We've taken the kids to the Portland Zoo a few times and the Seattle Zoo a couple of times yet they were younger then.  Taking teens and young adults to the zoo is a whole different story. It is still fun to watch their reactions to the animals but they laugh and joke about way different things than when they were younger. Going with Job though is like walking with an animal fact file.  I didn't know that there were different types of flamingos but he did. We could walk to an exhibit and he would tell us about the animal.  Maybe he should work at a zoo as a guide. The very first thing that we encountered even before showing our ticket were the Mountain Goats as part of the Pacific Northwest Exhibit.  They had a baby and he was hilarious. At one point his family wandered over the hill and he wasn't paying attention.  He was so worried when he realized that he was alone. He went bleating and jumping and running all over trying to find his herd.  It was comical.
Of course the seals were amazing as they glided through the water effortlessly along with the otters. We could watch them for hours but there was so much more to see such as the bizarre naked mole rats.  They have kind of a weird fascination for our kids.At first I think it was the name "naked" mole rats and then because they are so ugly looking. Of course the large cats are a draw but what really gets me is when animals almost stalk kids. It is a creepy feeling.  When we arrived at the lion cage, there was of course the male lion on the hill just taking view of his little kingdom but it was what the lionesses did. They walked back and forth at the window, standing on their hind legs, licking and scratching at the glass where the youngest kids were lined up to watch.  Unnerving to say the least.  One other patron was saying that it was almost feeding time. Didn't make me feel better to be honest. Another big draw was the elephants. I had no idea that elephants could swim. Watching the youngest enter the water and swim to the edge to get treats and dive under was a new one for me.  It was good to go as an older family and I think we were the only older family there.