Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Holiday Train Show on December 7 2011, by Matt Newman
Even with the chill of the coming winter, there’s a warmth to holiday decorations. Wind a string of soft white icicle lights over the hedge outside, hang a few glittering strands from the curtain rods–it’s the easiest way to forget mornings spent shoveling snow or scraping ice off the car windshield (they’ll be here soon enough). And with the smell of pine trees drifting on the breeze, the combination makes for picturesque evenings, especially here at The New York Botanical Garden.
Nights at the NYBG aren’t often open to the public, though, as it’s sort of challenging to see our spring flowers in the dark–trust me on that one. But come winter, with the Holiday Train Show’s model trains humming about the tracks and the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory glowing like a beacon in the city, we throw open the doors to show you a Garden in rare form. The lights laced like garlands throughout the Train Show bring out the elegance of the miniature landmarks with a subtlety that sunlight just can’t match, lending a kind of fairytale charm to the display.
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Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 5 2011, by Matt Newman
Walking up the path through the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, I noticed something hanging on the air that I haven’t caught in a while. I don’t mean the sound of kids giggling, though there’s often plenty of that floating around if you simply stop and listen. It was something else. Something…decidedly unpumpkin.
Yes, it’s that quintessential holiday potpourri: the smell of sugar and spice!
And I’m talking about authentic sugar and spice–not the cloud of cinnamon air freshener that tackles you as soon as you wander into a department store after Thanksgiving. It’s the smell of evening baking sessions, bite-sized candy canes, and vanilla frosting, all part of the recipe to Gingerbread Adventures.
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Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 2 2011, by Matt Newman
The week is almost over, meaning the Garden is humming with anticipation for another beautiful Holiday Train Show weekend! What’s more is that the weather is finally acting like it should this time of year. After seeing frost clinging to the grass along Tulip Tree Allée as I walked in this morning, I think this may just be December’s way of making up for that downright awkward November “heat wave.” How can you really make the most of a northern Thanksgiving with temperatures above 60 degrees, anyway?
But that’s old news. We’re moving into this brisk and sunny weekend with smiles for the events to come, and looking forward as the season picks up momentum. Whether you’re hoping to catch sight of a rare bird with Debbie Becker, see the Holiday Train Show for the first or dozenth time, or just enjoy the sights we offer year round, there’s more than enough going on this weekend to warrant some time spent at the NYBG.
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Posted in Holiday Train Show on November 30 2011, by Matt Newman
What else flutters the heart like opening that first bottle of champagne? The percussive pop of the cork brings everyone close, and it doesn’t matter how much you spill. Sometimes that’s the point–champagne is a cheer to the evening with or without occasion.
At The New York Botanical Garden, we’re toasting holiday nights with an event just glitzy enough to make for the perfect outing in the city, boasting bottles of your favorite bubbly beverage and a chance to check off the names on your gift list in one easy sweep. No hemming and hawing over what to buy for that colleague you hardly know, or catering to your neighbor’s gardening habit without a clue as to what she needs. It’s just you, a glass of champagne, and a walk through the Holiday Train Show’s miniature marvels; 140 landmark replicas, a quarter-mile of tracks, and memories made every moment. And after relaxing in the starry glow of the seasonal lights, stroll over to our Shop in the Garden to put our gift experts to work. Oh, and it’s not a hard place to find–just head for the sparkling display of holiday conifers.
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Posted in Around the Garden on November 26 2011, by Matt Newman
The Holiday Train Show is in full swing under the glass of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and we’ve even got a few new faces in this year’s display! Can anyone recognize this long-gone New York original? (I’ll give you a hint: back when the Dodgers baseball club was still a part of NYC, it took its name in honor of these rail regulars.)
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Holiday Train Show on November 23 2011, by Matt Newman
For many around the country, the upcoming weekend is a vacation in itself. The schedule usually involves such winning events as stuffing yourself silly for Thanksgiving; living off gourmet leftovers for the better part of a week; and forgetting about workaday hassles for a rare four-day weekend. (To everyone having to work on Black Friday, you have every ounce of sympathy we can muster.) The Thanksgiving Day Parade is what really brings home the nostalgia for some, and others the Sunday football. But as for me, it has to be the post-feast nap–that tryptophan is serious business.
Still, not everyone loves the idea of spending the entire holiday weekend cooped up in the house, playing host to a family that just wants to get out and do something. And that makes the coming days the perfect time to visit the Holiday Train Show, fresh off its grand opening on November 19 and picking up steam as we head into the winter months.
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Posted in Adult Education, Holiday Train Show, Learning Experiences on November 23 2011, by Joyce Newman
For the first time in the Holiday Train Show’s 20-year history, you too can learn how to create architectural replicas from natural materials, just like the landmarks featured in our Conservatory displays.
Join Madeline Yanni, The New York Botanical Garden’s expert floral and crafts designer on December 17 for a special, hands-on class. Madeline will help you explore various architectural styles and crafting techniques, after which you can choose from an assortment of dried botanicals, like seed pods, bark, and branches, to make your own model. You’ll need to bring lunch, as well as a box large enough to put your models in.
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Posted in Holiday Train Show, Photography on November 18 2011, by Ann Rafalko
The trains are on the track (complete with caboose). The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (in miniature) is in-place under the dome of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (full size), as are other significant New York-area landmarks.
The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in the Holiday Train Show (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
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Posted in Holiday Train Show, Photography on November 17 2011, by Ann Rafalko
Fifteen miles separate the Statue of Liberty from The New York Botanical Garden … Or do they?
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Posted in Holiday Train Show, Photography on November 16 2011, by Ann Rafalko
The tracks are laid, and the trains are out. Just two more days until the Holiday Train Show!
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Even with the chill of the coming winter, there’s a warmth to holiday decorations. Wind a string of soft white icicle lights over the hedge outside, hang a few glittering strands from the curtain rods–it’s the easiest way to forget mornings spent shoveling snow or scraping ice off the car windshield (they’ll be here soon enough). And with the smell of pine trees drifting on the breeze, the combination makes for picturesque evenings, especially here at The New York Botanical Garden.
