Adventures at the Zoo

         Flashback to fourth grade, my 10-year-old self is bursting with excitement on the bus heading to the Bronx Zoo. The zoo was the best field trip in elementary school. Dressed in my school’s gym uniform, friends by my side, and my mom as a chaperone, it was a trip that went in the memory book.

Flash forward to now; my 20-year-old self experienced that same feeling of anticipation when my dad wanted to take me and my older sister to the Bronx Zoo. Even in our 20s, my sister and me felt like little kids going on a field trip. Throughout the 40-minute car ride, we mapped out what animals we wanted to see first and what we were looking forward to the most. Of course, I was looking forward to seeing the elephants, giraffes, and tigers.

         When we finally arrived at the zoo, it felt like yesterday I was at the Bronx Zoo, not 10 years ago. Our adventure began with lots of walking, lots of animals, and lots of fun.

         For this trip to the zoo, I was psyched to put together a zoo-like outfit. Back in fourth grade, my only option was my gray on gray gym uniform with white sneakers. However, on this trip to the zoo my love of elephant prints came into play. It was going to be a hot and humid day and I knew we would be doing a lot of walking, so I went for a comfy look. I decided to wear my elephant printed shorts, a simple flowy black tank, and a crochet short-sleeved sweater to complete the look.

         My elephant printed shorts from Marshalls have been my go-to item when I want to be comfortable, yet stylish. I love the bold print, which includes elephants and a tribal design. These shorts were practical for a long day at the zoo. To keep with the effortless, casual theme, I matched my shorts with a simple black tank, also from Marshalls. To accent the shorts and tank, I layered the tank with a kimono like sweater from Apricot Lane, which gave my look a boho vibe. For shoes, I matched my outfit with simple, black sandals. Although these sandals from Forever 21 are not the most comfortable, I survived. Since we all know that I am obsessed with elephants, I accessorized my look with my favorite elephant necklace from Etsy. Although my outfit was not the typical safari uniform, I still had fun incorporating prints of animals I was going to see at the zoo.

         The highlight of my trip was spending quality time with my dad and sister. My favorite exhibits included the tigers, giraffes, sea lions, and polar bears. I was so happy we had the chance to ride the Wild Asia Monorail, the Bronx Zoo’s famous attraction. On the monorail, we saw all sorts of animals, including exotic deer, monkeys, red pandas, rhinos, and of course elephants. I caught a glimpse of the zoo’s only elephant, named Happy. Although so big and strong, Happy was so cute. I wanted to take her home, but I don’t think she would fit in the car.

         It was great to spend a day off, doing something different than the usual hanging by the pool or going shopping. Being at the Bronx Zoo brought back old memories and of course created new ones too, like when my sister freaked out when a peacock came close to her when we were eating lunch. What a scaredy cat. After going to the Bronx Zoo, I am ready to go for a real safari ride through the jungle and desert.

Shorts: Marshalls (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR) | Top: Marshalls (SIMILAR) | Cardigan: Apricot Lane (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR)  |    Shoes: Forever 21 (SIMILAR) | Necklace: Etsy (SIMILAR) (SIMILAR)