A few more photos from our Sunday in Central Park. We took Hudson to the little zoo there for his first time. We went fairly late in the afternoon and started at the Tisch Children’s Zoo; the crowds had diminished, but one should always expect a crowd on weekends (and especially in nice weather).
At first Hudson barely noticed any of the animals, paying far more attention to the mini-people mulling around him (like most babies, he is fascinated by children); but then we touched the first of those little statues that make animal sounds (in the petting zoo, by the cow, is a statue of a cow that moos for example) and it terrified him! He started crying and trying to bury himself in my neck! (Which, it may sound evil to admit, but I secretly loved!) In his opinion, that was not a fun surprise. So we skipped the cow entirely and moved onto the sheep: much better.
Here he is leaning in for a closer view. He wanted to touch the faces of the goats and sheep but we kept his fingers out of reach lest they be mistaken for food and instead let him press his nose up against (and probably lick) the glass in the penguin enclosure. Again, much better.
The zoo at Central Park is surprisingly lovely. It’s only about six acres–miniscule in comparison to the Bronx zoo’s 500 or so–but has a lot to see. There’s a rainforest exhibit (hot and steamy) with leaf-cutting ants, fruit bats, lemurs, and plenty of beautiful birds spread throughout the canopy. Snow Monkeys and Sea Lions are visible in the zoo’s center, while the Polar Bear and the penguins are in enclosures to the side. Those are probably the most popular exhibits, but some New York State ducks live there, too. If the crowds aren’t too thick, it’s a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours in Central Park–even without kids.
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