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Welcome to the second iteration of the thread for posting about the four things in the title of the thread. What are zoos, you may ask? probably not unless you're an enormous moron but here you go: Zoos - places where animals are kept for people to look at and learn about. Some are more ethical than others. Aquariums - wet zoos Museums - object/history zoos Botanical Gardens - plant zoos I am a reasonably well-travelled doctor of cool autoimmune diseases so I can provide some examples of places I've been and enjoyed. Zoos  ZSL London Zoo & ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - these are my local ones (keeping it vague so you freaks can't find me). Operated by the Zoological Society of London, a conservation charity, they are hella focused on the ecological side of things and research and thoroughly own. They really struggled during the early Covid days since they're entirely sustained by donations and ticket sales but they've managed to hold on. London Zoo is obviously in London so a bit more compact, whereas Whipsnade is out in the sticks and really spread out. Highlights: London Zoo - they had giant tortoises. I was telling Mrs Cool Aids how I'd seen giant tortoises having sex once and that they let out insane groans like elderly zombies. Some middle aged American guy with his wife overheard me and came over all excited like "I know, it's incredible, right?! I brought my wife today hoping they'd be doing it!" I did not pursue the friendship further. Whipsnade Zoo - over the course of three or four visits over a few years I got to follow the formation of a tiger family which was very cool. Initially there were two tigers, Naya and Botzman, who had relatively recently been introduced to each other. We attended a tiger talk where they said they were hoping the two would mate but things weren't going well just yet. Naya had presented herself to him ready for mating and Botzman, being a dumb incel dipshit, didn't know what to do and just walked off. we've all been there right goons!!!!!!! Next time I visited, Botzman had figured out the ancient art of loving and the enclosure now also had three tiger cubs who were running around and jumping on each other and doing what baby tigers do. I could've watched that poo poo all day tbh. On my last visit, Botzman had been shipped out to Scotland in the hopes of getting him to mate again with a new lady friend. Godspeed to you, my man.   Oregon Zoo - I know this site is full of Americans so I'll throw you a bone. Oregon Zoo is pretty cool. I don't remember a great deal of the details but I had a good time there. Highlights: saw some otters doing the thing where they hold hands and float around. It was too unbearably cute so I yelled slurs at them. Also saw fruit bats, which really excited this one German guy visiting at the same time. "Fledermaus! ...fledermaus! Ohhhh....fledermaaaaaaaaaus!" Zoo I did not like: Berlin Zoo. It was too small. The interior of exhibits had a big window so the animals never really got any privacy. On the plus side I did see an elephant do a huge piss and poo poo. This old German lady said something to us and I don't speak German but did pick up the word scheiße. Aquariums  Vancouver Aquarium: Located in Stanley Park, this is also a place that wears their conservation/research focus as a badge of pride. Fish are cool and there's a fuckin lot of em. Highlights: Sadly my highlight was gonna be the beluga whales but they appear to have passed away since my visit. Beluga whales are cool in any case.  Museums  Mob Museum: Over in Downtown Las Vegas, this museum is pretty fun but there's a lot of reading so probably don't go if you're illiterate. Nice change of pace from non-stop gambling anyway, and gave me a better appreciation of some of the casinos like the Flamingo after knowing Bugsy Siegel used to gently caress around in there. Highlights: They've got the brick wall from the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre.  Icelandic Phallological Museum: It's a bunch of dicks. What more do you want. Largest collection of em in the world in fact. In the last thread I joked that it was actually second because the mod forum here was first which was immature and inaccurate. I apologize. Fun Fact: Much like all Muslims of able body and sound mind are expected to undertake the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime, so too are all moderators and admins of this website expected to pay a visit to Reykjavik to gain inspiration from the huge, throbbing cocks on display, and also salivate at the prospect of having them in their mouths and asses. Very few have gone on this journey, however, due to failing the "able body and sound mind" condition. Botanical Gardens never been to one, sorry. e: but forums user Phthisis has come to the rescue Phthisis posted:This is my jam. Dr. Cool Aids has a new favorite as of 21:54 on Feb 23, 2023 |
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Feb 23, 2023 20:11
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i went to the biodome in montreal the other week and i thought it was p neat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlRqXywaiGw
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Feb 23, 2023 20:18
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If anybody who likes to look at planes finds themselves in the DFW area for some godforsaken reason, I wholeheartedly encourage a trip to the Cavanaugh Flight Museum Sadly I lost most of my pictures from my last trip due to unfortunate phone accidents but they've got a great collection of old aircraft, jet and prop, military and civilian, and a lot of fun technical exhibits and the like. Great place to kill an afternoon.
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Feb 23, 2023 20:20
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Dr. Cool Aids posted:Aquariums Sadly the nonprofit that ran the aquarium ran into financial problems during the pandemic and it's now owned by an American entertainment conglomerate. They are stating that they're keeping the same conservation, research and rehabilitation projects going, but going from a conservation nonprofit to the guys who own Dollywood is a pretty huge step down. Still though, plenty of otters to be seen.
