Cherry Blossoms

Every year spring feels as if it might never come, and then suddenly everything is in bloom and I know it won't be too long until the subway feels like a dog's mouth. Maybe it's because it comes and goes so quickly, but cherry blossom season always feels like magic to me. I spent Easter weekend in Ohio, and although I was only gone for four days, it felt as if the entire city bloomed while I was away. We've had some gloomy, chilly days mixed in, but it's hard not to feel a burst of energy as the city comes back to life. 

On Saturday my mom and I took advantage of the free hours at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (every Saturday from 10am-Noon) to check in on the cherry esplanade. Because it's 2017, the BBG has a handy "bloom map" which is updated frequently with the trees' progress, so I knew that most of the trees had at least started to bloom. The weeping cherries around the Japanese garden are already past their peak, but the esplanade is always a bit behind. 

They have an actual cherry blossom festival every year—which is this coming Saturday—but I've always shied away from the crowds and the $$$ admission price. The garden is always a popular place in the spring, and as much as I try to avoid photographing people, I do love watching them interacting with the blossoms. Selfie sticks and professional portrait sessions are quite common, and the garden becomes a destination for the people-watching as much as for the blossoms.

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Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Summer Hours: March–October
Closed Mondays
Tuesday–Friday: 8 am–6 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 10 am–6 pm (FREE 10am-noon on non-festival Saturdays)

Entrances at Eastern Parkway (2/3 trains), Flatbush Avenue (B/Q/S trains) and Washington Avenue (4/5 trains).

BBG: Roses

Before going to Coney Island for fireworks, we spent most of the Fourth hanging around Prospect Park, including a walk through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. I hadn't been to the BBG since the very beginning of spring, and it's always a nice place to spend a sunny afternoon. We planned on checking out the rose garden, specifically, and found it to be past its peak but still worth the trip.

I was initially disappointed to have missed out on peak bloom, but quickly became enamored with the garden in its current state—roses that were still amazingly fragrant and beautiful despite the fact that they were mostly dying or already dead. It wouldn't have done anyone any good to be sad that we had missed out on this season's most beautiful blooms, and it was nice to instead shift my focus to appreciating the imperfectness of nature and the elusiveness of perfect timing.

I'm forever impressed by gardens—and the fact that plants can not only grow and survive, but can sometimes produce extraordinary flowers. Plants are such a mystery to me that I think I probably marvel at them more than a seasoned gardener probably would, but I'm just grateful that I can visit such beautiful gardens without having to actually figure out how to keep plants alive on my own.

BBG: First Blossoms

I've been noticing some blossoms around the city recently, so I thought it would be worthwhile to check on my beloved cherry trees at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. If you don't live a few blocks away from the BBG, they have a handy bloom map which is fun to check obsessively.

A few of the trees have just started to bloom, but it was definitely worth it to take advantage of the free admission on Saturday morning (from 10am - noon). I love the BBG in all seasons and I can't wait to go back when the main cherry grove is finally in bloom. It's under those trees that I first seriously decided to move to New York, and they'll always be magical to me.

I don't know much about plants, which is probably why I'm always so amazed by them. The section of the garden around the Bonsai Museum was exploding in blossoms of all kinds and I was finally lucky enough to catch daffodil hill at peak bloom. There were dozens of turtles sunning themselves in adorable little piles all around the Japanese pond, which were somehow mesmerizing to watch, even if they were so still they looked almost fake.

After such a mild winter, spring doesn't feel as revelatory as it has in past years but it's still nice to see signs of life springing up around the city.

BBG: September

My dude and I went to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on a recent weekday that we had off (thank you, Yom Kippur!). I hadn't been to the garden since cherry blossom (and tulip!) season, even though the garden and I are now practically neighbors. We went in a back entrance and were surprised at how much they've added, with more new sections still under construction. I'm a member of the NYBG, but I've always loved the more manageable size of the Brooklyn Botanic.

