San Diego Treat: Breakfast with Koalas

The early morning meal boasts tasty bites and quite the view.

COFFEE, SUGAR, AND THE SWEETEST VIEW: To say we never break bread, or at least nibble bread, in the company of living beings who happen to not be human is entirely incorrect. Just about every person who lives with a cat or dog or hamster or parakeet can claim that a bowl of cereal has been consumed in the beastie's presence (and, yes, sometimes the beastie in question has received, by accident or on purpose, a Cheerio or two). In short, we take our morning meal with those we love most, and if we woke up alongside a Brussels Griffon or Maine Coon, chances are good that they perch upon our laps as we yawn, scroll through our emails, and reach for a muffin. But breakfasting among marsupials who live, for the most part, high up in trees? That's a rarer pleasure, and one, we'll guess, that didn't happen in too many kitchens this morning, or on any recent morning, really. It can happen, though, and will, at the San Diego Zoo, when the Balboa Park animal park again welcomes guests for Breakfast with Koalas, a before-the-zoo-officially-opens happening that rolls out, with coffee, tea, juice, and beginning-of-the-day bites, on Saturday, July 11.

TRUE, TRUE... the koalas who call the zoo home will not be at your table, though we rather like picturing them sitting dignified and polite while wielding little napkins and menus. You'll see the cuddly creatures outside The Queenslander House, in the koala yards, where they, too, will be savoring their first meal of the day alongside the human guests (a keeper will be out there on feeding duty). Inside? Look for an open buffet with the classic hot breakfast trimmings. An adult who is not a zoo member can reserve a spot for ninety three dollars, and a non-member child's admission is $83. As for the start time? Set your alarm to an animal-friendly hour: Breakfast kicks off at 8 o'clock on that Saturday morning. Yep, it is a wee bit early, but figure that many of the furry ones who call the zoo home rose with the sun. 

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