Bronx Zoo

On Saturday Jim and I had plans to explore Woodlawn Cemetery. We were delighted that it started snowing on our way up to the end of the 4 train and I was excited to see another cemetery blanketed in snow . As soon as we tried to walk through the gates, however, the guard stopped us to tell us that the cemetery was "closed to walk-ins" because of the "hazardous conditions." I tried not to be too disappointed (quite unsuccessfully) and scrambled to find an alternate plan.

We settled on the Bronx Zoo and ended up having a great time. I had only been to the zoo once before (also in the winter), but never in the snow, which makes everything better (except apparently walking through a cemetery).

I saw a lot more animals than I did last time, and most seemed to not be bothered at all by the snow—some, like the brown bears, even appeared to love it. Zoos are kind of inherently sad, and a few of the animals definitely tugged at our heart strings (the polar bear pacing back and forth, the puffins swimming furiously at the glass) but the Bronx Zoo has some of the best habitats I've seen.

All of the animals seemed pretty active and we even saw a few being very active, like the two frogs that were snuggin' and two crocodiles that seemed awfully friendly with each other. I love seeing places in their off-season, and the zoo was especially deserted in the snow. It's actually hard for me to imagine the grounds crawling with children when I've only ever had to share it with a few other people. I think I've finally hit the point in the winter where I'm looking forward to spring, but I'm grateful to feel as if I have such wonderful places essentially to myself at least for a little while longer.