It was a bit early for any fall foliage, and a bit late for the summer blooms, but I love exploring the in between stages of the gardens. The rose garden was still in full, spectacular bloom with some beautiful color combinations and variations that I had never seen before. I was also enamored with the tiny, brightly colored peppers blooming in the herb garden, the sinister looking black pearl peppers, and the adorable gourds hanging from the beams near the rose garden.

The garden is also hosting an exhibit by Isamu Noguchi from now until December. His iconic rock sculptures are scattered throughout the gardens, and while

I enjoyed the Noguchi museum

, I thought it was a little harder to appreciate his work in this setting—and sometimes the sculptures become indistinguishable from the actual rocks sitting nearby.

It was a really beautiful fall day (the first!) to take a stroll through the garden. At one point it was said that the light through the trees was so specifically "September light," which was so true. I'm always in such a hurry to usher out summer and dive right into pumpkins, ghosts, crunchy leaves and sweaters that sometimes I don't pay enough attention to these in between times, which as it turns out, can be just as lovely.

BBG: Tulips 2015

When I went to check on the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden recently, I was surprised by the incredible tulips that were in bloom all around the garden. I had seen them last year, but this year's seemed even more spectacular and numerous.

They were planted in long rows, mimicking the stripey effect of a mini-flower field. There were classic colors and shapes along with some strikingly somber colors and tulips with sharp-looking jagged edges. Like in the Conservatory Garden, there were a ton of varieties that I had never seen before and it would be hard to pick a favorite.

It's been on my dream list for a while now to visit a legitimate flower field, although I've heard that they are notoriously hard to catch at peak bloom. Until I manage to pull that off, however, I'm so grateful that I get to experience spring in all parts of the city. I'm outside so much more in New York than I ever was when I lived in Ohio, so even small changes to the weather or landscape make a huge difference.

I actually tried to order these photos by color, but I kind of failed. I did realize just now that there weren't any blue or green tulips, which I know are kind of rare colors to see in flowers but if orchids and hydrangeas have it figured out, tulips should be able to get on board.

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BBG: Cherry Blossoms 2015

This is my third time being in the city for the blooming of the cherry blossoms and I still can't get enough. Although I'm a member of the New York Botanical Gardens, I've never really seen their cherry blossoms. By now I already feel as if I have a nostalgic attachment to Brooklyn's cherry grove—it was under these trees that I really cemented my resolve to become a New York resident—and now I can't imagine a spring without them.

I also haven't ever actually been to the Sakura Cherry Blossom festival, but I seem to be able to catch the blooms at their peak without paying the $25 ticket price. The garden is free on Saturday mornings, and is never as crowded as I think it should be—especially when the weather is as perfect as it was last Saturday.

No matter how many times I see the cherry blossoms, I still marvel at their insane beauty and intricate blooms. They seem completely unreal and as perfect as if they were crafted from tissue paper. The only downside to cherry blossoms, if you can call it that, is that they don't have a scent. It's almost disorienting to see such beautiful blooms and have zero fragrance attached to the visual, but no scent is definitely preferable to those white cat-piss-scented trees that sneak up on me every year.

Fall Foliage

Although it currently feels like the arctic here in the city, and western New York is buried under six feet of snow (I'm so jealous) I wanted to share a few of the photos I've taken recently of the beautiful fall foliage. I always say that I love all the seasons equally, but if I was forced to pick a favorite it would be fall, not least because of the amazing colors that pop up everywhere.

Every morning I ride a bus past the northern edge of Central Park, and the colors there have been wonderful. I've been trying to get to all of my favorite spots before the leaves fall completely. The leaves turn a lot later in the heart of the city than they do even a few miles out, so a lot of the trees are still not at their peak or just now starting to change colors.

A few weekends ago I went to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens,—one of my favorite places in the city—and last weekend I went deeper into the North Woods of Central Park for some last minute leaf gawking. The North Woods is the most rustic place in the park, and the part that makes me feel most like I'm back hiking in the Metroparks of Northeast Ohio.

