A letterbox at the Cloisters in northern Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park beckoned to us before we could cross into the Bronx. Or we thought it was a letterbox calling. It may have been one of the park's chubby squirrels like the one pictured above, because the letterbox was missing. Maybe this guy and some of his friends confiscated the letterbox to store their winter food. All the squirrels in the park looked as if they haven't missed any meals recently.

After finding a couple of letterboxes in small parks in the Bronx, we headed for Bronx Park, home of the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo. We entered through the Rainey Memorial Gate on Fordham Road. Created in 1934, the gate is adorned with 22 life-size sculpted animals and honors a zoo patron.

The stretch of the Bronx River that flows through the zoo features double "waterfalls" where dams were built to power the mills that operated along the river in the 19th century.

Near the zoo we stopped at La Pentola Pizzeria for a much needed snack. In an attempt to support economic recovery efforts, the owners were selling huge slices of delicious pizza for $1 each. Not surprisingly, it was a busy place with a big after school contingent crowding in for their share of the pie.

 

Back to Manhattan and the Times Square TKTS booth to search for tickets for tonight's performance. With Monday's limited offerings and us still trying to adjust to the increased walking we're doing, we decided to skip theater for tonight.

Since we love pasta, and especially because we wanted something close to the apartment, Pasta Lovers restaurant on W 49th Street seemed a natural choice for dinner. The service was good but the food was just OK.

The weather continues to be unseasonably mild with a high today in the upper 40s. Total walking for today: 6 miles