By now you’re all pretty familiar with my love of Central Park.  It really is a happy medium for city-loving tree-huggers like me.  Just the other day, a friend and I decided to take our little ones to the Central Park Zoo and had a truly wonderful time.  You would be surprised at all there is to experience in such a small zoo.  Here were some of our favorite experiences:

The Sea Lion Pool:  Those Sea Lions are some serious Show-offs!  Not only do they enjoy doing their tricks during feeding time with their trainers (which happens at 11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.), but even when the show is over you can catch them hamming it up for onlookers.  At one point, one of the Sea Lions came up through the water, basked against the rocks, and stared at us with a very knowing look, ”You love me; you know you do.”

The Rainforest: My son clamored to see the snakes from the moment we entered the zoo (boy-oh-boy will he be disappointed if he thinks that he will ever get one as a pet), and the Rainforest exhibit had plenty of snakes for the viewing.  Large ones, small ones, even a pretty pink one with delicate gray streaks, all behind double-reinforced glass (thank you very much).  There were also Piranhas and other Rainforest creatures to enjoy seeing as well at that exhibit.

The Polar Circle:  On a hot day, the Polar Circle is the place to be.  Seeing the giant Polar Bears is exciting; then you get to go inside the chilly Penguin and Puffin exhibit, which will surely be a refreshing moment after having the hot sun beat down on you.  The great thing about the Penguins is that they are super friendly, and will swim right up to you on the other side of the glass to say hello!  I personally delighted in putting my nose against the glass and having Penguin after Penguin come over and rub their beak on the other side of the glass.  So amazing!

Besides these great favorites of ours, there are Monkeys and Red Pandas to be seen, Snow Leopards, many different kinds of birds, and the very best part, the Tisch Children’s Zoo.  There is no way you could have gotten me to feed a Llama as a kid, but my brave little two and a half year old fed the Llama, some goats, and some sheep.  After seeing him do it, I felt deeply ashamed of myself and mustered up the courage to feed them myself.  The animals are so very gentle!  They use their tiny little lips to pull in the food, never once using their teeth to get the food from people’s hands.  It was truly a wonderful experience.

All in all, the Central Park Zoo is a great way to spend a few hours with the family.  You’ll be amazed at all you can experience in such a small zoo, and the memories will last for a long, long time.

If you are looking for the best possible photographer for your family portrait, I have just the person for you.  Jade Albert is the leading commercial children’s photographer and has several child celebrity portraits in her portfolio.  She also has a book she collaborated on with Cindy Crawford, and has directed a national television commercial for Target.  None of these amazing accomplishments, however, is the reason why I share her with you.

Last summer I attended an event during which Jade was hired to do family portraits for the attendees.  One look at my little guy and Jade said that he was beautiful enough to be a model and asked if I had thought of trying to make him one.  The laughter that erupted from me stemmed from the fact that I knew what she was shortly about to find out: my kid doesn’t smile.

Sure, he’ll smile when he’s off camera, but the second a camera gets anywhere near that little face of his he immediately becomes somber.  I warned Jade about this, but she told me that all kids were like that but that they warmed up eventually.  She told me not to worry and we began the shoot.  Now, I had noticed that she only had to take five or six pictures of the families before me to get “The One” great shot.  Fifteen shots into our shoot, however, and Jade was starting to understand just what I meant when I told her that my kid just wasn’t model material.  She looked up at me, clearly challenged by my little one’s poker face, but also resolved to get the best possible picture nonetheless.

Many shots, and an infinite amount of patience later, Jade captured the wonderful photo of us that you see above.  Isn’t it amazing?  So many people have told me that it looks like it could be on a magazine cover, or in a major print Ad.  While I agree, I think it has less to do with my son and I and more to do with Jade’s mastery of both children and the camera.  She was kind, patient, and determined.  A true professional.

The good news for you is that while her career has comprised mostly of commercial photography, she has now decided to offer her services for family portraits as well.  She is quite versatile, and is able do either studio portraits or photographs in a setting that is more natural to you and your family.  If you want a truly memorable portrait, Jade’s your woman.

I have been putting fitness off for tomorrow since my son was born.

He just turned two in September.

Clearly, I can no longer use my toddler as an excuse for my unfit, overweight body, and odds are your excuses are getting pretty thin too (unlike our waistlines!).  Nobody wants to pay for a gym membership they never actually use, and buying workout DVDs to use at home only works if you actually use them.  I do know several people who have successfully become and stayed fit using a personal trainer but the private ones can get outrageously expensive.  Luckily for us all, I tried New York Personal Training (NYPT).

NYPT, located at 12 West 21^st Street, is pretty unique in that while it is similar to a gym, you do not pay for a gym membership, you pay for personal training sessions (although once you have completed each training session with your trainer you are free to stay and use the cardio machines for as long as you like afterwards).  During these personal training sessions, a certified personal trainer works with you through either 30 or 60 minutes of training that is tailored-made to your specific needs.  Due to time constraints I need a fast but powerful workout, and NYPT’s 30’ LeanMAXX program will do the trick.  During my 30’ LeanMAXX session the trainer worked with me through quick but intense workouts, all targeting different parts of my body.  I hadn’t worked out in a very long time so I was afraid that the intensity would be too much for me, but the trainer knew this and gave me exercises that were really challenging but not overwhelming.  As a busy, working Mom, I don’t have a lot of time to devote to a fitness routine, so the 30’ LeanMAXX  is going to be perfect for me.  They also have other training programs that are geared specifically for Brides (and Grooms)-to-be, Pre and Post Natal Fitness (an upcoming event at NYPT hosted by The Pregnant New Yorker will focus on pregnancy and fitness), as well as many other needs and goals.

You also get the benefit of meeting with a nutritionist, who after writing down the foods you most love to eat, the foods you can’t stand eating, and adding lots of healthy alternatives, will then provide you with the food plan that will help you to achieve your fitness goal regardless of whether it is a great deal of weight loss or merely maintenance.

I found the best thing about this “gym” was that it wasn’t a gym at all.  No super buff guys hanging around checking out the ladies; no aerobics queens in their tiny outfits prancing around on display.  The clients at NYPT were there to workout – period.  They were all so focused on their own fitness goals that not once did I notice anyone snickering at the chubby woman doing lunges (poorly).  That alone is a huge selling point for people who are feeling at all self-conscious about working out in front of others.

Here’s the best part: when you call NYPT and mention that you learned of them through NY Metropolista, your first training session is free!  It’s a great way to go check them out for yourselves – I’m pretty sure that you’re going to be as excited about the success you will achieve with their help as I was.

Photo Credit: Glenn Peb