I very rarely miss Ohio, but fall is pretty spectacular there. Although, I will say that the parks here have definitely exceeded my expectations in regards to all of the nature I thought I might miss when I moved to the city—and I don't have to drive miles (or at all) to see them.

At one point I came across a small pond and the reflection of the trees in the rippling water looked exactly like an Impressionist painting. Of course I'm very much looking forward to snow (hopefully piles, and piles) but every year fall feels a bit too fleeting.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Last Saturday I met friends for breakfast at Tom's Restaurant in Brooklyn (Danish pancakes alldayeveryday) and afterward I headed over to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It's really close to Tom's, making it the perfect place to walk off the pancakes (and sausage) I stuff into my face every chance I get, and admission is free every Saturday until noon.

The garden is completely lovely in every season, and I always enjoy checking in on the adorable bonsai collection. It was cloudy, but still a beautiful morning and after wandering around I settled under a tree in the cherry esplanade and took a glorious, carb-induced nap.

Aside from cherry blossom season, the BBG never feels overwhelmingly crowded and it's compact enough that I feel as if I can really spend time exploring every corner. Somehow I'm still discovering new-to-me areas and gardens—this time I wandered into the rock garden which was completely deserted and beautiful.

I had ample opportunities to photograph huge, adorable bumble bees, which always turns me into a giddy five-year-old and I'm completely obsessed with the subtle gradations and all the beautiful pale colors. At one point during my stroll, I even happened upon some kale—lest I forget for a moment that even though I'm surrounded by nature, I'm still in the middle of Brooklyn.

BBG: Desert Plants

Ever since I discovered that the Brooklyn Botanic Garden offers free admission from 10am - noon on Saturdays, I've gone every weekend that I've had the chance. It's been really interesting to chart the blooming progress of the various flowers/trees/plants as spring slowwwwwly arrivedand every time I go back there is something new to see.

I've raved about their permanent collections before (like the always-weird and wonderful Bonsai Museum) but I've only recently started to become slightly obsessed with their desert plants. Growing up in Ohio (or the East coast in general) doesn't afford you much exposure to desert life so I think I'll always be fascinated by cacti, succulents and every other strange, pointy or surprisingly soft desert plant.

During recent visits I've been particularly enamored with the colors — soft shades of minty green, subtle gradations, lilac purples or the occasional pop of an orange or red flower against the bright green cacti. Speaking of cacti, I had no idea that there were so many varieties, although it's hard to beat the name or shape of the "Bunny Ear" cactus.

Also, and this might sound totally strange but, every time I enter the desert section of the conservatory I find myself immediately noticing (and remarking) how wonderful it smells — I don't know if it's a combination of the dry air or the plants themselves, but if that is how real desert smells then I should book a trip to Arizona very soon. The closest I've ever come to real desert is two trips to Las Vegas, although I know that probably doesn't really count.

Maybe it's not actually a great idea to put me into a real desert environment considering the fact that in addition to the constant smelling, I just can't resist touching everything I see. The more dangerous-looking the plant, the more I feel compelled to just grab it, with one exception being the succulents — they might not look dangerous but they DO look squishy and I want to just poke and squeeze them until the end of time.

BBG: Cherry Blossoms 2014

Two years ago this week I saw the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for the first time ever. In fact, it was my first time really seeing cherry blossoms en masse and I was instantly enchanted. I wasn't able to see them last year because I was back in Ohio, but I've been looking forward to cherry blossom season ever since.

Well, this year I managed to schedule two back-to-back weekend trips (to Texas, then Ohio) right during what is usually peak blossom season. Thanks to the crazy cold/long winter that we've had the blooms are definitely delayed, and I'm hoping that I can still catch them at peak bloom after I get back. I didn't want to take any chances, however, so I knew I had to find a way to see whatever had started to bloom before I left. I had yesterday (and Tuesday) off work because of Passover (the joys of working for a Jewish cultural institution) and although it was cold — it actually snowed  again Tuesday night — it was brilliantly sunny so I went to check on the cherry trees at the BBG.

