Such a Lovely Place: Pachy' Pro Goes to San Diego

I've been patiently waiting for an entire year to finally execute a long awaited trip away from the hustle and bustle of Chicago. I've been to California three times in my lifetime, and I absolutely love the place. The people, the places, the activities and most of all, the zoos. California is a place infested with a plethora of zoos and aquariums (Around 70), but there's one place that always stands out to zoo goers, San Diego. I'm on a budget so I can't exactly travel straight through to entire state like snowleopard did earlier this year, but I do have enough to go to a nice handful of facilities. One goes without speaking, San Diego zoo of course. But I'll keep to rest of places a secret for now, got to keep the readers hooked after all.

I may only be there for a week, but I intend to do as much as possible. I may even go a whole day without out visiting a single zoo eek: shocking isn't it). I'll try to do this TeaLovingDave style, incredibly long paragraphs in multiple parts everyday. Of course, I plan on writing far more then just my zoo opinions and reviews. Expect some other entertaining shenanigans to ensue.

I'm eagerly awaiting to see the new Africa Rocks complex most of all. I was terrified at the thought that the entire area wouldn't be opened by the time of my visit, Luckily I was wrong. It looks great from the photos, and I have quite high expectations of the place. I'm confident it will look great in person. All I hope for now is that the conquerel's sifaka will be on exhibit within the next 2 or so weeks.

If all goes according to plan, I can possibly double my current zoo tally in 2018. This could be a fantastic start to what will hopefully be a great year for all of us. Wish me luck!
I'll be departing on the morning of New Years Eve and I hope you can all follow his short but sweet vacation.

 

Update: I'm less then a week away from departing, and the anticipation is killing me! Its currently -3 degrees here and I its 60 degrees in San Diego right now. 'sigh' soon...

Complaining about awful Midwest Winters aside, I just finished booking a cart tour through the Asian Savannah at the Safari Park so that made my day better. I'm ecstatic to see all those rare ungulates hidden away back there. Javan bantengs, Chinese sika deer, Indian gaur and so many more. Plus, a herd of dozens of Indian rhinos is equally as impressive. The Safari Park will be my first facility I'll visit on my trip.

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas and will have a happy new year, as I most certainly will.

 

12/30/17, Day -1: A Procrastinators Prologue
This post was meant to be up way earlier today. In all honesty I really shouldn't be writing this right now. I've barely packed a single luggage case and my flight takes off in like 12 hours. Yet for some reason, I'm choosing to write this instead.

Anyway, I want to provide a few minor details and a backstory of my love of the Golden state. I've visited San Diego only three other times in my life, 2004, 2010 and 2015. Each visit I also ways went to the San Diego zoo, but on my most recent visit in 2015, a medical emergency resulted in me not being able to make it out to the Safari Park. Luckily, it was nothing serious, but I still never got to see the new fruit bat house, the new Tiger Trail and other attractions opened since then. This will be a first time experience for me. Every time I ever went to vacation here I have always stayed in the same hotel, the Del Coronado. Let me just tell you, you haven't lived until you've been to this place. It embodies everything I love about California. The architecture is stunning, the food is magnificent, the views are incredible and the people are some of the friendliest I ever met. Maybe its because I'm from Chicago, but everyone acts so nice and genuine. I believe @sooty mangabey spoke similar praise during his California trip as well.

My point is this hotel is, in the simplest of terms, awesome! I definitely plan on writing about this place on my non zoo days. I have no real itinerary however, time to wing it! Speaking of, its a shame that passerine challenge is ending. This would have been a perfect time to participate. The three massive aviaries at the zoo could have contributed so well. Hopefully the 2018 challenge is something I can work with. On the bright side, @jayjds2 just started the first North American challenge, and its reptiles! The San Diego zoo has around 200+ reptiles scattered throughout the zoo alone! Lets do this.

All of the actual days in California will be longer than this, I had to rush this because I still have to pack and my flight takes off incredibly soon (eek!). With that, I wish you all a good night and I will see you in San Diego.​

 

The Hotel Del Coronado is definitely San Diego's premier hotel. It is the go-to hotel for any important dignitaries that come to San Diego.

When did you reserve? I hear it's booked months in advance.

 

PP is quite young, I would recommend asking his folks about reservation questions

That said, enjoy your (incredibly) fancy hotels while you still have the opportunity! You may be able to visit the same zoos and attractions again alone, however there is a hell of a difference between travelling with the folks and by yourself accommodations wise, as I had the "pleasure" of finding out years ago when I started travelling by myself.

