Bronx Zoo Bronx Zoo and New York Trip Advice

[JVM]

Hello everyone! It's that time - again - for a trip planning advice thread.

I'm visiting a good friend in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania in late June, during which we'll be stopping at Lehigh Valley Zoo. I'm planning to stay in this area around June 24 to June 30. My friend has mentioned their proximity to New York City many times in the past, and we have discussed dedicating a day to visiting Manhattan, which may include the Central Park Zoo due to proximity to the American Museum of Natural History, which is on the itinerary. We were initially hoping to do a group visit to the Bronx Zoo but unfortunately it just doesn't logistically work out with my friend's schedule and transportation options. This trip will also very likely include the Philadelphia Zoo.

I have discussed possibly visiting the Bronx Zoo and others solo at the end of this trip, either taking the train from Philadelphia to New York City for multiple day trips (which looks possible but impractical? open to advice here) or by staying in New York City for a few days separately, which is possible. The opening of World of Darkness on July 12 has added a bit of complication as I'd really like to see it but it would add over a week to the trip schedule and that's a lot of lodging to pay for, so I'm also strongly considering returning home on July 2 or 3 and returning to New York City separately in the late summer or September, so I can see WoD and stay focused on NYC, without the logistics related to Pennsylvania.

I have two questions related to the Manhattan stops, sorry that it's technically off topic:
- How easy is it to do CPZ and the American Museum of Natural History in one day / five hours? Would it better to try to walk between them or is other transportation (Bus, Uber, etc.)
- Are there any taxidermy specimens at the American Museum of Natural History of particular interest? (eg recently extinct species, species not held in captivity, unique individual animals, etc.)

The following questions all concern the Bronx Zoo:
- Are there places to say that are reasonably close to the Bronx Zoo via public transportation and relatively budget-friendly? I don't feel the need to stay in Manhattan. Trying to do my own research but really welcome advice on this.
- Are there any good places to eat close to the zoo? I had a bad travel experience once with not eating during a zoo trip and not having access to food outside delivery afterward.
- Two of my highest target species are the Markhor and Kiwi - are there any tips or hacks for these species? I thought I had heard once that the Markhor can be viewed from somewhere besides the Monorail?
- At Bronx, are there any less famous rarities among reptiles, amphibians and birds? I do know a few but reminders are still very welcome.
- Any tips for the Wild Asia Monorail? I have never rode a monorail before so any practical advice is welcome. I should probably watch a video?
- Would a trip in September or October still be feasibly, weather permitting, or do Congo Gorilla Forest, African Plains, and Wild Asia Monorail, etc. stop at a set date/time regardless of weather?

A lot of these I'm researching independently but I do really value community input and advice. Thanks in advance for any and all help and support.

 

[ZooElephantMan]

Taking the train between Philadelphia and NYC is super easy for a day trip. A couple years ago when I did this I think the tickets were only like $20? The Amtrak station in Philly is also walking distance from the Philadelphia Zoo. The train goes right past the zoo and you will see it from your window. But I think going back and forth from Philly to NYC multiple days in a row would be tough.

I think it would be pretty hard to do CPZ and AMNH in five hours. The Central Park Zoo is small (you could probably squeeze it in in 1-2 hours), but AMNH is huge, and you could probably spend a day there by itself, depending on how much you want to see and how exhausted you want to become. A few interesting things at the museum:

• Taxidermy proboscis monkey
• Live leaf-cutter ant exhibit
• Taxidermy tuatara
• Taxidermy sumatran rhino (or maybe javan, I forget right now)
• The artistry of many of the displays (such as in the halls for African and North American Mammals). Some of the taxidermy is done with such accuracy, and the murals with such detail, that if you took a picture of the diorama you might not even realize the photo was taken in a museum.
• The ocean room, with the giant blue whale hanging from the ceiling, is always a highlight
• I also love the sections upstairs with the fossils of dinosaurs and extinct mammals. Some of the extinct creatures look so unusual and fascinating, like the Megacerops medium

 

[StoppableSan]

Hello everyone! It's that time - again - for a trip planning advice thread.

