Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Holiday Train Show
Posted in Around the Garden on January 4 2012, by Matt Newman
The holidays have come and gone, you’re well into your New Year’s recovery, and most of the kids are trudging back to school. But if you’ve still got little ones at home, you don’t have to feel trapped with them (it can be understandably harrowing). The New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show is still up and running through January 16, and as of this week we begin our two-week run of All Aboard with Thomas and Friends™.
Read More
Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 23 2011, by Matt Newman
Can you believe the Christmas weekend is already at our doorstep, and Hanukkah well underway? Before you can bat an eye, you’ll be up to your ears in New Year’s party planning while trying to decide on your resolutions for 2012 (as shaky as they always turn out in practice).
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves! If you’re in search of a way to entertain the in-laws and maybe a place to knock out those last few items on your all-too-lengthy gift list (nothing to be ashamed of; I’m so far behind on my shopping I’m thinking of giving everyone scratch-offs), there are still a few chances to catch the Holiday Train Show before Sunday.
Read More
Posted in Photography on December 19 2011, by Ann Rafalko
In the Holiday Train Show
Read More
Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 17 2011, by Matt Newman
“I was so nervous to bring him because he was weak and worn out, but he was so thrilled by the show that I think he forgot about his health issues.”
…
For the past 20 days, our visitors have shared their fondest memories from 20 years of the Holiday Train Show–some of them touching, some comical, and every one of them cherished. Each day Plant Talk has featured a new story, which you can see the last of 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! Today is your last chance!
Read More
Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 16 2011, by Matt Newman
You might be sitting at home right now, wondering if this will be the year you finally visit the Holiday Train Show. We know what you’re thinking, too: “It’s just for keeping the kids busy,” or “What’s the point in going if I don’t have relatives to bring along?” But we understand that not everyone’s out to snap family photos in matching holiday sweaters and Santa hats. Regardless of how old (or young) you are, or whether you’re a tourist (or a native), The New York Botanical Garden has something worth seeing this holiday season.
Our Holiday Train Show is the perfect chance for everyone to get out and make new memories.
Read More
Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 16 2011, by Matt Newman
“And so, with a slight hesitation, I turned over my trusty Canon to the tiny hands of my nephew.”
…
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!
Read More
Posted in Around the Garden, Holiday Train Show, Photography on December 16 2011, by Matt Newman
It might take you a few seconds to figure out what’s going on in this picture. It’s okay–it took me a little while, too. Can you make out the piece of the puzzle that gives it away?

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 15 2011, by Matt Newman
Off in the woods of Kentucky you might find a fallen branch; nearby, a pine cone and a few scales of bark strewn about by the wind. To most passersby this forest fodder is hardly a treasure worth any attention. But to Paul Busse, the creative genius behind The New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show, these bits make up the bricks and mortar of his craft.
In Busse’s workshop, a few twigs lashed together might hold the promise of a doric column, while a handful of dry leaves in just the right arrangement becomes a row of roofing shingles. Why not mold a balcony from a mushroom? Every odd and end has the potential to be a part of a miniature masterpiece, bringing new shapes and textures to a familiar form.
Read More
Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 15 2011, by Matt Newman
“
When we crossed the George Washington Bridge out of New Jersey, I got excited. ‘We’re going to the Train Show,’ I mused to myself.”
…
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!
Read More
Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 14 2011, by Matt Newman
Hopping a train in New York City is one of the most memorable rites of passage there is, though it can be a bit intimidating to greenhorns and tourists. And trust me–I can vouch for this. Having only been here for a few months now, I’m still not jaded enough to wedge myself into the crush of commuters on the Times Square shuttle without a little caution or uncertainty. But on the other hand, I can’t help being taken with the serpentine tracks and train cars that make the NYC transit system one of the best (and biggest, and busiest) in the world. Metro-North, the LIRR, even the subway–there’s a charm to their permanence.
There’s now a 20-year history behind the models at the NYBG’s Holiday Train Show, something that scales to the reality just as well as our replicas do to the real McCoy.
Read More