 

12/31/17, Day 1: Happy New Year (Because I Couldn't think of a More Creative Title) - Part l

Today I woke up with excitement in the air, and so was -30 degree wind chill. Still it was finally time to get out of this ghastly weather. An old friend drove me to the airport where I grabbed a quick breakfast at O'Hare. There was then a minor delay on my flight by about 20 minutes but luckily it wasn't much longer of a wait and I boarded my flight just before 11 AM CT. An agonizing four hour flight later I finally, mercifully got off that plane and took my first breath of the beautiful California air. You really feel it especially when you've been in snow and pollution ridden Chicago all your life. I grabbed a rental car and made my way over the massive bridge to the absolutely lovely Coronado island. And there it was, Hotel Del Coronado.

To answer your question, these renovations were booked a mere three weeks go. Though the place is packed with tourists and families (and is unsurprisingly ridden with seagulls) from what looked to be almost every part of the world. The kind staff told me that by the end of the week the place will empty out like crazy though, which is a relief after tripping over like 5 people today. I usually don't mind crowds much, but this is ridiculous. Luckily, the views and the architecture made up for it. I peacefully watched the sunset fall as I ate a grossly overpriced salad (My Lord...).

As Hyak pointed out, I'm taking this week in stride. I wont always have my swanky hotels to go to every time I flee the windy city. This hotel has a bit of a special place in my heart so I will still try to make it down here as much as I can. Its really, really expensive here though so I wont always be able to count on that. It costs 40$ alone just to park over night. Luckily, I found an adjacent spot on the street across from some brilliant looking million dollar homes. I always knew California was an incredibly expensive state but it still shocks me when I check the prices on just about everything here. I would love to go to college here one day maybe even move here, but prices like the ones I've seen could prevent that dream. I mean, even the money that the San Diego zoo spends. 45Mil on EO, 69Mil on AR and 18Mil on an employee parking garage for gods sake!

Luckily, this Wi-Fi is free and will allow me to write these posts without any price.

Now with 2018 on the horizon, I plan on traveling throughout the US this year, and intend on possibly increasing my zoo/aquarium count from 13 to 23 at least. I have two smaller trips to Florida and Dallas planned as well as embarking on a small Midwestern road trip through three states. That Dallas visit will really help me add to that NA reptile challenge. With Ft. Worth zoo's MOLA plus San Diego's massive reptile walk, there is no way I can lose. Now I'll just wait for Thylo and Vision to reveal this years main zoochat challenge and you better believe I'm taking this seriously!

Well I'm about to go eat a late dinner. Hopefully this awful jetlag will where off and I'll write some more before the ball drops.

 

12/31/17, Day 1: Happy New Year (Because I Couldn't think of a More Creative Title) - Part II

Well, the ball dropped but its still not 2018 here yet. Still have about an hour and a half. This jetlag is really killing me still and I'm probably going to sleep after I complete my business on here. By that I mean I still have to confirm the winner of the thread of the year and personally congratulate the winner. And to my pleasant surprise, Thylo announced this years challenge, Carnivora! This is another challenge I can at least get far on, if not win. I'm taking these challenges very seriously, probably more then I should. But let me just tell you... your all going down!

Anyway, I just got back from yet another overpriced dinner. The food was fine, but it wasn't exactly worth $205! I swear I could get the same meal in Chicago for half the price. I also want to discuss the main lobby. I honestly love this lobby. As soon as you walk in your greeted with an old school style presented in a modern fashion. There's a massive upside down Christmas tree right in the middle of the lobby that looked strange at first glance but has grown on me the more I looked at it. My favorite feature of the lobby in the historic elevator which is preserved despite it being sorely lacking the features of a modern elevator. Its still such a historic gem that it really doesn't effect the overall experience.

Sorry this ones short, but I'm tired and want to sleep so I'm going to do just that. If you weren't into non zoo or animal things, then stay tuned.

Tomorrow's when the fun begins...

 

And many people would still consider that meal overprice!

 

That place is maybe just a bit to awesome! I didn't stay there but I visited the Coronado 2 weeks ago and it was absolutely insane how busy it was. The only place I can remember being that buy was Disneyworld a while back! But you're right as the hotel looked splendid and it would be a real joy to stay there.

 

I also had high expectations and those expectations were met and exceeded. The Baboon habitat is great, especially if you get there first thing in the morning. It's a real joy to see 20 Baboons romping through a spacious, naturalistic exhibit. Anyway hope you enjoy Africa Rocks and the whole zoo as much as I did.