Not a single tree in the cherry esplanade is in bloom yet, but thankfully a handful of other trees around the garden have gotten an early start. I took so many photos that I was actually fearful of filling up my 32 gb memory card, but I just couldn't stop myself. Every time I walked two feet the view was even better than the previous one and the light was so beautiful that I couldn't put down my camera.

I'm certainly not an expert, but there are at least a few different varieties of cherry trees at the BBG — from white and pale pink to brighter, almost fuchsia blooms. They come in different sizes and configurations, some trees have weeping branches (my favorite) and some have twisty black limbs that contrast with the pale blossoms in the best way.

Especially after the winter we've had this spring feels well-deserved and very much overdo. I can't really even convey how happy it made me to be walking around and under such incredible beauty, but words aren't really necessary or could ever be adequate in situations such as these — good thing I maxed out my computer hard drive with photos documenting nearly every single blossom I came across.

I'm going to try to make a return trip at the beginning of May and hopefully catch the rest of the late bloomers, but I won't feel as if I've missed out if for some reason I can't make it. I doubt they'll be in peak bloom for the Sakura festival next weekend, although that's definitely something I'd like to check out next year.

I'd also like to plan a trip to DC for their cherry blossom festival even if I fear that I might actually die of happiness if I actually make it there during peak bloom season. If I do, just dig a hole, throw my body in and plop a cherry tree on top — I don't know if I believe in reincarnation, but there are way worse things to come back as than a crazy beautiful blossoming cherry tree.

BBG Bonsai Museum

A few weekends ago Jim and I went to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden because I convinced him that the daffodil hill must be in bloom. Well, it was a total fail because only about four daffodils were actually in bloom and I said more than once "yeah but just imagine how beautiful they'll be when they finally do appear." The garden is free from 10 am - noon on Saturdays, so I can't really complain. There's always something interesting to see, even if nature doesn't always cooperate with my expectations.

My favorite part this time was the bonsai museum, which I think was being worked on when I went last year, but now is really fantastic. It's occupies a small space in the conservatory, which is fine because bonsai trees are teeny tiny and completely adorable.

Apparently their collection of about 350 trees is the "second oldest in the country and one of the largest on public display outside Japan, with as many as 30 specimens on exhibit at any given time." Bonsai trees really need no frills in their display to make them interesting, they're totally cool just on their own.

One of the trees on view when we went was almost 300 years old, and another almost 200. The art of Bonsai is just kind of baffling to me and they never cease to blow my mind a little. I have a really hard time actually believing that they're real and the fact that they are just seems impossible to me.

And really it's kind of cheating because everything looks better in miniature. Is there anything cuter in nature than these teeny tiny neon green pine needles growing on this teeny tiny pine tree? Nope.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Winter

On Saturday, after filling up on delicious food and kindness at Tom's Restaurant in Brooklyn, I headed to the Botanic Garden. It's a few blocks from Tom's and only $5 with a student ID (which I still have — shhhh). I'd been for the first time almost a year ago, at the end of April, and marveled at the blossoming cherry trees and gorgeous grounds, but I thought I'd check it out in the winter.

It might seem strange to go to a Botanic Garden on a gray, wintry day but it was actually quite lovely. It was pretty deserted and still totally beautiful, even if most of the flowers have yet to bloom.

There were many signs of the impending spring if you looked hard enough — budding trees, chirping birds, even a few blooms — and the indoor Steinhardt Conservatory offered a nice chance to warm up in tropical, temperate and desert environments.

I had somehow missed the Conservatory entirely on my last trip, mesmerized as I was by the cherry trees, but it's a real treat. There are tons of aquatic plants, strange-looking cacti and even an orange tree inside of the beautiful glass greenhouses.