I'm visiting a good friend in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania in late June, during which we'll be stopping at Lehigh Valley Zoo. I'm planning to stay in this area around June 24 to June 30. My friend has mentioned their proximity to New York City many times in the past, and we have discussed dedicating a day to visiting Manhattan, which may include the Central Park Zoo due to proximity to the American Museum of Natural History, which is on the itinerary. We were initially hoping to do a group visit to the Bronx Zoo but unfortunately it just doesn't logistically work out with my friend's schedule and transportation options. This trip will also very likely include the Philadelphia Zoo.

I have discussed possibly visiting the Bronx Zoo and others solo at the end of this trip, either taking the train from Philadelphia to New York City for multiple day trips (which looks possible but impractical? open to advice here) or by staying in New York City for a few days separately, which is possible. The opening of World of Darkness on July 12 has added a bit of complication as I'd really like to see it but it would add over a week to the trip schedule and that's a lot of lodging to pay for, so I'm also strongly considering returning home on July 2 or 3 and returning to New York City separately in the late summer or September, so I can see WoD and stay focused on NYC, without the logistics related to Pennsylvania.

I have two questions related to the Manhattan stops, sorry that it's technically off topic:
- How easy is it to do CPZ and the American Museum of Natural History in one day / five hours? Would it better to try to walk between them or is other transportation (Bus, Uber, etc.)
- Are there any taxidermy specimens at the American Museum of Natural History of particular interest? (eg recently extinct species, species not held in captivity, unique individual animals, etc.)

The following questions all concern the Bronx Zoo:
- Are there places to say that are reasonably close to the Bronx Zoo via public transportation and relatively budget-friendly? I don't feel the need to stay in Manhattan. Trying to do my own research but really welcome advice on this.
- Are there any good places to eat close to the zoo? I had a bad travel experience once with not eating during a zoo trip and not having access to food outside delivery afterward.
- Two of my highest target species are the Markhor and Kiwi - are there any tips or hacks for these species? I thought I had heard once that the Markhor can be viewed from somewhere besides the Monorail?
- At Bronx, are there any less famous rarities among reptiles, amphibians and birds? I do know a few but reminders are still very welcome.
- Any tips for the Wild Asia Monorail? I have never rode a monorail before so any practical advice is welcome. I should probably watch a video?
- Would a trip in September or October still be feasibly, weather permitting, or do Congo Gorilla Forest, African Plains, and Wild Asia Monorail, etc. stop at a set date/time regardless of weather?

A lot of these I'm researching independently but I do really value community input and advice. Thanks in advance for any and all help and support.

In terms of your Manhattan questions...

• Absolutely doable! Central Park Zoo takes about an hour/two hours to get through including the Tisch Children's Zoo, it's a fair hike to get to AMNH but well worth it.
• There's a *ton* of taxidermy specimens at AMNH that would interest you, the most notable taxidermy mounts for me personally were mountain gorilla and proboscis monkey alongside the elephant herd, not to mention the gallery that also houses their marine taxidermy. I'd also recommend the insect zoo at AMNH, as I believe that brilliantly supplements Central Park Zoo's overall collection!

As for your Bronx questions...

• Manhattan may be your best bet in terms of lodging, Brooklyn would also be a solid choice if you're also looking to do Prospect Park Zoo/New York Aquarium in the same day. I've taken the subway near Penn Station, the 2 line to Bronx Zoo's Asia Gate - in my opinion that's the most accessible zoo entrance by subway/walking.
• There are some choice Italian restaurants near the zoo! Specifically the ones on Arthur Avenue.
• With the markhor, best way of viewing them is from the monorail, next best way of viewing them is from the JungleWorld parking lot. As for the kiwi, the zoo has multiple kiwi spread out between Aquatic Bird House (a nocturnal habitat) and World of Birds (a diurnal space that also weirdly mixes toucans, I think the kiwi *there* are unsigned).
• Bronx usually rotates out their extensive herp collection and bird collection, so World of Reptiles is going to have some lesser-known rarities no matter what, and World of Birds/Aquatic Bird House/Pheasantry will be your best bet.
• The monorail moves quickly around the Asian deer, the babirusa are tough to spot given all the bamboo, but you're given plenty of time to see the Przewalski's horses, gaur, tiger (Amur or Malayan), elephants, rhinos and markhor. I'd recommend taking multiple trips as different animals can be spotted in different parts of the habitats.
• Latest I would recommend is Halloween season for Bronx Zoo, as that is peak fall colorage. Still plenty of time to properly savor Congo Gorilla Forest, African Plains and Wild Asia Monorail!

