Walking Off the Big Apple

Walking through the Bronx Zoo , the largest zoo in the United States, can at times feel like a walk through the whole world. Turkmenian Flare-horned Markho, a wild Himalayan mountain goat. View from the zoo's monorail. From the African Plains to Wild Asia to the Congo Gorilla rainforest, a walk among fascinating creatures takes on characteristics of a worldly, and even otherworldly, pilgrimage. The gaur, or Indian bison, large wild cattle native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. View from monorail. Except for glimpses of the Bronx River Parkway from the zoo’s Wild Asia Monorail, the concrete metropolis gives way to dense jungles, pastures of green grass, and ponds with sleepy pink flamingos. Portrait of a giraffe, African Plains Set within 265 acres of parkland, the zoo provides the best conditions for the most beneficial sort of walk - a stroll through nature’s green bounty. Here, the company of giraffes and ubiquitous peacocks, among thousands of animal speci

Hudson Yards , currently under construction over the West Side Rail Yards in far Midtown West, is one of the largest real estate developments in New York history. Watching the massive development take shape over 28 acres is akin to being present for the creation of Rockefeller Center during the 1930s. Hudson Yards takes up an even bigger footprint than the 22 acres of the Fifth Avenue Rockefeller complex, and its ambitions are no less vaulting. The centerpiece public art for Hudson Yards is called "Vessel," a 150-foot-tall structure of interwoven steps and landings. View of Vessel under construction. Hudson Yards will boast its own equivalent of Rockefeller Plaza and Radio City Music Hall in the form of two structures known as “Vessel” and “the Shed.” Vessel, an interactive public artwork designed by Thomas Heatherwick, will consist of inter-woven stairs and landings that zigzag up and out, in the shape of a vessel, to a height of 150 feet. I imagine Vessel will provid