I'm finding it endlessly fascinating and surprisingly rewarding to visit places that aren't generally considered winter activities, like the Botanic Garden or Flushing Meadows Park, in the winter. It's interesting to see a place in its peak, as well as in the off-season, if the lack of crowds isn't already enough of an incentive.

However, my heart aches that I won't be here for the cherry blossom season — it was one of the very best things I've ever seen in the city and I hope I'll be able to see it again soon. I happened upon the garden during peak blossom season last year, by chance, and I actually got to see them only a few days before a huge storm made the trees almost completely bare. They have a festival, but be sure to check the bloom maps before you go — if I had waited a week for the festival, I wouldn't have been nearly as blown away.

They currently have a bonsai exhibit which is definitely worth seeing — aren't bonsai trees just the strangest? They kind of creep me out, but I'm also fascinated by them, and the flowering ones are especially beautiful.

Tomorrow my uncle and I go to the New York Botanical Gardens for their famed Orchid Show. It's supposed to be rainy/snowy so we probably won't get to see much of the grounds, but I'm excited for another taste of spring. If you get the chance, visit either of the gardens in the next few months, and tell the cherry blossoms I'll see them next year.

Springtime in New York, part 1

This past weekend I went to New York City, which just happens to be my favorite of all of the cities. I've lost count of how many times I've visited, but I'm pretty sure I've covered every month — December was the coldest (-22 with windchill), June the hottest (90+, a record that year) and August the rainiest (I nearly lost a flip flop down a storm drain).

I've been there when it was 60 degrees in January and 40 degrees in May, but this past weekend it was absolutely perfect. Sunday was chilly and rainy, but Friday and Saturday were some of the most gorgeous days I've spent in the city.

Determined as always to see as much as humanly possible, I packed an extraordinary amount of sightseeing into two-and-a-half days. I can't possibly pick a favorite spot, activity or even borough when the contenders include most everything on my to-do list with notable additions being the "Cat You Care For" book I bought for forty-eight cents, delicious burgers at Shake Shack and an entire grove of lilacs.

I have to say though, for being such a city, New York certainly knows how to do nature. I spent a considerable amount of time walking around Central Park, Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and every time I turned a corner something was blooming and taking my breath away. The highlights:

I spent Friday morning walking most of Central Park, eventually ending up at the Conservatory Garden. I was just about to exit the gate, when I walked into this courtyard ringed with the most gorgeous tulips I've ever seen. Believe me when I say these tulips were a game changer.

I hesitate to say they took my breath away, but I'm still having a hard time believing I even saw something this beautiful. Did I mention the Conservatory Garden is free?

After the Conservatory, I headed to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. I went for the flowering cherries, and they didn't disappoint. I wish I was still there, sitting under the canopy of peak-bloom cherry trees — every time the wind would blow, a few petals would fall and I had to keep reminding myself that it was real life. Sometimes I can't believe I'm so lucky.

Also, I got in for $5 thanks to my student I.D., even though it's been 4 years since I could call myself a student.

Don't tell New York.

As if the cherries weren't enough, the Botanic Garden also has the most delicious smelling lilac grove I've ever seen. Well, it was also the first lilac grove I'd ever seen, but seriously I wish you could smell my photos. That's not usually something I wish when presenting New York City photos, but trust me.

Not to be outdone, the azaleas were also in peak bloom and in such vibrant colors I could barely trust my own eyeballs. Luckily I took approximately six thousand pictures as proof. Apparently the bumble bees enjoyed them as much as I did — I tried to take a picture of two bees getting fresh with one another, but they were all "stop creeping on us" and flew away.

I can't recommend the Brooklyn Botanic Garden enough — every where I looked was incredible. The bluebell field is apparently in bloom as of right this second, so grab your fraudulent student I.D. and head over to Prospect Park if you can — tell the cherries that I'll see them next year.