 

[evilmonkey239]

- How easy is it to do CPZ and the American Museum of Natural History in one day / five hours? Would it better to try to walk between them or is other transportation (Bus, Uber, etc.)
- Are there any taxidermy specimens at the American Museum of Natural History of particular interest? (eg recently extinct species, species not held in captivity, unique individual animals, etc.)

I would say the CPZ and the AMNH are doable in the span of five hours, but personally I would allocate more time (probably at least another hour or two) in order to better appreciate the collections of both as well as factor in getting between the two.

Speaking of which, I would probably recommend getting an Uber to minimize how long it takes to get from one to the other as they’re not super close.

 

[AnActualFan]

World of Birds (a diurnal space that also weirdly mixes toucans, I think the kiwi *there* are unsigned).

Wait what? I've never noticed that?

 

[JVM]

Thank you for all for your tips! It's super helpful and even though I didn't get a chance to reply until tonight I've been factoring them into my planning.

Things have been separated a bit. I will be spending five-ish hours in Manhattan during my trip to Pennsylvania with a couple friends, and we are limited in time due to the bus schedule to get back to where we are staying (somewhat outside Philadelphia) but I will be doing a separate trip to New York City later in the summer, focused on the Bronx Zoo but hopefully including some of the other facilities. This will also let me see World of Darkness as it was becoming challenging to fit with time and budget considerations. I think I've found the right hotel for this although I still welcome recommendations.

Taking the train between Philadelphia and NYC is super easy for a day trip. A couple years ago when I did this I think the tickets were only like $20? The Amtrak station in Philly is also walking distance from the Philadelphia Zoo. The train goes right past the zoo and you will see it from your window. But I think going back and forth from Philly to NYC multiple days in a row would be tough.

Thanks, this was a central question for me and is still very good to know for future trip planning, especially if I were in New York City but felt like popping in Philly!

I think it would be pretty hard to do CPZ and AMNH in five hours. The Central Park Zoo is small (you could probably squeeze it in in 1-2 hours), but AMNH is huge, and you could probably spend a day there by itself, depending on how much you want to see and how exhausted you want to become.

I'd definitely have liked to spend more time at AMNH and may do so on the follow-up trip.

A few interesting things at the museum:

• Taxidermy proboscis monkey
• Live leaf-cutter ant exhibit
• Taxidermy tuatara
• Taxidermy sumatran rhino (or maybe javan, I forget right now)
• The artistry of many of the displays (such as in the halls for African and North American Mammals). Some of the taxidermy is done with such accuracy, and the murals with such detail, that if you took a picture of the diorama you might not even realize the photo was taken in a museum.
• The ocean room, with the giant blue whale hanging from the ceiling, is always a highlight
• I also love the sections upstairs with the fossils of dinosaurs and extinct mammals. Some of the extinct creatures look so unusual and fascinating, like the Megacerops medium

Thank you for the tips, especially about the rare rhinoceros. The Field Museum has a number of fascinating specimens but no Javan or Sumatran rhinoceros (and up until very recently I didn't realize our White Rhinoceros was a northern!) so those are always very exciting for me. The tuatara will also be cool and I love proboscis monkey.

The fossils will definitely be a focus and are one of the reasons the museum came up. I have the Field as a day trip destination but a good friend of mine on the trip hasn't seen fossils in probably fifteen plus years.

Artistry is definitely something I'd like to stop and appreciate if I can but suffers a little when in a rush. Almost any given recent visit to the Field I spend time appreciating some of the taxidermy and end up having to skip by some of them later on. I definitely appreciate the work more as I get older.

The thylacine specimen is no longer on public display, right? I hate to even ask.

In terms of your Manhattan questions...