 

1/1/18, Day 2: An Ungulate Lovers Dream - Part I

Today I woke up still incredibly jetlagged and I got very little sleep the night before. Perhaps I was just too gay with excitement for my first big zoo on this trip. Perhaps it was because I had to write last night when my body felt like it was 1 AM. Or maybe it was because I downed an entire pack of icebreakers on my flight and they were finally starting to catch up with me. Either way, today was simply amazing. And after visiting here again, every other zoo I have visited suddenly looks less impressive. Its not perfect, and there were things I thought could use a face lift. However, throughout the park I never noticed an enclosure that looked like it was in need of immediate renovation or replacing. Is that not a fantastic accomplishment?

Anyway, I ate a protein bar for breakfast and I was out the door. Can't waist time eating . The man at the front desk kindly showed me a shortcut to the place which worked wonders. Though there were a few brief moments when I accidently passed the Mexican border which was a brief scare. Luckily I made it to the Safari Park in a little under 40 minutes with time to spare. Within the last five or so mile stretch I never noticed just how gorgeous those mountains are. They are simply spectacular and as soon as I saw a saw the massive yellow hot air balloon emerge from the cliffs, a dumb grin came across my face and didn't leave until I left the place. I knew I was in for something great. I pulled into a great spot in the parking lot (About row 4) and I walked into the park surprisingly hungry. Maybe because I chowed on just a single protein bar for breakfast. I walked around the lovely gem that is the Wings of the World aviary for a few minutes before heading off to Mombasa Lagoon for an early lunch. Let me just say, this is the best zoo lunch I ever had in my life. A salmon burger with tarter sauce and parmesan garlic fries while overlooking a stunning shoebill stork island. Which was also surrounded by at least 50 ducks of multiple species and half a dozen African pelicans. It was so engaging to watch and I could have honestly sat there all day, then I remembered there's more to be seen, so after about 20 minutes I moved on.

Shoebill Feeding at Mombasa Lagoon by pachyderm pro posted 1 Jan 2018 at 10:35 PM

I then decided to backtrack to more of the entrance that I missed going through the aviary. The Southern pudu was no where to be seen and neither were the infamous "mountain" coatimundi. However, there was a lovely bid presentation happening, which featured a cockatoo and a superb starling. I moved on from the base camp and made my way to the Nairobi Village. Surprisingly, I really liked this area. It just had a very unique feel to it, different from the rest of the park. There were two smaller dusty yards that contained a dik-dik and a pair of warthogs respectively. There fine exhibits, if maybe a bit on the small side (mainly for the hogs). The nursery yard was similar although it was much better aesthetically. It includes a rotating cast of hoofstock which on my visit housed addra gazelles and I believe some Nyla (might have been kudu). Then there was a small animal center that included some small exhibits for parrots, reptiles and amphibians. They weren't bad, but seemed at a lower standard when everything else in the park is so immaculate. There was a black milk snake out for the public to touch which was nice as kids seemed to really enjoy the creature. Then there were two medium sized desert habitats. The first contained a fennec fox, and then around the corner there was a really hidden away identical exhibit for black-footed cat. I almost missed the cats exhibit, and according to there comments on here I'm not the first one to do so.

Cockatoo Presentation by pachyderm pro posted 1 Jan 2018 at 10:35 PM

The following parts of the village included a fairly new (2011) fruit bat house. A simple exhibit with harp wire to separate bats from the public, is small but certainly effective. Then there was a dusty goat petting pen, *Yawn*. I passed it without hesitation. By far the highlight of the Nairobi Village was the lovely Congo fishing village. A large multi leveled structure that included a crashing waterfall into the massive pond that the bridge like structure crosses. There were two adjacent habitats that you see when you walk on that contain meerkats and cape crested porcupines respectively. The meerkats had a simple yard that was perfectly suitable for them, and the porcupines had a lovely lush yard that allowed you to get quite close despite the quills covering there bodies. Lastly there was a single gerenuk in a sandy paddock aside from the bridge.

I then proceeded to head into Gorilla Forest. Similar to parts of Nairobi Village, I was expecting an inferior exhibit that was only inferior do to the rest of the park being so crazy good! However, this gorilla yard is much better then from when I remembered. The logs and trees are very large and there was a great family dynamic between the apes. It still is a glorified gorilla grotto, but is still an above average habitat. Its surrounded with multiple lush mid sized aviaries for small passerines that all are a fine quality. Then as I walked away from the gorillas, I felt a weird feeling. For a couple of seconds, I felt as if I was in a dream. As if what I was experiencing wasn't really real. It was in such a haze I almost missed the next area. I never seen such a facility that didn't have any parts in need of immediate fixing as I was just mesmerized by it somewhat. But then I snapped myself out of it and headed toward the lemur walkthrough...

