No Fusilli

Things start well enough on Sunday - my mother calls to wish me Happy Birthday, and from my window, I see a partly sunny day. I suggest to my girlfriend that we go to the Bronx Zoo, something which I had not done in years.
We opt for public transportation - the subway has a zoo stop.  A short distance outside, however, and it is clear that this is going to be a hot and very humid day. But I remain optimistic - trains are air-conditioned, and the zoo is shaded and also has indoor exhibits.

This trip requires two trains, a local to the express. When we get to Astor Place, however, the local train is not running at all. Out to the street for a six-block walk to Union Square for the express train.
Signs indicate that the number 5 train is also not running for the weekend. We jump in the first express train which arrives quickly - things are starting to look up.

But once we arrive in the Bronx, I notice the stops don't look quite right. That's because only the number 5 runs to the zoo, not the 4 which we had taken. A brief conversation with a passenger confirms my mistake and that I will have to take a bus across Fordham Road. We exit the train, armed with our Metro Cards, expecting a free transfer.
However, the bus driver indicates that we need to go back to the machine on the street and purchase reduced price tickets at $1.10 each for this BX12 bus.
Off the bus. Buy tickets. Back on the bus. The ride across Fordham Road is quite depressing.

Our stop is Southern Boulevard, and the driver tells me I have a choice of two entrances. I forget the East Fordham Road entrance is the main one, which is quite beautiful. Instead, we traipse nearly twice as far down Southern Boulevard for what feels like an interminable distance in the heat to finally arrive at the side entrance. We see "The Complete Experience" listed for $27 per person, with no posting of general admission prices. This already smells of a zoo sadly doing badly. Being late in the day, we opt for general admission at $15 each.

The day's humidity is almost unbearable, even in the shaded areas of the zoo. We quickly learn that many of the best exhibits are part of The Complete Experience and can be purchased ala carte. $6 more gets us into the Congo Gorilla Forest - can't miss that. We watch a movie, and the screen lifts to a live panorama of gorillas.

I overhear a disappointed father of a family asking his wife who is reading a map - "No elephants?" (there are only two left which can only be seen from the Bengali Express monorail). We decide to purchase a drink after building up a thirst and $2.75 buys a small bottle of water.

A zoo employee tells me that the zoo closes at 5:30 PM, so I pace myself for that. However, an announcement at 5PM tells us the zoo is now closed, so we barely get to the gardens and exhibits at the main entrance, which I was saving until last.

We exit and make our way back to the Fordham Road bus stop. We purchase those silly tickets for the crosstown BX12 and wait at the bus stop, confident that we have the system mastered. The bus arrives quickly, but it stops inexplicably some distance before the stop and we miss it. Not to be fooled, we move, and the next bus stops behind us. A quick jog in the heat with camera equipment in tow, and we just make the bus.

The train ride itself is uneventful. But at our final stop, I notice a man with a VERY wet umbrella - he confirms a torrential downpour outside. This provides a most amazing photo opportunity and, of course, a wet journey home. The streets are littered with downed tree branches.

We decide to go Indian for a birthday dinner. The place I frequent is typically nearly empty, but tonight the place is packed, and there are a couple of huge parties. We are seated at one of the few remaining tables. We wait for some time, but I have a bad feeling that this will be a painfully slow process, so we leave as gracefully as possible.

My spirits pick up as we opt for Trattoria Spaghetto just a few short blocks away. They are also unusually crowded, and the only remaining table is sandwiched between the kitchen and the service exit to the street used by the waiters. Not daunted by eating on a super highway, we sit and get our menus. I do not need to even open mine, because I am ready to order my favorite dish here: Fusilli Puttanesca. However, our waiter informs me that he is sorry, because tonight there is no fusilli :(