The Central Park Zoo

The Central Park Zoo is open year round and has all sorts of wonderful animals. Two of the most popular "guests" are the polar bears, Ida and Gus. There are so many great animals to see including 61 Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins, a Fairy Blue Bird from Southeast Asia, a Scarlet-chested Parrot from Southern Australia, Colobus Monkeys, three species of Tamarins, California Sea Lions, Red Pandas, Japanese Macaques, Mandarin Ducks, and Swan Geese.

No trip to New York City is complete without a trip to the Zoo, located in lovely Central Park. Since 1908, Central Park has appeared in over 240 feature films, making it the most filmed public park in the world.

Pictured above is the Arsenal decked out with green lights for Christmas. The Arsenal is the second oldest building in Central Park and was build between 1847 and 1851. It was designed by Architect Martin E. Thompson as a munitions depot for New York State’s National Guard and as a strategic position to deploy troops to the city, or to either shoreline. Over the years it has been used as a police precinct, a museum (the precursor to the American Museum of Natural History), a weather bureau and an art gallery. Today it is the office of the Parks Commissioner. It's located right in the middle of the Zoo.