Bronx Zoo

Hi gang,

We went to the Bronx Zoo last weekend. First thing's first -- this zoo is HUGE. We managed to get through only half of it. We had a good time though. First, we took the subway out. Not all of us were thrilled to be going, however:


I then asked Miles for his best frowny face:


But we rallied for smiles around:


It was interesting, because the subways in Manhattan are, of course, all underground. But once they get outside to the other boroughs, they are above ground. This afforded us a very compelling look at The Bronx, a place that I am still too nervous to travel to...

Actually, let me do a quick aside here. I have wanted to see the Bronx, and have researched different areas and the history of the area. Problem is, it is still so rough in most places, that it makes me extremely nervous, both to go alone, or to do a family drive through. So basically, we just resolved to leave the Bronx alone. We did, however, get a great view of many parts of central Bronx from the subway. It truly is a rough and beat-down place. Many of the areas we saw were in shambles, there is graffiti everywhere, and we weren't even in the worst parts. Very eye-opening.

Anyways, the weird thing is that when you take the subway to the Bronx, you basically get off a normal subway station right in the middle of...well, the Bronx. There are very few signs, the area you get dropped off in is questionable, and basically, you have to make a bee-line three blocks one direction to reach the safe haven of the zoo. Which we did:


I'm not going to post pictures of all the animals we saw, but it really was cool. One of the most striking parts of the zoo was that it wasn't "big" like, say, the San Diego zoo is. I don't mean size-wise, but rather, new, commercial, refined, bright, etc. The Bronx zoo has a grit to it, old signs, old paths, an edge. Very, very different than the Portland zoo, which is "new", clean, pristine in many places, friendly, inviting, warm. This was not like that. It had the New York edge we have come to expect with most things.

A few pictures:


After the zoo, we took the subway back into Midtown, and when we got off the subway, it started raining! We frantically ducked under an awning so I could find the address of the Bubba Gumps we were looking for. I am furiously engaged with my blackberry!

We scored a good table, looking over Times Square:


And one last departing shot, courtesy of Damion: