Central Park - Harlem Meer & the Conservatory Garden

I didn't sleep well last night and was a little cranky so I decided to start my day off with a walk/run around the northern portion of Central Park.


As a resident of Harlem, I love the northern section of Central Park, as its stunning.  Unlike the lower portion of the park, corporate hands, havent ruined the upper parks natural beauty.  It's truly a neighborhood gather point and a real escape from the hustle and bustle of every day life in New York City.

Around Harlem Meer

I continue south and enter the Conservatory Garden.  I feel like this is my own private oasis from the world.  The three gardens are peaceful and serene, albeit steps from a busy Fifth Avenue.


After leaving the Meer, the first park you encounter is the French Garden.

Next we enter the Italian Garden

One of the highlights of the Italian Garden is the Vanderbilt Gate.

The Wisteria pergola is perfect place to chill or to hang out after a date...hint, hint!

Next up is the English garden which is the absolutely beautiful!

Heading home and my route takes me on the South side of the meer.

Hope you enjoyed!

Bryant Park - 9/11 Tribute

Bryant Parks 9/11 memorial.  2,753 empty chairs were placed on the lawn, one for each of the lives lost in the attacks.  Chairs face south, toward the site where the World Trade Center once stood.

A group dressed as mid century office workers used vintage typewriters to record park visitors answers to the question, “What would you like the world to remember about 9/11?”

Answers will be collected and 

included in a traveling exhibition.

Harlem Post Irene

Irene has come and gone and she didn't live up to the hype!

This morning I took a quick walk around my neighborhood and into Marcus Garvey Park to see how the neighborhood fared.

I didn't see any major damage around the park or streets that run into the park, but inside the park there are lots of trees down and it looks like a swamp.

This downed tree is at the children's playground.   Its a very heavily used part of the park, I hope it can be removed immediately.

What I find annoying and unacceptable is that the sprinkler system at the baseball field was on!

The surrounding streets dont look to bad.

I hope everyone made it through the storm safely and can get back to their normal everyday life quickly.

Harlem Pre Irene

New York City is a strange beast.  Hurricane Irene is approaching and some people act as though it's the end of the world.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't be prepared nor should the local, state and federal agency not give people as much information as possible, to prepare themselves, but at what point does it become overkill?

I ran a few errands on 125 Street and it's a ghost town.  It was a very unsettling and eerie feeling.  Harlem is a vibrant community and I'm accustomed to seeing 125 Street bustling with people and businesses, especially on a Saturday.

Today there its a different story, opposite of any other saturday.  Very few pedestrians, many stores closed, no street vendors nor is there much vehicular traffic. 

A Harlem resident of visitor will tell you 125 is the heart of Harlem and todays street-life is just sad.

I don't things will be as bad a predicted.  But in any event you should all be prepared for the unpredictable.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

'Twas a lazy Sunday and didn't feel like "going anywhere" so I decided to "get out the city" by going to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.  It's been years since I've visited the Gardens;  I last visited when I lived across the street.  When I lived on Eastern Parkway the neighborhood was very different.  At the time the Gardens were sort of run down and had a neglected feeling.


After years of investment, the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is a refreshing oasis in the middle of Brooklyn.


There is a new entrance on Eastern Parkway adjacent to the subway and the Brooklyn Museum.  This makes for a Grand Entrance into the Park.

The Osborne Garden

The Rose Garden

The Rose Arc Pool

The Patrick Dougherty Project

It's amazing how he combines art and nature and comes up with these amazing installations.

The Japanese Garden and Pool

This garden is gorgeous.  A great date place, hint..hint!  Just dont' fall in the pool, the Koi fish are the size of small sharks!  The Shinto Shrine is held together with wooden pegs. 

Along Lily Pool Terrace and the Border Gardens

The Herb Garden and Orchard

Featuring all kinds of yummy herbs and giant Sun Flowers.  If you can't get to Whole Foods or Pathmark, this is the place to come for ubber fresh herbs!  Just kidding..seriously, I'm only joking.


 Its amazing that busy flatbush Avenue is just over the hedges.

Thats all for this trip to the gardens.  This is a small selection of what you can see at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.  Visit the Garden and be sure to let me know about your experience.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
900 Washington Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225
www.bbg.org