go back to nyc

awwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssoooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmeeeee

I heart Coney Island.

So, I went back to NYC. It was great! I repeated basically zero experiences from the first time I was there in 2000, and I got to see so much, including two very dear friends.

The friend I was staying with and I decided to try to make it too all five boroughs to see each borough’s zoo. (I found out just before leaving that each borough had its own zoo, and I knew we had to do this!) We had four days and five zoos to visit, but we did it!

I even got a flattened souvenir penny from each one as a gift for my husband back home.

The zoos, in order of our visits:

Staten Island Zoo, Staten Island - the ferry over was awesome. You get to see the NYC skyline from a very different angle and you can see the Statue of Liberty from fairly close-up-and for free! We got off the ferry and had to take the bus to the zoo, but it was really quite convenient. I had no idea Staten Island was as big as it is; I thought it was about half its actual size.

The zoo itself was small, and a lot of the exhibits were outdated in that the habitats were not as natural or large as I have come to expect from more progressive zoos, like Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo. The mandrills stunk up one entire wing of the main building.

A lot of the zoo was closed for renovations, but we did get to see servals, which was cool and the only time we saw them that weekend, and the otters, though we thought that exhibit was closed.

We also saw meerkats and leopards mating. Apparently something amourous was in the air on Staten Island that day. We think the sea horses might have been mating, too, but it was kind of hard to tell.

The children’s zoo area was cute and the most heavily populated part of the zoo. I especially liked the mini goats; one of whom seemed to respond favorably when I flicked the sign of the devil at him. \m/ Rock!

They had a red panda, but it was dead asleep in a tree. Kat and I were the only people there without kids in tow; got a few weird looks. Souvenir penny was of a mandrill, since their scent was the most memorable thing about that zoo.

Central Park Zoo, Manhattan—Very nice, especially for so small a zoo. We arrived just at the right time to do half the zoo, then see the sea lions get fed and do tricks. They put on quite a show. My favorites were the penguins (so cute and so many!) and the entire rainforest house (tamarins and zillions of very active birds, plus two BIG fruit bats!).

We got there a bit late and did not have time to go to the Children’s Zoo across the way. The crowd was very widely mixed, a lot fewer families than on Staten Is., so Kat and I blended in fine. Pressed penny was the penguin design, because they were so damned adorable. Red pandas were again sleeping.

Propect Park Zoo, Brooklyn—RED PANDAS! They were awake this time, and very active. There were two of them, both more or less constantly on the move. And they were SO CUTE! It was hard to drag ourselves away from their exhibit.

The zoo was laid out around a central courtyard with a sea lion pool in the center. We got to see part of another sea lion feeding time show, but then ducked into one of the indoor exhibits after only a couple minutes, as it was pretty chilly out.

The zoo overall is fairly kid-oriented, but in a cool, educational kind of way. Lots of interactive stuff at the various exhibits. The baboons and wallabies were two more favorites.

Lots of families there, esp. moms with kids. We got a lot of weird looks being on our own with no children. The penny design chosen was of the sea lions, since they were very central to the experience. (No red panda design, or I’d have gotten that.)

Queens Zoo, Queens—This one was way out in Flushing Meadows and we went on a grey and drizzly Monday morning. We were literally the only visitors in the zoo all morning. It was cool having the place to ourselves, though the walk there from the train was full of creepy men we studiously avoided. (So much so that we were discussing the benefits of carrying mace on the walk over.)

The zoo specializes in animals of the Americas, both North and South—though most animals were from the North. The exhibits were all quite nice, esp. for a small zoo and they did a great job of creating spaces were one can observe the animal while under shelter from the rain in a way that was pleasant for both the animals and the visitors.

No weird looks from any other guests, because there were none, but plenty of them from the maintenance guys and zoo keepers. Penny chosen was spectacled bear for being the most unique animal we saw that visit.

Bronx Zoo, The Bronx—I was looking forward to this one more than any of the others and was not at all disappointed. There were more visitors here, despite the weather still being inclimate and the lateness of the hour (we arrived with only about two hours left before closing on a rainy Monday).

The big highlight was the Bengal tigers. The exhibit itself is very nice, very well-done educational exhibits outside of the animal viewing area itself, too. But, we also lucked out and got there a little before feeding time. Since there were so few guests in the park, Kat and I ended up being the only two people there for the whole feeding and Q&A, so we got our own personal tiger show. It was great! This HUGE Bengal tiger was less than ten feet away, behind only a very strong bit of fencing, chomping on meat tidbits and doing tricks like sit, stand, etc. So gorgeous!

The nocturnal house was my other big favorite. It was the best I have seen. And, they have sand cats and leopard cats! And owl monkeys!! swoon I want to go work there.

We did not have enough time to go see the black panthers in the Asia exhibit, but we got to see a nmumber of the other big cats. It was nice to get some more big cat time, as there were fairly few at the other zoos.

Definitely no weird looks from anyone this time, as most of the other guests were 20- to 30-something and largely there on their own. Red pandas were again sleeping. Penny picked for my husband was a tiger design, since we got the best tiger feeding show ever. I also made one for me with a red panda to commemorate the New York trip as a whole. (And I bought a little, stuffed red panda in the gift shop. He is named Yuengling after the best regional beer available in the city, and because it sounds nice.)

After leaving, I really felt that, despite the disparity in size, budget and fame, the Woodland Park Zoo here in Seattle is definitely on level with the world-famous Bronx Zoo to the best of the smaller facility’s abilities.

All-in-all a great trip!

Now, in spring, when I am in Southern California, I must make the rounds of the SoCal Zoos—including San Diego Zoo!

Just to visit though. I’m going up for a friend’s 30th birthday party.

OK, I AM FROM JERSEY AND I CALL MYSELF CHI-TOWN KATA BECAUSE I AM TRYING TO LIKE IT HERE. TOO COLD. TOO WINDY. BUT IT IS A BEAUTIFUL CITY. HOWEVER, LIVING IN JERSEY WORKING IN MANHATTAN, SEEING THE SITES, VISITING THE BRONX ZOO, BROOKLYN MUSEUM, ETC THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT IN THE WORLD…SIGH…
HOWEVER, MY FRIEND IN FRESNO HAS BEEN TRYING FOR A YEAR TO GET ME OUT THERE AND SAID WE CAN LIVE WEST COAST AND VISIT EAST COAST…I DON’T KNOW. ANY COMMENTS?