NYC: Brooklyn Botanical Garden
Though the weather this week seems to be taking a detour into summer again (wtf), Saturday was a beautiful fall day in New York. A couple friends and I took advantage of the weather with a trip to the beautiful Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Most people visit during the seriously amazing Cherry Blossom Festival in the spring, but since I only moved to Brooklyn in May, this was my first time checking out the gardens.
First impressions: smaller than the NY Botanical Gardens in the Bronx, but perfectly serviceable. The grounds are right next to Prospect Park, which has its own fall foliage on display without charge.
Last week's run around the Prospect Park lake!
Luckily, my super smart friends recommended that I get myself an NYC ID, which serves no actual purpose (you cannot use it as an ID card anywhere) except that it gets you into tons of things for free...like the Brooklyn Botanical Garden!
Besides the cherry blossoms (which were obviously not in bloom this weekend) and a rare Corpse Flower (NOPE!), the garden has a lovely conservatory filled with tropical plants, cacti, and frankly, trees you can see anywhere. But they also have a beautiful rose garden (better than the Bronx's, IMHO) and Japanese section complete with a traditional arch and koi pond.
Is it worth the $23 entry fee? Mmmm...I think not. But if you can score yourself an NYC ID (i.e., fill out an application and wait in a branch of the NY Public Library to get your picture taken) then you should definitely go.
-Jen
