Montana may lay claim to the phrase “big sky country,” but New York is no slouch when it comes to panoramic vistas. Near a hilltop, or just beyond the boughs of the Forest‘s trees, you can catch the blue expanse above the NYBG without the cityscape that usually frames it. No radio towers, no skyscrapers marking up the periphery–just clouds of every shape and consistency.
It’s good for daydreaming.
On afternoons where the barometer reads high and the sun is clear, you see opal blue in rich or dusky shades. Other days, the sky is a scatter of swoops and ruffles that you’d have to climb pretty high to enjoy elsewhere in the city. But as I remember it, “show, don’t tell” is a rule you pick up in middle school language arts class. I suppose I should follow it, huh?
Not what you’d expect to find growing in the Bronx, is it?
If your love for New York’s hip-hop history runs smack into a penchant for urban gardening, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Literally. I mean, how often do you get to blend the defining musical stylings of the Bronx with the green thumb’s art?
It’s called the Bronx Urban Farm Tour, and this year’s trip leads you through some of our borough’s finest working farms, as guided by a pioneer of the hip-hop movement which started here in the 1970s. It’s an enlightening way to see and experience the food, music, and culture of the Boogie Down through the eyes of one of its most esteemed supporters–this year’s tour narrator will be none other than the prolific Grandmaster Melle Mel! For the uninitiated, that’s Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Or maybe The Sugarhill Gang rings a bell.
Peahen sighted! The subdued colors of the female aren’t so easily recognizable as the flamboyant frill of the male peacock, but the slight tinges of blue-green color (not to mention those Dr. Seuss-esque head feathers) should give her away.
What few realize is that these birds really can fly, though they’re often kept in open-air aviaries–it’s just easier to stay put than leave a reliable food source. Another fact, somewhat more hilarious: peacocks are used as “guard dogs” by some, as they have a tendency to let out deafening squawks at the approach of strangers. Just don’t expect them to tackle an intruder with any efficacy.
Half the fun of attending an evening event like Monet Evenings Featuring Water LilyConcerts, is getting dressed for it (or at least I think so). You want to look fancy, but not too dressed up; pretty, but not too girly to sit on the lawn; and be physically cool, while still looking cool.
Anyone around the NYBG digital media offices can attest to the fact that I have a workplace uniform and should in no way be trusted to give fashion advice, so I turned to Lilit Marcus.
Lilit is a New Yorker by way of North Carolina, which means she likes fried chicken and bagels equally (you can see why I trust her, right?). Lilit’s first book, Save the Assistants, based on the popular blog of the same name, was published in 2010. Her work has also appeared in Glamour, the New York Post, the Forward, and Cosmopolitan. Oh, and she’s mighty stylish, which makes her the perfect person to pull this chic little outfit together, just in time for the next Monet Evening, Thursday, July 19, 6-9 p.m. Take it away Lilit!
I was visiting the Conservatory while these planters–one after the next–were being filled in with summer flowers. Monet’s Gardencontinues to grow and change as the months pass, meaning what you see come October will be entirely different from what you find blooming now. It’s a nice change of palette from one week to the next.
Eating better can be a constant struggle, especially for big city dwellers more likely to hit the hot dog cart than the produce aisle. For the many whose budget won’t allow for splurging on organics, the thought of piling a basket high with healthy foods is far off. But thanks to Health Bucks, a city-wide coupon program geared toward low- and fixed-income residents, bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to the table may be less of a trial.
Just as we’re all about the beauty and preservation of nature, The New York Botanical Garden stands behind the delicious, great-for-you goodness that comes out of it! It’s why you’ll find some of the area’s finest farm-raised fruits and vegetables for sale along Garden Way, Wednesday mornings through November. Blackberries and blueberries, kale, apples, cucumbers, fresh herbs–the Greenmarket is a weekly cornucopia of home-grown, seasonal garden goodies. Now made that much easier on wallets thanks to a city-wide initiative.
Last week we discussed the container displays at the Mosholu Gate entrance (the train station entrance) of the Garden. This week we will take a look at the containers that adorn the recently-opened Bedford Gate.
Bedford Gate was created in honor of the new parking garage that the NYBG built adjacent to the train station is outfitted with the best garage door opener system, this welcomes everyone with a sense of futuristic novelty. Once you park your car in the garage, walk over the Bedford Bridge, cross the street and enter the Garden. The Perennial Garden walk, which takes you past the Home Gardening Center, Seasonal Walk, the Conservatory and the Perennial Garden, is right there. The Garden Café is also situated directly across from the Home Gardening Center. It is certainly a convenient point of entry.
While the Mosholu Gate containers are in full sun, the Bedford Gate is in a shady part of the Garden. Tall trees provide a cool canopy while rhododendrons, azaleas and variegated Japanese hakone grass create the understory planting. The containers at the Bedford Gate are two large, faux terra cotta containers. The display includes some of the annuals we discussed last week. Coleus ‘Red Carpet’ and the golden-leaved sweet potato vine named ‘Margarita’ spill over the edges of the containers. Repeating annuals in multiple container displays throughout the Garden creates a nice sense of continuity.
What did you have for dinner last night? Did you whip it up from scratch, or were there boxes involved? Did you sit at the table, or in front of the TV? I’m not one to judge. I don’t even own a dining room table (my apartment is so small, I declared victory when I found a suitably sized TV tray), and my husband and I can often be found rooting on the Yankees over a bowl of pasta and a glass of New York’s finest.
Whether that’s tap water or a pint of local brew, I’ll let you decide.
New York City is a tough place to indulge in the idyllic family dinner; our apartments are small, our kids are as busy as we are, and especially in the summer, it can get so hot that it makes it seem perfectly reasonable to splurge on dinner out–if only to soak in someone’s air conditioning while they feed us. Like I said: no judgment. So wouldn’t it be nice not only to sit down with your entire family, but to sit down with a community of like-minded families for a three-course meal prepared by some of the city’s best chefs, in one of the city’s best gardens? Yeah, I think so, too. And that’s just what you can do–twice this July and twice again in August in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.
Montana may lay claim to the phrase “big sky country,” but New York is no slouch when it comes to panoramic vistas. Near a hilltop, or just beyond the boughs of the Forest‘s trees, you can catch the blue expanse above the NYBG without the cityscape that usually frames it. No radio towers, no skyscrapers marking up the periphery–just clouds of every shape and consistency.