Gorillas at rest by pachyderm pro posted 1 Jan 2018 at 11:49 PM

 

The excitement upon the first sight of the baloon never dies!

Did you see the cheetah in Nairobi Village.

 

I won't be at the zoo tomorrow.

No I did not see the cheetahs, the cubs were not out at that time.

 

Sorry about the meetup thing, that was unintentionally posted from a draft.

 

1/1/18, Day 2: An Ungulate Lovers Dream - Part II

The lemur walkthrough was unspectacular to say the least. A mere three ring tails in a exhibit that can hold at least 4 times that number. Its a great exhibit design wise, but it needs more lemurs to be truly exciting. Then I stepped out into one of the greatest sights I have veer seen at any zoo. The Great Rift Lift provided a stunning view of the amazing African yard and the massive mountains that dotted the landscape. It was such a rush to see after coming out of the lush forest. The large metal structure has elevators that can take you down back to ground level, so after a moment of staring at the beauty of the enclosure I returned back down and continued to another lovely set of habitats. The fantastic African woods section which housed a great variety of ungulates in wonderfully large paddocks. Giant eland and bontebok have rocky hillside paddocks that have a great panorama with a small vulture exhibit. Okapi and red river hogs share a shaded yard which is the largest and most lush I've seen for both species. Across from them are a grassy paddock for a large herd of gerenuk and a species of duiker (I think it was red-flanked).

Okapi by pachyderm pro posted 1 Jan 2018 at 11:49 PM

I kept going and found one of my favorite bird species, a secretary bird! They were placed in a shady slope with other birds that are slipping my mind at the moment. Really great to see large storks treated to large islands and yards rather than metal cages that provide little space. I then came across a massive sandy hillside for bat-eared foxes (Which were no shows) and a playful bundle of warthog youngsters. It looked like they were having a ball wrestling and agitating mama hog. The guests were really into it as well, and its nice to hear things other than, "EWWW there so gross!!!!!" all the time. I was then once again memorized as my eyes played view on a bloody brilliant marsh habitat! Flamingos and other birds allowed in smaller more condense spaces with the illusion they can go into a larger habitat. Then the colobus monkey island right in the middle that's so simple but is so athletically pleasing. Then I came across the narrow U-shaped cheetah habitat. The backdrop into the African yard is simply breathtaking. I just had to sit down and take this all in for a few minutes. Its juts so great that my mind almost couldn't comprehend it!

Cheetah Brothers at Rest by pachyderm pro posted 1 Jan 2018 at 11:49 PM

I was then just about ready to go on my 2:15 appointment for a cart tour to the off exhibit Asian Plain exhibits. I was so eager to see all the rare ungulate jewels that were hiding back there. I was waiting with about 8 other people, including a rather intelligent 4 year old. He actually knew quite a good amount of info for his young age. Although his creation of a new species was rather amusing to myself, a Mountain kudu (Do I sense the next G&G split?). A believe he created this by pointing at a mountain Nyla which was in full view in our waiting tent, and his mother suggesting it was a greater kudu.

Our cart was just a few minutes away from arriving and suddenly I hear a women on the microphone. I turn back and saw she had something on a leash. I decided to check it out and I assumed it was maybe a cheetah or something else that's commonly walked around the park. But I would have never guessed what this was until I saw it.

Warthog on a Leash by pachyderm pro posted 1 Jan 2018 at 11:10 PM

I'll leave it at that for now...

 

What is so infamous about these coati?

 

1/1/18, Day 2: An Ungulate Lovers Dream - Part III

After I watched part of a rather entertaining warthog presentation, I returned to my tent which had Lowland Nyla in our view. Then perhaps my favorite part of the trip began. A small cart which was able to fit abut 12 people pulled up. We all gathered at sat in our seats to the sound our fantastic driver. He was a charismatic jokes-cracking young fellow who stopped whenever we asked, provided some great information about species the park has saved from extinction. He really seemed to love what he does. However, the greatest part of the one hour ride was when a pregnant Indian rhino and her other calf pulled up near the cart. The man then let everyone get up and stand near the fence, and we were all about 4 ft. away from two massive rhinos in the field exhibits. It was simply splendid! That's not even mentioning all my first time ungulates that were present. Chinese sika deer, Indian gaur, Javan banteng, nilgai, urials, Arabian-horned oryx and so many more. It was remarkable. And the very end of the tour, our guide mention that the Asian Field exhibits will be soon getting public access in the year 2020. This is great, as more people should get a chance to see these animals.

