Central Park Zoo

We went to the zoo last week, on Memorial Day.  I was a little worried that it was going to be too crowded, it being a holiday.  We got there a little after they opened, and wanted to make it to the Penguin Feeding.  My youngest loves the Penguins on Madagascar, and could not wait to see them.  Apparently, neither could anyone else.  They all had strollers, too.  So we hung out a bit at the penguins before heading to the polar bears.  There was one smart bear on the rocks, while the other one was in the water going back and forth, over and over, using the same ledges to push off of, and just seemed very cagey.  The day was pretty warm and I imagine there was really nothing for them to do but swim.

After the polar bears, it was on to the snow leopards.  Really pretty animals.  We got to see one really up close, because it was laying right up against the glass because that was where the shade happened to be.  There was a ledge, and a couple of smaller children were up looking at the leopard, and she (or he?) was looking back, sizing up how fast they could run, and how fast she could have them for lunch.

After the snow leopards we wound up down by the snow monkeys, and we had a break in the shade for a bit.  My kids went into the "Tropical Zone" with my husband, and my mother and I waited outside, where there was at least a nice breeze.  When they came out, they were relieved to be in the cooler climate.  Apparently, it was really hot and humid in there, glad I stayed outside!  My older daughter got some pictures, though.

We then went on to the sea lions, and they were being fed, with a huge crowd, so we decided now might be a good time to check out the penguins when everyone was at the sea lions.  As we made our way there, the sea lions were finishing, and everyone headed to ~ you guessed it ~ the penguins, so we doubled back to the sea lions.  I did not get any pictures of them, but they were really cool to watch.  We then went over to the Tisch Children's Zoo, which is outside CPZ, but you pay for admission with your zoo admission, and CPZ was smaller than I thought, and we had all afternoon.  The kids got to pet a cow, and feed some other animals, and get their hands sanitized, too.  Afterword, we went to a hot dog cart, and sat down for about 45 minutes, and ate and just watched people walk by.  A really pleasant trip, I highly recommend it.  We will be going to the Bronx Zoo sometime this summer.

The rest of my pictures can be found here.