Central Park & the Central Park Zoo -- "Manhattan as a tourist" -- Part 4 of 5 -- Day 2

After soaking in the sun and some history, we are ready to leave South Street Seaport (Pier 17). Now we head over to Central Park.

Central Park is a public park which opened in 1873 and is the most visited park in the United States with about twenty -five million visitors annually.

Here is some trivia.

• Central Park is larger than two of the world's smallest nations.
  
• It is nearly eight times as large as Vatican City.
• The real-estate value of Central Park is estimated to be $528,783,552,000 according to the property-appraisal firm Miller Samuel.
• In the movie Die Hard With A Vengeance, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson drive a taxi cab through Central Park. Their wild ride goes from the west entrance at 72nd Street to Central Park South.

This information was gathered from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  

Central Park has 843 acres which includes roughly 590 species of shrubs and about 815 species of perennials and  Alpine plants.

The vision of Central Park was created from the European parks. There are several roads that lead through Central Park to carry crosstown traffic throughout Manhattan. And architectural structures were kept to a minimum, allowing 4 buildings within Central Park that were included in the original plans.

Interesting note : Central Park is 2.5 miles long with with  a 6 mile long road the circles the park which is popular with joggers, bicyclists, and inline skaters.

Here are a few maps for Central park.

• Central Park Map
• Navigate Central Park
• Map of Central Park
• Central Park: Full Map

Central Park Zoo

Originally, New Yorkers started dropping off animals, everything from white swans to a black bear cub. In 1864, legislation approved a building to house these animals, which became known as the Central Park Menagerie. Then in 1934, the Parks Commissioner approved the construction of The Central Park Zoo. 

Then in 1980, they decided to renovate The Central Park Zoo which was completed in 1985. The zoo now attracts nearly a million visitors yearly from all over the world.  

 
The zoo is divided up into 3 zones:

• The Polar Zone -- Anything from Polar Bears, to Harbor Seals, to Penguins.
  

• The Tropic Zone -- You'll see the Fairy Blue Bird of Southeast Asia and the Scarlet-chested Parrot of Southern Australia. Here you’ll also find frogs, lizards, snakes, and toads. Then there are the Colobus Monkeys, as well as three species of Tamarins, to represent the primates of the tropics. You'll also find a 'Rain Forrest' in this section.
  

• The Temperate Zone -- This would include the California Sea Lion which lives in a tank, which is at the center of the exhibit. You'll also see the  Red Pandas, Japanese Macaques and the almost urbanly manic North American River Otter. Here you’ll also find the Mandarin Ducks (happier residents then their cousins at nearby restaurants) and the lovely Swan Geese.

For a list of the different kinds of animals, click here :  Central Park Zoo

The pictures below were taken from inside Central Park Zoo. As you can see, the zoo sits within Manhattan. Some of the information was found at here.

For anyone needing the services of a realtor in Manhattan or the surrounding areas of NYC, please don't hesitate to contact : Mitchell Hall - New York NY  -- Mitchell's Manhattan Real Estate Blog. Mitchell and I didn't have a chance to catch up because he was actually working with clients that weekend. Mitchell is a Manhattan born native New Yorker and a Realtor in Manhattan.

My Visit to New York City                   -- "Manhattan as a tourist" -- Part 1 of 5 -- Day 1

Battery Park City                                 -- "Manhattan as a tourist" -- Part 2 of 5 -- Day 2

South Street Seaport (Pier 17)          -- "Manhattan as a tourist" -- Part 3 of 5 -- Day 2

Central Park & the Central Park Zoo  -- "Manhattan as a tourist" -- Part 4 of 5 -- Day 2