I love zoos, but the LA Zoo really let me down. Maybe it was the weather (the zoo was shut down a 2pm due to the Santa Ana winds) or that many of the exhibits were closed, but I wasn’t feeling this zoo. First the LA zoo is located in Griffin Park and is easily accessible for the 5 highway. It’s $10 to enter and parking is free. Get there early because lines get long. Alison and I waited 30 minutes to get tickets. Once inside the gates we passed though the international market to head to other areas of the zoo. They have everything from monkeys to elephants, but were missing my favorites, the polar bears. They exhibits aren’t set up so that they allow for great viewing. Most of the exhibits have high bushes surrounding them, which are hard to see over, and I’m 5’ 2" or they are on a hill and the viewing area is on the bottom. I watched in terror I saw kids climbing on the fence and one almost falling into the alligator exhibit. The whole time parents watching or encouraging the child so they didn’t have to lift them up to see.
The other thing that really turned me off was the state of disrepair that the park was in. Overall it looked pretty dirty and there was graffiti everywhere. Even in the beautiful bamboo zoo there was graffiti carved into all of the stalks of bamboo. It’s no wonder the park that is in the condition it is in because the only employees that I saw were at the food stands. The food at the park was much cheaper then expected. I got onion rings for $3. A kids meal was under $6 and the ice cream ranged from $2-$4. There is also a tram that goes around the park. You pay a one-time fee of $4 and ride all day. This is a decent choice if someone in your group can’t do a lot of walking, but otherwise it is unnecessary. The park can be done in three hours and there are plenty of areas to rest.