. Then, I saw this...

Which appeared to be laughing at me. As if he/she knew that I was wandering aimlessly in search of something which I wasn't going to find. On my birthday, no less. But, as they say (I told you I like to reflect on my birthday), seek and ye shall find. And finally, there he was...

In all his, ummm, giant panda glory. Whew. He was rolling around, enjoying his stash of bamboo and I spent a good 15 minutes with him, practically alone in the zoo on a frigid February day. Not bad. But guess what? The giant panda wasn't my only "prey" on this day...no...the zoo also had some new arrivals last year and I wanted to see how they were doing...

But it wasn't in the cards...too cold for the cubbies. They're not the only great cats, of course...

And that one was prowling around...

It was getting close to closing time, and I had one more stop to make, to see one of the zoo's great families...

That's Mandara, with her two year old baby Kibibi...

And finally, this gal, who really is a charmer...

Lucy is almost 40 years old - not quite as old as me, but a treat on my birthday nonetheless.