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Feb 23, 2023 20:21
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My city of San Diego has the eponymous San Diego Zoo, the most visited zoo in the United States. Besides being a zoo it's part of a wildlife conservation organization that pioneered non-lovely ways of housing animals. Elephants get giant rubber toys to play with, gorillas live in a simulated jungle, there's a greenhouse full of hummingbirds. Also they breed giant pandas, which is neat.
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Feb 23, 2023 20:21
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The US Air Force Museum is pretty neat if you like military aircraft. Every few years, I'd go there with my dad because he was an aircraft engine... Er, engineer for GE, so I have a lot of fond memories such as: - losing him for a few minutes because he was transfixed by the cutaway of the ME-262 engine and didn't notice us moving on. - being afraid we'd get kicked out because he was making loud "Patooey" noises at the "Sponsored by Pratt & Whitney" sign like he was spitting on it.
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Feb 23, 2023 20:35
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best zoo is the san diego zoo, best aquarium is the monterey bay aquarium. when I was a kid the monterey aquarium had a huge sunfish that I was obsessed with at some point he died and I was so sad. big boy was around 1200 pounds
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Feb 23, 2023 20:43
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Dr. Cool Aids posted:Vancouver Aquarium: Located in Stanley Park, this is also a place that wears their conservation/research focus as a badge of pride. Fish are cool and there's a fuckin lot of em.
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Feb 23, 2023 20:44
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NYC Transit museum is one of my favorites. Tons of old trains, lots of detailed history and vintage ads
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Feb 23, 2023 20:46
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I will reiterate that Kumu in Tallinn is insanely good. there’s a lot of really great estonian art, especially from 1900 and on.
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Feb 23, 2023 21:03
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can anyone recommend some good museums (ideally cheap or free) in glasgow? i've got a conference there at the end of march and i don't want to spend all of my time with my colleagues.
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Feb 23, 2023 21:07
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pandy fackler posted:best zoo is the san diego zoo, best aquarium is the monterey bay aquarium. Yeah the Monterey Aquarium is extremely awesome. Also if you'd like to learn more about elephant toys: here's a company that makes them. Vincent Van Goatse has a new favorite as of 21:09 on Feb 23, 2023 |
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Feb 23, 2023 21:07
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NoiseAnnoys posted:can anyone recommend some good museums (ideally cheap or free) in glasgow? i've got a conference there at the end of march and i don't want to spend all of my time with my colleagues. if you like art then get down to the kelvingrove https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvingrove_Art_Gallery_and_Museum They've got one of Dali's paintings which is very cool. Free entry
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Feb 23, 2023 21:13
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please enjoy this majestic creature from my last visit to the local zoo
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Feb 23, 2023 21:13
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NoiseAnnoys posted:can anyone recommend some good museums (ideally cheap or free) in glasgow? i've got a conference there at the end of march and i don't want to spend all of my time with my colleagues. Glasgow transport museum It's free and now in a big zigzag modern building. I've only been to it when it was in an old tram shed. NotJustANumber99 has a new favorite as of 21:19 on Feb 23, 2023 |
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Feb 23, 2023 21:17
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I am a big fan of the St Fagans National Museum of History which is just outside of Cardiff Here are a few pictures I took last time I was there    I dunno wtf is going on in any of them but they're historic as poo poo
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Feb 23, 2023 21:43
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Skarsnik posted:I am a big fan of the St Fagans National Museum of History which is just outside of Cardiff That skull is Just Happy to Be There and I love it.
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Feb 23, 2023 21:46
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Dr. Cool Aids posted:Botanical Gardens This is my jam. I dug up some old pics I have of these places. The pics are all from an old point-n-shoot and aren't great, but these are my favorite places, so I think it's fitting to use my own pictures. In terms of Botanical Gardens: My favorite is Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA.    If you go at the right time, too, they have a room full of butterflies that is a real treat  I'm also partial to the US Botanic Gardens in DC. Overall, it's not quite as impressive as Phipps, but it has this really awesome multi-story room with a catwalk you can get up on and walk around:   A little different from botanical gardens is Arboreta. Rather than being smaller greenhouses and such with smaller plants and flowers, arboreta are larger landscapes (and are specifically dedicated to trees). The experience is more like walking around the woods, where everything just happens to look extremely picturesque. Keeping with the DC theme, I really like the US National Arboretum. I can't seem to find any pictures I've taken here But, check out the wikipedia page. The National Capital Columns is a classic spot there, and they also have a really awesome bonsai collection. Then, although it's not much of a favorite of mine, I do have some fondness for the Arnold Arboretum, here in Boston where I'm currently living:     Plants are awesome, and spending a day walking around all these incredible and beautiful plants is a great way to improve your mood!
