After more than thirteen years and countless penguins sold, Next Stop South Pole at South Street Seaport in New York has closed its doors. Founded by Eric Bennett (me) in March of 1985 as a pushcart, the Seaport penguin shop along with its sister South Pole in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore (which will remain open), have been the only all-penguin outlets in the world. Next Stop South Pole has relocated its operations to 220 Water St. in Brooklyn, as a predominantly mail order business. We've added, for your convenience, a toll free phone and fax number 1-877-PENG-WIN, and are constantly upgrading our webbed site. Also, you can visit our new igloo on the Brooklyn waterfront to shop in person by appointment. It's located near the Brooklyn anchorage of the Brooklyn Bridge in up and coming DUMBO. We regret the closing of our Seaport location and will miss meeting and greeting all of you in person, but unfortunately the Seaport has been on the wane for quite some time, and gave us little choice. We hope to be able to serve the penguin-loving community as best we can through mail and phone orders, through our webbed site, and of course, at our Baltimore location. Keep Waddling, Eric & Heather

One should never take for granted the penguins in one's own backyard, and in New York City penguins are plentiful, with our flightless friends on display in the Central Park Zoo, Bronx Zoo and at the Coney Island Aquarium.

In Manhattan, the Central Park Zoo's so called Polar Circle is as sought out during the summer months for its 34-degree interior temperatures as for its star quotient of waddlers. Paying respects to the forty or so penguins in their simulated Antarctica (by way of 5th Avenue and 64th Street) rarely leaves visitors disappointed. Here you can virtually press your own beak up against the glass to watch the resident gentoo and chinstrap penguins swim, dive, waddle, scarf down some capping fish, and maybe even mate. Since 1988 the renovated Central Park Wildlife Conservation Center has seen about seven million visitors pass through its gates, and the excellent penguin house is probably the biggest draw, delighting young and old alike.

About an hour away from Central Park (by car or the F and D trains) is the famous Coney Island Aquarium. There you can find a colony of (Jackass) South African penguins. This exhibit is outdoors, as these birds can handle the big city environment. These playful penguins frolic in a rocky habitat, complete with a penguin pond for swimming and cooling off. They nest in man-made caverns and often seek shelter in them during especially warm weather. A good time to visit is on mild summer days, as even South African penguins like to keep cool, and one might find them a bit scarce during heat waves.

If you waddle 30 minutes north of midtown Manhattan, one will find the world famous Bronx Zoo. An enormous complex, The Zoo and it's neighbor the N.Y. Botanical Gardens encompasses scores of acres, and it's on the west end of the park that penguin folk can find the recently renovated Sea Bird Colony, featuring South American magellanic penguins. The zoo is easy to reach via 2 or 5 trains, or by car via The Bronx River Parkway.

Adjacent to Central Park are two other intstitutions with Antarctic connections. On the second floor of the American Museum of Natural History is a panoramic window display of a South Georgian beach featuring stuffed king penguins. Also, on the main floor of the museum, is a room featuring the Antarctic Club, which is dedicated to the advancement and recognition of field research and scientific exploration. It houses a large collection of Antarctic items and interests, dating from Scott, Byrd, Amundsen and Shackleton to the present day explorers and researchers. By appointment only.

Since last exploring "penguin" currency around the world (vol.1 #4), some very interesting penguin-related currency has come to our attention. The Jason Islands, which are located near the Falkland Islands, created its own currency in order to raise money for the preservation of the islands in the 1970s. Available in a set of five, in denominations ranging from 50p to £20, these sets are very rare. Also, Antarctican Dollars are available to U.S. personnel stationed on the frozen continent. These very attractive bills are not genuine legal tender (although they should be), but are issued to help raise money for enviromental causes in and around U.S. bases in Antarctica, and are redeemable for equal value in the U.S. by mailing them to the Antarctica Overseas Exchange Office, Box 61, Custer, Washington 98240.