I've always loved the zoo. I live in my imagination, but the fuel for a man's dreams must be found somewhere, and I found so much of mine at the Franklin Park zoo.
I remember seeing the gravity-defying roof of the Tropical Rainforest building as we approached. The dark tinted glass of the double-doored entrance, obscuring the curiosities inside---a barrier between the mundane world and the jungle.The earthy, animal smell, strong and real, as you crossed into that world.
And the animals.
Creatures you'd expect, like monkeys and snakes, side by side with the chimeric babirusa or the alien bush baby. All in a place that felt more like THEIR home: Dense, humid air, an overcast sky, and the cool mist from a waterfall on your face as you cross a wooden bridge over a rocky ravine.
The ability to travel less than a mile from my home in the 'hood, into another world, was one I didn't take for granted, even then. I loved the jungle, and it fed my imagination and love for animals, for nature, for Earth, in so many direct and indirect ways that I don't think it'd be an exaggeration to say that I'd be a different person were it not for the fires that were sparked in me on those afternoon adventures.

And now I have a four year old son, full of curiosity and wonder and a love of nature. Perhaps inherited, Perhaps instilled. But certainly nourished by the many trips we've already taken to the zoo. Because I know that there are men who live in their imagination. But for a man to dream, he needs fuel. And the Franklin Park Zoo has fueled the dreams of so many kids, because it reminds us that there are other worlds than ours, and that they are just around the corner........

-Jeff R. (mrjefrogers@gmail.com)