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Feb 23, 2023 21:46
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 have added to OP so at least every category has something in it
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Feb 23, 2023 21:55
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favorite aquarium ive been to is the altanta aquarium. first and so far only time ive seen live whale sharks. amazing experience. only botanical garden ive been to is the one in singapore near the big surf board hotel. they had some kind of tulip exhibit i'll see if i can find my pictures. place was super loving cool
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Feb 23, 2023 21:55
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when i was in Melbourne I had a real nice day going to the Melbourne Museum, National Gallery of Victoria and Melbourne Aquarium all in the same day because they're fairly close to each other the aquarium has a ton of penguins too and a fully grown saltwater croc which is cool
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Feb 23, 2023 21:58
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oh actually i don't think it counts as an actual botanical garden but i've been to the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco which is pretty nice. ate some mochi, looked at a pagoda
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Feb 23, 2023 22:00
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You might not except an ex-industrial suburb to Manchester to have an aquarium, but Bolton does. It's actually quite nice, if modest, although there's something surreal about an aquarium inside a windowless stone building on a cobbled street.
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Feb 23, 2023 22:03
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Belfast, Ireland has a pretty great botanical garden. It has one of the first Victorian palm house cast-iron greenhouses in the world, that hosts separate hot/temperate wings with plants in bloom continuously throughout different times of the year.  Another greenhouse hosts a subterranean tropical ravine with it's own waterfall and pools.  There's also a large rose garden and lots of uncommon deciduous tree plantations. It's in a really nice part of the city with lots of great pubs and restaurants nearby. Although do be warned that if you visit during the warmer summer months, aka "taps aff" weather, the parkland areas are likely to be full of the pastiest teens on the planet topless while knocking back cans of cheap lager.
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Feb 23, 2023 22:04
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singapore botanical garden tulip expo 2019  cool indoor waterfall in a huge geodesic dome glasshouse thing   driftwood dragon statue at the tulip exhibit??  neat heat exhaust stacks from the biofuel plant they have running underground that they repurposed into hot planters   cocktus  place was sick
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Feb 23, 2023 22:06
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the botanical garden in miami required dodging the huge golden orb spider webs that were spread across all the paths
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Feb 23, 2023 22:06
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Clyde Radcliffe posted:Belfast, Ireland has a pretty great botanical garden. thats really cool
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Feb 23, 2023 22:07
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copy posted:singapore botanical garden tulip expo 2019 this owns
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Feb 23, 2023 22:08
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Violen posted:this owns im not super well traveled but it is one of the cooler places ive been to
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Feb 23, 2023 22:13
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Dr. Cool Aids posted:if you like art then get down to the kelvingrove hell yeah. love me some art. NotJustANumber99 posted:Glasgow transport museum also love me some transportation. thanks for the rec's friends.
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Feb 23, 2023 23:30
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Really hope I can get back to the Georgia Aquarium next time I'm in Atlanta. The otters are great and the big tunnel and the whale sharks are sick as hell. I will miss the insane dolphin show, but I'm pretty sure whatever they're doing now is better for the dolphins, so it's probably for the best.
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Feb 23, 2023 23:37
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ukonvasara posted:Really hope I can get back to the Georgia Aquarium next time I'm in Atlanta. The otters are great and the big tunnel and the whale sharks are sick as hell. I will miss the insane dolphin show, but I'm pretty sure whatever they're doing now is better for the dolphins, so it's probably for the best. only time i went there they offered a tour where you could go behind the scenes witht he keepers and like see the machinery that maintains the tanks or go above the huge tank with the whale sharks in it and watch all the manta rays swim up because they know its lunch time. place fuckking owns
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Feb 23, 2023 23:48
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havent been to this one yet but love this vid from Mystic Aquarium https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS_6-IwMPjM
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Feb 23, 2023 23:50
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I went to the Cincinnati Art Museum last year, but only took two pictures First was Mrs. Philip Thicknesse (I'm sorry, it still makes me giggle):  Then this bust of Joan of Arc that struck me for probably the dumbest of reasons:  Look at the base, where the stone sits on the wood. See the clips? That's seriously what prompted me to take the picture. I should really go again sometime.
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Feb 24, 2023 00:02
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get up, come on get down with the Thicknesse
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Feb 24, 2023 00:32
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I was looking through some of my really old photos to post in this thread and I found this one from my trip to Hỏa Lò Prison museum in Vietnam, which was once known as the “Hanoi Hilton” by American POWs including John McCain: I don’t know why, but suddenly this seems relevant somehow…
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Feb 24, 2023 00:37
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Butterfly houses are awesome and in quite a few cities.
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Feb 24, 2023 01:31
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TheSwizzler posted:NYC Transit museum is one of my favorites. Tons of old trains, lots of detailed history and vintage ads I keep forgetting to go there. There's so many different museums in the city I keep forgetting to visit because I moved here right before the pandemic started.
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Feb 24, 2023 04:40
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rodbeard posted:I keep forgetting to go there. There's so many different museums in the city I keep forgetting to visit because I moved here right before the pandemic started. Definitely worth it. I think they even have some kinda special vintage train rides during the holidays, I went to NYC for Christmas this year and just barely missed the dates they were available
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Feb 24, 2023 04:58
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The London Natural History Museum has a giant squid in a jar that you can see if you book a tour of the Darwin collection. I went there 11 years ago so I don't know if they still do the free bookings for that tour. There's also half a colossal squid and hundreds of other things in jars. There's an exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium called tentacles that has this painting:  The Vancouver aquarium has this coelacanth that's ready to party: 
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Feb 24, 2023 05:07
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