• Absolutely doable! Central Park Zoo takes about an hour/two hours to get through including the Tisch Children's Zoo, it's a fair hike to get to AMNH but well worth it.
• There's a *ton* of taxidermy specimens at AMNH that would interest you, the most notable taxidermy mounts for me personally were mountain gorilla and proboscis monkey alongside the elephant herd, not to mention the gallery that also houses their marine taxidermy. I'd also recommend the insect zoo at AMNH, as I believe that brilliantly supplements Central Park Zoo's overall collection!

Good to know about the elephant herd and mountain gorilla. I totally forgot about the insect zoo you and the others have mentioned, too. How bad is the "hike"?

As for your Bronx questions...

• Manhattan may be your best bet in terms of lodging, Brooklyn would also be a solid choice if you're also looking to do Prospect Park Zoo/New York Aquarium in the same day. I've taken the subway near Penn Station, the 2 line to Bronx Zoo's Asia Gate - in my opinion that's the most accessible zoo entrance by subway/walking.

Thank you for the Subway tip!

I assumed Manhattan, despite the convenient central location, would be the most expensive. I was actually looking towards staying in the Bronx so that the zoo is as accessible as possible (as I hope to do multiple days there) but now that the trip is split my interest in doing PPZ and NYA is definitely higher, so this does give me some to think about.

There are some choice Italian restaurants near the zoo! Specifically the ones on Arthur Avenue.

That's a really good tip, thank you!

• With the markhor, best way of viewing them is from the monorail, next best way of viewing them is from the JungleWorld parking lot. As for the kiwi, the zoo has multiple kiwi spread out between Aquatic Bird House (a nocturnal habitat) and World of Birds (a diurnal space that also weirdly mixes toucans, I think the kiwi *there* are unsigned).
• Bronx usually rotates out their extensive herp collection and bird collection, so World of Reptiles is going to have some lesser-known rarities no matter what, and World of Birds/Aquatic Bird House/Pheasantry will be your best bet.

Ah, the JungleWorld parking lot is the one I was thinking of! Is that the lot inside the Asia Gate? Is that somewhere I could access during a normal visit, in the case I don't catch them on the monorail or want additional time with them?

Totally understood about the rotation, I mostly ask because I worry about overlooking a particularly rare species as I sometimes did as a child. One of the reasons Kiwi are a major target species for me is I missed them twice when I was younger.

• The monorail moves quickly around the Asian deer, the babirusa are tough to spot given all the bamboo, but you're given plenty of time to see the Przewalski's horses, gaur, tiger (Amur or Malayan), elephants, rhinos and markhor. I'd recommend taking multiple trips as different animals can be spotted in different parts of the habitats.
• Latest I would recommend is Halloween season for Bronx Zoo, as that is peak fall colorage. Still plenty of time to properly savor Congo Gorilla Forest, African Plains and Wild Asia Monorail!

Thank you for the tip about the Monorail, I am hoping to take it more than once if I can. I knew a lot of people complained about it moving quick by the deer but I am glad to hear it gives time for a lot of the other animals! Also glad to know I have until October, as I would probably have pushed to keep the current but more difficult trip if I didn't have that wiggle room. I can't imagine visiting without doing the monorail given it's likely limited lifespan and I do want to see the Plains and gorilla forest as much!

I would say the CPZ and the AMNH are doable in the span of five hours, but personally I would allocate more time (probably at least another hour or two) in order to better appreciate the collections of both as well as factor in getting between the two.

Speaking of which, I would probably recommend getting an Uber to minimize how long it takes to get from one to the other as they’re not super close.

I'll not be able to allocate the time the day in question unfortunately but I may do a follow-up visit to both or either during the separate trip!

Thanks for the tip about the Uber. Central Park makes them look much closer than they are. Is it easy to exit the park itself from the zoo? How much would an Uber probably cost for this stretch?

Wait what? I've never noticed that?

I would love to hear more about this diurnal Kiwi, too, would be a real treat to spot!

 

[USZOOfan42]

World of Birds (a diurnal space that also weirdly mixes toucans, I think the kiwi *there* are unsigned).

Is this the Toco Toucan exhibit on the second floor?

