I was in New City on Thursday for a quick business trip with my wife. Arriving a few hours before the business meeting, we decided to take a walk in Central Park.
A Horse Carriage Continues a 150-year Tradition
The recent snow is no problem for the horse carriages, but the city’s mayor is still out to curtail, if not eliminate, them.
Artists selling their works were out in force.
As were couples recording their memories.
The ice rink was busy as usual
But our destination was the zoo. At the entrance one will find the famous George Delacorte Musical Clock, which is built on a triple archway passage into the zoo. Flanking the clock on either side are G. R. Roth’s Honey Bear and Dancing Goat bronze sculptures dating from 1935.
Roth’s Honey Bear
Supposedly during daylight hours, a selected tune is played by bells while bronze sculptures of a bear with tambourine, a hippopotamus with violin, a goat with pan pipes, a kangaroo and offspring with horns, and a penguin with drum glide around the base of the clock. In addition, on the hour, two bronze monkeys on the top of the clock appear to strike a bell. We saw the monkeys striking the bell, but the animals did not move while the song was played. Still, it is a very cool clock.
Visitors Watching the Delacorte Clock Announce the Time
Inside the zoo, the visitors were often as entertaining as the inmates.
Sea Lion Striking a Pose
This Snow Monkey appeared distraught that the snow in his compound had mostly melted.
A Seal Creates a Kaleidoscope of Reflections as it Swims
But our favorite stop was the snow leopard compound where, if one is lucky and patient, they can capture an image that almost appears to be taken in the wild.
Snow Leopard Cub (about 20 Months) Moves Across the Snow
The Same Cub, Striking a Pose
The cub shown here is one of a pair of twins who, a few minutes earlier, had been frolicking in the snow. But unfortunately, their antics were almost completely obscured by rocks and bushes so that classic, prize winning image was not captured. So I guess I will have to….
Keep Shooting…..
photographybykent 
WOW… fantastic post! LOVE the snow monkey and ice rink shots best. 🙂
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Thanks, Denise. I really appreciate that. I’m glad you liked it. A lot of movies were shot around this location. Serendipity (Ice Rink) and Definitely Maybe (Penguin House at the Zoo) for example.
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I love that ice rink shot! 📸
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Thanks, Laura! Great place for skating, the rinks at Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park are much smaller and more crowded.
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You’re welcome! It’d be fun to take ice skater shots I think. Not that I do people photos that often.
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Thanks for sharing these, Robin. These are super. My favorites were of the snow leopard. I never knew the Central Park Zoo had snow leopards!
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Thanks, Greg. It definitely was a surprise to us as well. They actually have 4. The brother-sister pair in one enclosure and the mother with a younger female cub in another.
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I loved the zoo at Central Park! It looks like you had a great day.
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Thanks, Janice. Yes, it was a great day to be at the zoo. Cool weather, snow all around, and not too crowded.
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Nice journey through the park. Ken, have you made all these pictures with Nikon 28-300 lens?
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Sorry, Robin, I just wrote comment to other person and used to call you Ken. I am sorry. My question anyway directed to you.
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No problem, Alexander. To answer your question, yes all the images were taken with a Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. It is a versatile lens when one needs to travel light and this was a one day trip.
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Thank you, Robin. Why I asked you about lens. I use the same lens for my travel and walk around purposes but all the time doubt in the quality of pictures. Your pictures convinced me that it is good lens to keep it. Thank you.
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Thanks, Alexander. Yes, I had the same concerns but ran a few unscientific comparisons with the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 and found that the 28-300 stood up well to the more expensive 70-200. The one downside is the slightly slower speed but a small price to pay when portability and weight are important.
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Unfortunately, the price of 70-200 is a killing factor. Thank you, Robin, again. Your opinion is important for me.
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