Evening by the Fire: 20 Days of the Holiday Train Show
Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 5 2011, by Matt Newman
“We promised our friends a unique experience, but what the NYBG provided was a bit beyond our expectations.”
From now until December 17, our visitors will be sharing their fondest memories from 20 years of the Holiday Train Show–some of them touching, some comical, and every one of them cherished. Come back to Plant Talk each day for a new story, which you can see after the jump along with a feature on one of the many replica New York City landmarks on display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory–the Guggenheim Museum, Yankee Stadium, the Empire State Building and more.
As a bonus, read on to find out how you can win a Family Four-Pack of Holiday Train Show tickets for yourself!
A couple of years back, my wife and I invited two friends who had never experienced the train show to be our guests. We promised them a unique experience, but what the NYBG provided was a bit beyond our expectations.
We were nearing the end of the display, replete with the usual “oohs” and “ahs” over the ingenuity and cleverness of the various constructions, when there was a loud report–a sort of muffled explosion outside the Conservatory, accompanied by the smell of smoke.
We were quickly ushered out the main entrance to the sound of approaching fire engines with sirens aroar. To our right, in a temporary tent structure, was some sort of smoking conflagration which proved to be minor and self-limiting.
Now, we have been attending the train show since it was mounted out-of-doors in front of the museum building. Since then, the NYBG has been resourceful in providing ever-increasing improvements and innovations annually to pique our interest. This, however, was a genuine high point, and I don’t see how you can possibly go beyond an explosion and a fire to entertain your patrons!
–Ed H.
Brooklyn Bridge
One of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, the Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883. It was initially designed by John Augustus Roebling, but he suffered a terrible injury to his foot while conducting surveys for the project and later developed tetanus.
After Roebling passed, his son, Washington, took over the project for his father but developed decompression sickness soon after. His wife, Emily, helped communicate between her husband and the engineers for the next 11 years, and under her supervision the bridge was completed.
Enter to win 2011 Holiday Train Show Tickets
Click here for your chance to win a Four-Pack of tickets to this year’s Holiday Train Show! We’ll pick one lucky winner each day through December 17. Tickets valid for visits on select dates; read official rules by clicking here.
