Bronx Zoo:

• Did you know the Bronx Zoo is open 365 days a year? I don't know if you've heard, but animals don't celebrate religious holidays.

• Every time I mention the zoo to someone, they say, "Oh, I love the zoo and haven't been in forever." Well, go. The subway stops three blocks away, it's $8 in the autumn, and the fall colors are amazing over 265 acres.

• Again, it's eight friggin' dollars. Go for an hour, go for two, it's all good. You don't have to spend all day there to get your money's worth.

• A few things were closed, most notably the Bengali Express, most of the snack huts and the two easiest ways to get from one end of the park to another, Zoo Shuttle and Skyfari. Bring your walking shoes, of course.

• No camp kids in November! No camp kids in November! There were a bunch of class field trips, and kids are still the loudest animals on Earth, but it was so much more peaceful than when you're surrounded by endless groups of screaming boogers.

• Unfortunately, this time I didn't see a monkey yank his crank in front of clueless kids, something I observed once and will never forget, along with the time that elephant took a dump when I was 8 and scarred me for life.

• Why these animals don't just fuck 24 hours a day I have no idea. They look so friggin' bored. What must life be like when the park closes each night and there's nobody shoving a camera in their face while they scratch their asses?

• The zoo's official site has a list of top 10 tips for your visit. Some good information there.

• Photo Gallery: Nothing too fantastic, 'cept maybe that mom carrying her child through the mist in the Congo Gorilla Forest. A couple just show off the brilliant fall colors.

New York City Marathon:

• Congrats to all the finishers. They set a goal in 2005 and accomplished it. And that goal was to almost kill themselves.

• Earlier this year, I drove my car through all five NYC boroughs. It was overrated. I knew that day I'd never run a marathon.

• Let's get creative, New York. Instead of running 26.2 miles every year, let's come up with new ways for tens of thousands of people to torture themselves at once. Like doing 10,000 squat thrusts in 2006, holding a yoga position for an hour in 2007, and carrying a sack of potatoes up 1,500 stairs in 2008.

• Seriously, marathon day is on the short list of every New Yorker's favorite days of the year. It's inspiring, international, civil and a ton of fun.

• Photo Gallery: Again, nothing great. I didn't work hard enough at staking out a good spot. Plus, there was football to watch, beer to drink and I was starving.

Today's new York Links:

• Jeff Cooper C.A.R.E. Foundation NYC Fall Fundraiser — Got an e-mail last week about this event on Nov. 12 from a friend of Jeff Cooper, a former PK.com reader who died of cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle. Cheers to his mates and family for doing good in his name, with a foundation dedicated to cardiac awareness, research, and education.

• Marc S. Zeplin Foundation's Annual Springsteen Tribute Show — Tramps Like Us, the ultimate Bruce Springsteen tribute band, is back at the Lion's Den on Nov. 19, to benefit the foundation in the name of a father of two young boys who lost his life on 9/11. I go every year to this show, and I plan to be there again.

• Is New York Worth a Trip? Oui — The New York Times on the release of Michelin's highly anticipated restaurant ratings for New York City. Four places that I'd probably like less than White Castle got the highest ranking, three stars. By comparison, 10 restaurants in Paris, and one in London, also boast three stars.

• Dining Like Sardines — A Village Voice article on etiquette for the most cramped restaurants.

• Flickr Photos Tagged 'nycmarathon' — Sorted by most interesting. Wouldn't you hate to be the guy who shot the ones ranked least interesting of the almost 700 photos (at PK.com pub time)?

• New York City Porn Scene Giving L.A. Run For its Money — I didn't actually read this Time Out New York cover story, but it's about porn, so I figure it's a good link.