One of my blog inspiration books, Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a (Disney) Little Golden Book, reminds us that the “world is full of magical places”. When my son was a toddler the Pittsburgh Zoo was a magical place where we could have a weekly encounter with elephants, lions, bears, and
turtles (these were my son’s favorite animals ). A zoo visit educates,
entertains, and reminds us that we share this word with many other unique
species.
Unfortunately,
we sometimes forget to explore the animal kingdom as we once did when our
children become adults and leave the family nest. The Pittsburgh Zoo’s annual benefit event,
Summer Safari, is an adult party that brings you back to experiencing the magic
of a lion’s roar, wobble of the
penguins, and the vibrant shades of blues, yellows and pinks of the ocean
world. You can do all this while you hold
a cocktail, sample delicious dishes from over 28 business, and listen to live entertainment! 
Reflection
The
Pittsburgh Zoo has hosted a Summer Safari annually for years. Dressing up for
this event in animal or tropical attire has always been part of the fun. I have
a vague recollection in the 1990’s of being in search of a leopard print dress to wear but attending in a snake skin
print (both prints were much easier to
find in the 90’s). I again searched for
the perfect zoo outfit and I found a pair of sparkling tiger pants in the back of my closet.
I have no memory wearing these in the last 20 years but resurrected them and joined many others sporting their
best tropical attire for this whimsical event.
The
party, and it really is a party, began at the entrance village, with samples
of shrimp and crab fondue (Uno Pizzeria
& Grill), flank steak (Texas de Brazil), mini crab cakes (Burn by Rocky
Patel), Korean BBQ Chicken Tacos (Walnut Grill) and much more from 6 other
restaurants. My taste buds called me
back several times to the Eddie Merlot's tent for the filet mignon sliders. As we over ate, we listened to the live
entertainment (Hit Play) with rum and vodka signature drinks. This was only the
first of four food and drink stations spaced throughout the zoo.
We wove on the serpentine path though the Asian Forest
and then the African Savanna sharing
this celebration with the wild creatures. We ended at the Plaza with more delicacies from the exclusive
caterer of the zoo.
The
tigers, leopards, rhinos, flamingos ostriches, zebras, giraffes and elephants
seemed unusually active in the cool evening air. The lions at dusk bellowed
several loud roars as if they all were joining in on the party. 
Penguins,
waving pink coral, star fish, dancing translucent jelly fish, detailed sea
horses and other types of ocean life dazzled
us at the PPG Aquarium. The aquarium housed all types of desserts and
I was stationary for some time dipping strawberries and more into the chocolate
fountain.
The zoo staff made an extra effort to
encourage the festivities. The roaming
shark, polar bear, and the aquarium diver posed for pictures. (I of course had to have a picture with them all). The zoo staff with seemingly fixed smiles answered questions
and kept the party moving to each of the four stations.
Passing
the Water’s Edge with its polar bears and sea otters, Summer Safari ended at the
PNC Pavilion where the band, Radio Tokyo, motivated a dancing crowd. This five hour event passed quickly as we embraced this magical party in the wild with some amazing animals. 
I will
keep Summer Safari in my empty nest tool
box next year and I will not forget to enjoy a trip around the world at the zoo.
(The Zoo will host another adult event-Brew Zoo on September 7, 2018 with 45 craft beers samples, food and entertainment.
Get tickets here).
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