Indian Rhino (4ft away!) - Asian Savannah by pachyderm pro posted 1 Jan 2018 at 11:10 PM

It was getting a bit late so I decided to take the African tram immediately after. It was about what you expected. A nice lady driving took the tram through the two big African field areas as well as a fantastic side exhibit for Somali wild asses and Barbary sheep. There really isn't too much too say about this one other than the fact that I loved watched the cape buffalo.

The Cape Buffalo Herd by pachyderm pro posted 1 Jan 2018 at 11:32 PM

After the tram, I saw that there were 40 minutes left before closing. I still had to see four more exhibit areas. The sun was beginning to set so I made my way around the final four areas as quick as possible. Lion camp only contained three napping lions on my visit. The area itself looked fantastic for both the animals and visitors with some creative viewing angles (My favorite being the one that separates them from the tram by only one barrier of hotwire). It they were more active critters inside I would have most likely stayed longer.

I then moved on to the African elephants. The habitat is fairly dusty, and the rock formations look a bit strange, though I don't seem to mind them too much. The yards were a bit smaller then what I expected. I still really great to see a huge family heard of elephants of all ages running about. One of the elephants is supposedly pregnant and once she gives birth the herd will be up to a bakers dozen elephants. However, I must say that the viewing is mediocre at best and is incredibly awkward at worst. Open up some more viewing angles, replant some grass and this could be a great exhibit. For now I'll still say its an above average exhibit for the pachyderms.

African Elephant with Enrichment Box by pachyderm pro posted 1 Jan 2018 at 10:35 PM

Two exhibits remain, both on the exact opposite side of the park, disconnected from everything else in the facility only reachable by bridge...

@birdsandbats The Safari park labels them as mountain coatis, which they are not. The sign explicitly states they are.

 

1/1/18, Day 2: An Ungulate Lovers Dream - Part IV

I had to jog all the way to the other side of the park, I was sweating like crazy and was determined to get to the finally get to the last two areas. I ran up the massive bridge and was met with a fork in the road. Between tiger trail and condor ridge. I decided to go to Tiger Trail first as I had never seen it before, and it is fantastic. It has to be among the second or third best tiger exhibit in America (Maybe behind Bronx and/or Minnesota). There are three Sumatran tiger habitats, all of which are lush, sloped and filled with great viewing angles. There is a large Sumatran longhouse that looks as if it acts as an eatery during the day, and the design is so well produced. I was maybe a bit disappointed that I didn't see the two tiger cubs which were out only in the morning, but none the less I really enjoyed the newer tiger trail. I heard that the park is up too 11 tigers (10 Sumatran, 1 zoo-mix Bengal) and that is an astronomically high number. I saw all three tiger habitats occupied by at least one tiger.

Tiger at Rest by pachyderm pro posted 1 Jan 2018 at 11:49 PM

Lastly was condor ridge. It was 5, closing time but that didn't stop me from going on to the boardwalk which takes me to the highest point in the park. I first passed construction of the new Australian Walkabout, which opens this Summer. However, do to this construction a good majority of animals were off exhibit. Ocelot, bald eagle, a hawk and some other birds were missing which I thought would hinder the experience of the area, I was wrong. I finally made it to the peak and saw perhaps the most beautiful site I ever have seen in any zoo ever. A large rocky boulder filled hillside for desert bighorn rams, adjacent to the remarkable California condor aviary, blended into the massive mountains that shined s the sunset. It was beautiful, I stared at both species for a few minutes, then gazed at the sun until I was kicked out of the park. Such a great way to end a amazing visit. The exhibits were fantastic for both species, and the condor aviary meshed seamlessly with the rocky mountain, I swear I almost shed a tear looking at the beauty of it all.

After reminiscing the whole ride home, I was surprised to find that I could upgrade my room. So I did and moved out of the famous Victorian building, and I'm now staying in an ocean front view into the Pacific in the newer modern section of the hotel. I miss the old school architecture of course. But its great to have so much space to move around now, and this new room is double the size of the previous. Could it have been a better day?

Yesterday was amazing and I doubt todays park will live up to expectations...

 

I followed the exact same path as you! I arrived at Condor Ridge around 5:10 and was the only one on the whole trail