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.

As a born and bred Manhattanite, I get a lot of pitiful looks from people who grew up in rural and suburban places.  They ask me if I didn’t feel deprived of nature having grown up in this concrete jungle of mine, and always say, “No way!”  While Central Park isn’t exactly Yosemite National Park, for us New Yorkers it is filled with the wonderful presence of nature, and has given many of us cherished moments amidst Summer’s lush green foliage, the earthy color palette of Fall leaves, the “Winter Wonderland” of snow-blanketed meadows, and the promise of Spring as the once-bare trees began to slowly awaken with the tiniest buds sprouting on their branches.  If nowhere else on this island, Central Park allows you to truly feel the seasons in Manhattan in a way that only nature can bring.  Some interesting facts to note about Central Park are that it encompasses 843 acres that include 136 acres of woodlands, 250 acres of lawns, and 150 acres of water dispersed throughout 7 bodies of water.  Central Park’s six mile perimeter goes from Central Park West to Fifth Avenue and from 59^th Street to 110^th Street.  Central Park is the first public park built in America after a competition for its design was held in 1858.

As for the wildlife that can be spotted here in the heart of Manhattan, down by the water right outside of the Ramble (a small patch of wilderness about half-way up the park from 73^rd to 79^th streets), you can find snowy egrets, green heron, and a multitude of ducks and other birds.  At Turtle Pond (80^th Street edge of the Great Lawn), you will find native Snapping Turtles that absolutely will bite you, so don’t for a second think that they are civilized New Yorkers.  There are also hawks and falcons in Central Park feeding on the “lesser” wildlife like mice and squirrels.  At night, if you are brave enough to hang around just after twilight, you might be lucky enough to see the Eastern Screech Owls who are just getting up for breakfast, as well as the bats who come out of their cosmopolitan caves within the huge boulders of Central Park to kindly rid us of mosquitoes and other pesky insects.

In addition to the lushness of its wilder environment, Central Park also has innumerable events to offer its visitors.  The Central Park Zoo is a wonderful place for everyone (not just the kids).  During the Summer months the Park sets up its annual SummerStage concert series at Rumsey Playfield, bringing some of the hottest acts around (from both past and present), to their stage for free concerts.  And during the month of October there are many spooky Halloween events to choose from.   From stuff to do specifically with the kids to walking tours, there’s never a lack of things to do in this little slice of nature in the heart of the Big Apple.  You can even have your wedding held at the Conservatory Garden – a truly picturesque location to get married.

With all of this located right in our own backyard, you can see why I, and millions of other New Yorkers, don’t feel as if we’ve missed out on so much.  We have the best of both worlds right within our reach – from the urban excitement of Times Square to the beautiful, natural wonder that is Central Park!

Photo by Psansao / Stock Xchng