New York City

I got to visit New York City for the first time last month. I was there for a week which was long enough in some respects and not nearly long enough in others! I visited so many places - some museums, Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Broadway, Ground Zero, St Pauls Chapel, Central Park and countless others. And I got to visit with a good friend. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would love to go back!

At the Bronx Zoo I was allowed to go behind the scenes at African Wild Dogs and Tiger Mountain - places that most people are not allowed to visit (this is definitely one of the advantages to working at a zoo!). It was amazing to see and our guide was awesome. He even took us around to see some of the other cats in the collection (Thank you Glen!) I wasn't able to see their new Madagascar exhibit nor did I have time to see their Congo. Those are two areas I will be visiting if I ever get back there.

Central Park Zoo is a neat little facility. It's not big but it's clean and appear to have made good use of their space. I enjoyed walking around there and looking at their collection. Their polar bear exhibit was fantastic as was their rainforest. Definitely worth visiting if you're ever in NYC.

One of the main highlights of my trip was that I was able to see a play on Broadway. What made it even better was that I got to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. I had great seats (central orchestra, row F) and got them for 50% off (so for around $65 I got one of the best seats in the theater!).

My trip to Ground Zero on Sept 11 was profound. There's no way to explain what I felt as I stood there while they read off the names of those who died during the attacks. While there I also visited St Paul's Chapel. This chapel is right next door to Ground Zero and received no harm during the attacks and subsequent fall of the towers. It served as a refuge for the volunteers and emergency personnel who responded to the attack and collapse of the WTC. It is still an active part of the parish of Trinity Church as well as a museum. Definitely worth stopping by to visit if you are ever in NYC.

All in all I had a wonderful trip - all in spite of Hurricane Ike deciding to visit my city of residence while I was gone. For photos of my trip, visit here.