Under The Big Top

We ended up Spring Break with a trip to see the circus. Ringling Brothers was in town and had set up in our city's coliseum. The kids and I had been in previous years, and had a pretty positive experience, from an accessibility standpoint. Unfortunately, this year was a little different.

Parking was good. There was plenty of handicapped parking right across the street from the coliseum. Unfortunately, the curb cuts on either side of the street did not match up. We had to go from the corner of one street, walk through traffic, and then head to the other end of the block to find the other curb curt. Fortunately, there were police officers close by who helped us navigate the traffic.

We had great seats, and I do appreciate the coliseum staff making those seats available for us. Unfortunately, getting to the seats was quite a production, and whenever anyone needed to visit the restroom, the production continued. Plus, the only bathroom available for us was one men's restroom. Let me just say, I'm glad I'm not a boy. It was filthy and roach infested.

The staff on hand to help us were absolutely wonderful though. They are what made the experience a positive one, and had it not been for them, I'm not sure we would have stayed. But stay we did, and here's a sampling of what we saw: