Exploring Central Park Zoo – Best Seen any day but Sunday and without a Car

**As seen on MommyNearest.com as Expert Mom Blogger from the one and only Astoria, Queens! ** Read the article on their website here.

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When you’re a mom – all your days are the same. There are no whooo hoooo it’s Friday night! Or ahhh it’s Sunday I should sleep off my hangover and eat McDonald’s cheeseburgers.

So when I first did some research on the mom sites of NYC to see what there was to do, and NOTHING – I mean NOTHING popped up for infants – I didn’t see it as a red flag, I saw it as an adventure. Manhattan is full of things to do and see, so I figured it being a beautiful day and all – we would just ‘wing it.’

Now, let’s pause to reassess this situation. I am a planner. I may or may not make plans to make plans. Especially when it involves a 9 month old human being that requires more luggage for an afternoon than Kim Kardashian for a long weekend in Paris.  I used to be pre-mom however,  spontaneous and love last minute day trips. This is a conflicting battle as you can see. Soooooo – we drove into the city and attempted to crash the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival – hoping for some cool old school Looney Tunes. No – it was just one of those expos for people who never leave their apartments except to play video games, leave their apartments only to come and see comic books. Not really stimulating for a 9-month old. Sooooooo – Plan B –

After Driving Around for An Hour for Parking – We Decided to Check Out Central Park Zoo.

Maximo has been to the Bronx Zoo and Queens Zoo and LOVES the animals – he is the age that he can see them and interact with the little creatures running around – so okay – why not?! It was beautiful outside!

First Impression:

Central Park Zoo is cute and historic – popping up among the worn and aged buildings of Central Park South/East. It’s so cute in fact that it should be illegal to walk past it on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The staff were really friendly (surprising for NYC), and first glance over, it was impressively clean.

Pros:

1. You can see some animals without paying the fee to get in. Like the Sea Lions – and the Sea Lion feeding show.
2. At least on weekends, they had a guard watching the stroller parking lot by the 4D Adventure (for free!). Notice – you can’t take your stroller into the exhibits, like the penguins. So this was great – because they don’t do this at the Bronx Zoo. It’s leave-at-your-own-risk.

3. Petting Zoo for kids – Is for kids only and is separate from the rest of the zoo – so it removes a lot of the crowds, plus it’s interactive for all ages. Maximo loved petting the goats and watching the pigs. (Connie Ferra you’d be proud!!)

Hidden Gem = they offer a yearly membership for only $189 a year, which works out to about 4 trips to the zoo. This also includes:

– up to 3 adults (such as your babysitter or nanny!)
– 4 kids
– free parking
– free admission to ALL 5 Parks (Central Park Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and the New York Aquarium, located in

Brooklyn)
– free admission to all exhibits (and carousels and 4D Adventures!)
– and 10% off all food and merchandise inside.
ANNNNND – all zoos are open all year round! Sounds like a great birthday present to me!! You can sign up for your membership here.

Cons:

1. It’s pretty packed on weekends. It was the first nice day out for spring and everyone and their kids were out enjoying it. While you are

allowed to take your stroller inside,  it gets hard to move around with tons of people and kids everywhere.

2. Prepare for tourist pricing on food. Such as $7 for a small bowl of Dippin Dots. I wouldn’t even all it a ‘bowl.’  AND THEY ONLY TAKE CASH AT THE FOOD STANDS. So if you need a bottle of water for your 2pm feeding, you better bring one with you ahead of time!

3. The 4D Adventure isn’t good for kids under 2 years old. Maximo loved the Dora and Diego experience at the Bronx Zoo, but this one was Ice Age, with Dinosaurs which was actually really scary! And there was one point when the dinosaur snorted water out and HARD at you which even startled me, and of course threw Maximo into a crying fit which means we have to leave the show quickly. Whomp Whomp.

 

Changing Table Situation:

Better map them out. They exist but are few and far between. The Dancing Crane Cafe only has TWO SINGLE uni-sex stalls—so if your kid’s screaming with a wet diaper, prepare for a few glares while standing in line to use them.

Hidden Gem = They have a restroom in the children’s petting zoo area

that is only for parents AND they have a single private family bathroom right when you walk into the 4D theater. Since the show runs every 15 minutes, I am sure they would let you sneak in to use it quickly ‘while waiting in line.’

 

Things to Take into Consideration if You’re Driving into the City on a Weekend – 

1. It’s Race Season. No matter what day, I am pr

etty sure there are runners somewhere. There is also a 99% chance they will either end or start in Central Park which means roads blocked off, backed up traffic and zero parking in the surround area.

2. It’s Parade Season. Yes. Already. After we left Central Park Zoo exhausted and ready to go eat, we were greeted by blaring trumpets and marchers carrying blue and white flags. It was Greek Pride Parade Day – if you have never seen a parade in NYC before let me paint a picture. Millions of people lining a street waiving flags and yelling at the top of their lungs in their native language. You also cannot cross the street except for something like every 10 blocks. And our car just happened to be on the other side of this sea of blue and white flags.