Since my appointment was delayed in St. Louis today, I decided to visit the city's famous zoo (which also happens to be free). During my childhood and early adult years, I enjoyed visiting zoos; at this point, I am more ambivalent about their role, though they surely entertain and educate children and, it is reported, support research and conservation projects across the globe.
This morning, dozens of school busses and thousands of cars occupied every parking space within a mile of the entrances and I decided not to immerse myself in that sea of humanity. I'm sure the humans outnumbered the resident animals by a factor of ten (if not more). Just another sign that we have overwhelmed the resources of our planet.
As an alternative, I took a pleasant walk through the John F. Kennedy Memorial Forest and visited the St. Louis Art Museum (also free), a short distance north of the zoo. Fortunately (and sadly) the museum was far from crowded (though adjacent parking spaces were filled by zoo patrons).
