Exploring The Catcher in the Rye   :   album / tour   :   The Zoo (or Maps)

 

Central Park Zoo

 
Fifth Avenue entrance to the zoo The sea lion area Polar Bears [map of Central Park Zoo] The zoo is very small. There is a children's zoo to the north (not on this map but to the right of it). Entrance to the zoo costs $3.50, but you can easily watch the sea lions getting fed without entering. I didn't see a brown bear area. The polar bears can be viewed from ground level and from the top of a small hill. You can climb up it via a sloping path, or take stairs. Unless you enter the zoo, you can't see the bears very well and you can't get to the hill behind them. This open format and the small size of the zoo makes me wonder if there used to be no admission fee at all -- especially since Holden never mentions paying anyone.

The light orange line winding through the zoo represents a possible path taken by Holden and Phoebe (p. 209-210). It also includes a link to a photo of the entrance.

The daily feeding times for sea lions are at 11:30 A.M, 2:00 P.M., and 4:00 P.M..