Re: The San Francisco Zoo

04/04/02 - posted by Michele

Everyone here is bringing back such amazing memories for me!
I live in Southern California now, and haven't been back for a long time since my family is now spread all over the world.

I loved those zoo keys, it was so magical to have that powerful key, and I still have it somewhere. And every now and then I get a craving for that sweetly bland pink popcorn, just for old time's sake.

My sister and I spent so many hours playing on those trains, crawling inside and out and on top. I have some film of us dancing around on the train that my mother just found.

I still remember when my Grandparents took me to the zoo, bought me one of those balloons with the mouse eared pink balloon inside of another balloon. I had to have it. Grandma wanted to tie it on my chubby three year old wrist, but I wouldn't let her; two minutes later I lost it to the sky. And then I went on that rocket ride, up and down...but when it stopped I wouldn't get off, so the ride controller just let me go again and again. Grandma never let me forget that.

I had my eigth birthday party there in 1973. And I really miss those magical fairy tale settings they had.

Oh..one last thing. My friends and I had a club we called the Animal Lover's club. We would raise money to help animals. I would take some of that money and put it into that Large cement black and white painted panda with the sad eyes and a coin slot for donations. I think it was in front of the orangatan exhibit. That was a dangerous area because the orangatan's weren't fond of being imitated and used to throw their poop at mimics.

Michele