>> When you visit the New York Botanical Gardens, take it slow. In fact, if you've been meaning to catch up on your reading, this is a perfect place to do so.
The New York Botanical Gardens also provide perfect places to snap pictures (you'll see as many photographers as book-lovers), draw, stretch out on the grass (signs permitting), dine, attend lectures, and hear symphonies.
Whatever your activity, don't work up a sweat unless it's very hot and you can't avoid it. This is not a theme-park filled with jazzy simulations and it is not necessary to squander your intellect considering every flower, species, or fertilizer. Just look, smell, feel, and linger.
While you can drive to the park, I prefer taking a non-peak, $10 round-trip train (Metro North, Harlem Line) from The Grand Central Terminal. For a $4 round-trip, take the Number 2 subway which includes bus fare.
Before getting a train, stop at Grand Central's information desk located in the main lobby at the entrance to Vanderbilt Hall. Pick up The New York City Travel Guide and IN New York, both of which have great maps. Also get the Grand Central Guide, with its floor maps, as well as New York City flyers, and discount entertainment coupons.
Board your train, literature in hand, about ten minutes before departure and read during your clean, cool ride. Get off at a station near the smaller of two main park entrances, walk across a parking lot, and you're in.
Your Budget
I usually pay $6 to enter and later, $5 to tour the glass, multi-domed, lacy-white Haupt Conservatory (top photo). A more expensive ticket gives you access to a bus that travels to specialty areas throughout its 240 acres.
Word of advice: Make sure you get a map. The ticket agents should hand maps out, but sometimes they forget. Even though there are signs at every intersection, these signs seem few and far between when you have to walk to a corner in order to consult one.
Arrive with water and snacks, or buy both at the park. Be warned, however, that food and drink are only available at the two entrances near the Haupt Conservatory. Having a bottle of water, candy bar, or sandwich tucked away is advisable.
Both cafes have outdoor seating, with the Leon Levy Visitor Center Cafe by the main entrance being the newest and biggest. If you plan on having a special dining experience (inside or out), you'd want to eat by the main entrance. If outdoor eating in a park-like setting is your objective, head for the sunny Garden Cafe overlooking the Haupt Conservatory.
Basic food, such as burgers or sandwiches, start around $6. My most recent meal cost $11 and included a large, fresh tuna and tomato sandwich, two small bags of chips (I adore salt), and a small soda. If you are on a slim budget, bring in your own drinks, treats, and/or bags of chips.
From what I could see, there is no prohibition to placing home-made food on cafe tables. Don't be obnoxious, of course, by bringing in fixings for a 24-person lunch. Use the Clay Family Picnic Pavilion for that.
The area around the Haupt Conservatory is appropriate for adults and restrained children. Running, giggling, and hopping around is discouraged. Keep-off-the-grass signs are not kid-friendly, and, of course, don't pick! Kids in buggies, however, do just fine. A running and jumping experience can be had at the Everett Children's Adventure Garden and the Clay Family Picnic Pavilion elsewhere on the grounds.
The Haupt Conservatory is intoxicatingly beautiful. On bright, blue days, its multi-domed, white glass frame stands in lacy contrast to the sky. Feel free to stare at it from all angles.
The conservatory entrance fee this year (2004) is $5, which includes an audio walking tour. Deal! Signs and posters are very limited. If you want to learn about the rain forest, desert, and tropical plans, just listen while you stroll. The audio at one of the first sites, in fact, warns about the domes' internal rain system. Take heed.
Inside the Haupt Conservatory
Once inside, take in the sights, smells, and variances in humidity. Don't worry about scholarship! I know a daisy from a rose, but that is as far as it goes. Rather than trying to memorize plant names, make up your own names, like Fireworks Flowers, Bubbly Bibs, Knobby Eyeballs, Pig Snouts, and Ah-choo Plants. Kids and adults alike enjoy doing that.
There are two indoor ponds, with one that has a delicate, overhead veil of flowering vines. These vines are at their peak in the fall, making it a definite must-come-back-and-see area.
Also exciting is the outdoor Waterlily and Lotus Pond (fifth picture down). As the summer rolls-on, this fish-filled pond blooms with pastel flowers (photos 6 and 7). During August weekends, special tours and demonstrations are held this area.
Shopping
The delightful Shop in the Garden store is located by the main gate. Visit even if you don't plan on buying a thing as the displays are exceptionally well-done. Need convincing? Check out their beautiful site to get a sense of its style.
The old, now departed shop was just outside the Haupt Conservatory in a temporary building. The new shop is at least four times as large, spread over two rooms under large expanses of glass, plus a plant emporium. Expect to find a lot gardening-related books and implements.
Non-gardening items of note are:
- Great bags. Yes! You'll want to buy something so you can acquire a shopping bag. These are Bloomingdale's brown, with just a hint of color in the powder-blue, New York Botanical Gardens name. What makes them a "must have" is the buff, cotton-ribbon handles. Classy!
- Bird houses and baths. If you have a beautiful yard or porch, you need to own these twig- and pine-comb-encrusted, three-foot wide creations. Each one is different, made up of fallen branches "woven" around wooden bird houses or large pans. $200 to $275
- Paper and wood-craft artificial flowers. I am a connoisseur of fake, non-silk flowers and know a good selection when I see one. Consider a vivid, three-foot long, crepe paper garland. And crepe paper flowers. And wood buds. Great variety! $3 to $22. Stunning little bunches for $5.
- Unusual, 2.5 foot hanging lamps with shades made out of yards of paper cut into flower, bird and leaf shapes. Displayed were white, shaded orange, and shaded pink lamps. $60
- Resin and semi-precious stone "bug" pins. These chunky, 1.5 inch long, 1/2 inch wide critters are bright and bold. They'd look great on a jacket, coat, or bulky sweater. They look equally beautiful displayed on a dresser, or as conversation pieces around plants in a living room. $80 to $120.
There are also sensuous, flower-themed products. I purchased a bottle of Bronnley Orchid Lotion which, for example, will cause men within a three-foot radius to instantly fall in love with me; cheaper than Match.com at only $14.
Planning Your Visit
It is not, of course, possible to explore all 240 acres in one visit. Even if you decide to tour the grounds by bus, take time to smell the flowers . . .
. . . or if you'd enjoy a more structured visit, take one of their two- to four-day classes. Topics include gardening, landscape designing, flower-arranging, illustration, and photography. Many of the classes are scheduled with casual tourists in mind, while others definitely are meant for professional study.
No matter what your skill-level or interest-area, make a point of studying under conservatory experts. I, for example, was taught how to take flower photos at the Boerner Botanical Gardens in Milwaukee, WI. Benefits include entertaining experiences, great classmates, and techniques that can significantly improve your career or hobby.
Questions or comments?
Karen Little
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THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDENS
BRONX, NEW YORK
www.NYBG.org
www.NYBGShopInTheGarden
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