 

[Don Majeski]

Taking the train between Philadelphia and NYC is super easy for a day trip. A couple years ago when I did this I think the tickets were only like $20? The Amtrak station in Philly is also walking distance from the Philadelphia Zoo. The train goes right past the zoo and you will see it from your window. But I think going back and forth from Philly to NYC multiple days in a row would be tough.

I think it would be pretty hard to do CPZ and AMNH in five hours. The Central Park Zoo is small (you could probably squeeze it in in 1-2 hours), but AMNH is huge, and you could probably spend a day there by itself, depending on how much you want to see and how exhausted you want to become. A few interesting things at the museum:

• Taxidermy proboscis monkey
• Live leaf-cutter ant exhibit
• Taxidermy tuatara
• Taxidermy sumatran rhino (or maybe javan, I forget right now)
• The artistry of many of the displays (such as in the halls for African and North American Mammals). Some of the taxidermy is done with such accuracy, and the murals with such detail, that if you took a picture of the diorama you might not even realize the photo was taken in a museum.
• The ocean room, with the giant blue whale hanging from the ceiling, is always a highlight
• I also love the sections upstairs with the fossils of dinosaurs and extinct mammals. Some of the extinct creatures look so unusual and fascinating, like the Megacerops medium

Taking the train between Philadelphia and NYC is super easy for a day trip. A couple years ago when I did this I think the tickets were only like $20? The Amtrak station in Philly is also walking distance from the Philadelphia Zoo. The train goes right past the zoo and you will see it from your window. But I think going back and forth from Philly to NYC multiple days in a row would be tough.

I think it would be pretty hard to do CPZ and AMNH in five hours. The Central Park Zoo is small (you could probably squeeze it in in 1-2 hours), but AMNH is huge, and you could probably spend a day there by itself, depending on how much you want to see and how exhausted you want to become. A few interesting things at the museum:

• Taxidermy proboscis monkey
• Live leaf-cutter ant exhibit
• Taxidermy tuatara
• Taxidermy sumatran rhino (or maybe javan, I forget right now)
• The artistry of many of the displays (such as in the halls for African and North American Mammals). Some of the taxidermy is done with such accuracy, and the murals with such detail, that if you took a picture of the diorama you might not even realize the photo was taken in a museum.
• The ocean room, with the giant blue whale hanging from the ceiling, is always a highlight
• I also love the sections upstairs with the fossils of dinosaurs and extinct mammals. Some of the extinct creatures look so unusual and fascinating, like the Megacerops medium

The only mounted taxidermy of a Javan rhinoceros in North America is an R.Sondaicus from the Vernay expedition at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard in Boston ,Massachusetts
The AMNH as a fully mounted taxidermy of a mother and calf D. Sumatrensis Lasiotis at the Hall of Asian animals ( It includes some birds and a reptile)Verbay gallery
That museum also has (had) a Sumatran rhino school in the Mammal Evolution gallery where skeletons of Mammoths and Mastodons- among other are displayed
AMNH also has head mounts of Javan rhinoceros as well as complete skeletons - as does the Smithsonian and Harvard but they are not on permanent public display but are brought out for special, “themed” or rotating exhibits on ocassion.
I believe the Smithsonian also has skeletons of Sumatran rhinoceros.
No Javan rhinoceros has ever been, knowingly , exhibited , alive , in a zoological institution in the Americas - although The Bronx had one of the last
Sumatrans ( A female) - along with Cinncinatti, LA and San Diego

 

[JVM]

Thank you all again for the advice. My family has been suggesting I postpone this trip until next spring and look into some other options but I have made clear it is a high priority either way.

Is it expected the monorail may still be in running condition next season? Obviously we can't predict the future with certainty, but... ?

 

[Don Majeski]

Thank you all again for the advice. My family has been suggesting I postpone this trip until next spring and look into some other options but I have made clear it is a high priority either way.

Is it expected the monorail may still be in running condition next season? Obviously we can't predict the future with certainty, but... ?

There is no reason why the monorail should not be running next season
The weather in New York is now, generally, warm (60s/70s) into October.
The monorail runs till October
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today