Panda exhibit opens at Toronto Zoo - Toronto - CBC News
So we went to the Toronto Zoo yesterday. Yes, the long weekend. Opening of the exhibit.
There were a few people there.
Let me walk you through the great journey.
So it was reminiscent of hitting the urinals at the old Maple Leaf Gardens. Line-ups to pee. This is because there were about 18 million people at the Zoo that day. The girls made out much worse than we guys. They were gone for nearly an hour.
But then my spirits lifted as we could finally move toward the big arch thingy and go see these bears. Red-shirt guy lost his wife.
Anywho, we got to walk, shuffle and wade through a myriad of 'velvet ropelines' that funneled Zoo 'guests' up and down and to and fro and we zigged and zagged as we moved about the next open area towards the building where these bastards were on display. Had time to smoke two cigarettes during this exercise.
Then the large, um, 'Interpretive Tent' came into view beyond an concrete parkette kinda area and there were many more rope lines to ziggity zag thru for crowd control and to cram as many bodies into this rigid 'tent' as possible. 'The pandas must be inside there' I said to myself.
Finally in we go and it's sorta like a grade 8 science fair with signs and murals and graphics and the occasional tv monitor and stool for 'patrons' to sit, relax and hear all about these panda bears ya know. Yeah. But no ropes inside this 8,000 sq. ft. space so everyone pretty much shuffled along the moving twitching mass of bodies towards the end of the building. Perhaps we were being taken to the 'showers'.
After about 15 minutes we make it to a door that led back outside. Well ok then, the pandas will be out there I figure.
Then we walk along another path and see yet another building and enclosed compound about 100 feet away. That's where the line kinda 'slowed down' again. Slowed down.
There were friendly happy shiny staff holding stalks of bamboo for us to look at as we inched by. In the distance I could hear another happy staffer (Brandon I think his name was) telling the few people outside all about the natural habitat of pandas and that their poop (the pandas, not the staff) was bright green and they pooped a lot because they had a carnivore's stomach but yet ate wood.
Then we were getting really close now. The doorway was one of those PVC vinyl air barriers, slitted like the magic fingers of the local car wash. You tried to hold them open but it's like walking through the brush and all those branches snapping back and slapping your cheek or taking your eye out because the idiot ahead let go of it too quickly.
Inside.
It was darkish in this little viewing area and smelled like humidity, B.O.
Brandon reminded us all that there were a lot of people and for us to be 'patient' and for us to also let the people behind us press up against the glass to see the first panda. I remarked to my lady that I thought Brandon was being particularly helpful because of the long weekend opening day of and first crack at, these pandas. I smiled and elbowed a few smaller people out of the way to take a picture of the pandette.
I think there was snot or something smeared on the glass but I think it's a dandy shot.
Of course there is another bear somewhere so we moved along with the current of sweaty people and crying babies towards the far PVC curtain and made our egress into the open air. This was the compound of the male panda.
He was rubbing himself against a rock.
So there it was. I'd seen them.
On the way out the line had to pass by a little 'gift shop' where they sold all things panda. Being a good boy, I knew that I should get something nice for my gal as she surely loves her collection of stuffed bears. In I go, pushing past the children and cripples until I snatch the largest plush bear they have to offer. It's about 13 inches tall and I gave the young man at the register $45 for it too.
The Giant Panda exhibit at The Toronto Zoo.
Steven Harper, a bunch of people from Toronto, Calgary and China arranged for 10 years of this in our fine land.
You should go.
But maybe on a Tuesday morning or something.
Not on a long weekend.
Be sure to say hello to Brandon for me.
So we went to the Toronto Zoo yesterday. Yes, the long weekend. Opening of the exhibit.
There were a few people there.
Let me walk you through the great journey.
So it was reminiscent of hitting the urinals at the old Maple Leaf Gardens. Line-ups to pee. This is because there were about 18 million people at the Zoo that day. The girls made out much worse than we guys. They were gone for nearly an hour.
But then my spirits lifted as we could finally move toward the big arch thingy and go see these bears. Red-shirt guy lost his wife.
Anywho, we got to walk, shuffle and wade through a myriad of 'velvet ropelines' that funneled Zoo 'guests' up and down and to and fro and we zigged and zagged as we moved about the next open area towards the building where these bastards were on display. Had time to smoke two cigarettes during this exercise.
Then the large, um, 'Interpretive Tent' came into view beyond an concrete parkette kinda area and there were many more rope lines to ziggity zag thru for crowd control and to cram as many bodies into this rigid 'tent' as possible. 'The pandas must be inside there' I said to myself.
Finally in we go and it's sorta like a grade 8 science fair with signs and murals and graphics and the occasional tv monitor and stool for 'patrons' to sit, relax and hear all about these panda bears ya know. Yeah. But no ropes inside this 8,000 sq. ft. space so everyone pretty much shuffled along the moving twitching mass of bodies towards the end of the building. Perhaps we were being taken to the 'showers'.
After about 15 minutes we make it to a door that led back outside. Well ok then, the pandas will be out there I figure.
Then we walk along another path and see yet another building and enclosed compound about 100 feet away. That's where the line kinda 'slowed down' again. Slowed down.
There were friendly happy shiny staff holding stalks of bamboo for us to look at as we inched by. In the distance I could hear another happy staffer (Brandon I think his name was) telling the few people outside all about the natural habitat of pandas and that their poop (the pandas, not the staff) was bright green and they pooped a lot because they had a carnivore's stomach but yet ate wood.
Then we were getting really close now. The doorway was one of those PVC vinyl air barriers, slitted like the magic fingers of the local car wash. You tried to hold them open but it's like walking through the brush and all those branches snapping back and slapping your cheek or taking your eye out because the idiot ahead let go of it too quickly.
Inside.
It was darkish in this little viewing area and smelled like humidity, B.O.
Brandon reminded us all that there were a lot of people and for us to be 'patient' and for us to also let the people behind us press up against the glass to see the first panda. I remarked to my lady that I thought Brandon was being particularly helpful because of the long weekend opening day of and first crack at, these pandas. I smiled and elbowed a few smaller people out of the way to take a picture of the pandette.
I think there was snot or something smeared on the glass but I think it's a dandy shot.
Of course there is another bear somewhere so we moved along with the current of sweaty people and crying babies towards the far PVC curtain and made our egress into the open air. This was the compound of the male panda.
He was rubbing himself against a rock.
So there it was. I'd seen them.
On the way out the line had to pass by a little 'gift shop' where they sold all things panda. Being a good boy, I knew that I should get something nice for my gal as she surely loves her collection of stuffed bears. In I go, pushing past the children and cripples until I snatch the largest plush bear they have to offer. It's about 13 inches tall and I gave the young man at the register $45 for it too.
The Giant Panda exhibit at The Toronto Zoo.
Steven Harper, a bunch of people from Toronto, Calgary and China arranged for 10 years of this in our fine land.
You should go.
But maybe on a Tuesday morning or something.
Not on a long weekend.
Be sure to say hello to Brandon for me.
