#20 Visit the NY Botanical Gardens

I've been living in the NYC area since July 2004, and one of the things on my "to see in NYC" list has been to visit the NY Botanical Gardens during the holidays.  They have this amazing Holiday Train Show and I've always wanted to see it.  And yet, in my eight and a half years here, I've never made it out there... sad...

But don't despair!  This year, I finally decided I was going.  And, I made my family go with me!

At the time, it seemed to be a good decision to drive there, but the ride was crazy... 5 adults + 1 baby in an SUV, driving through crazy NYC traffic... oy.  No bueno.  I was concerned that the train show would be lame, and our hour drive through insane traffic with the stress level elevated would be all for nothing...

But, we made it, safe and sound, and it turned out to be a great experience with no lame-ness in sight, phew!!

The first thing we saw was a beautiful pond with a replica of the Statue of Liberty in the center...

At the entrance, I asked my brother-in-law to snap a photo:

I did not expect what I saw when we entered the Holiday Train Show.  I figured there would be trains, (which there were), but I didn't expect to see replicas of NYC homes and landmarks made to scale!!! 

Me and a Subway train :)...

Me and the "GW Bridge"...

The GW... so pretty!

The arch in Washington Park...

My senior year in college, for my last Architecture class, I wrote a paper on the Vanderbilt's 5th Avenue home (which was built in the late 1800s and demolished in the 1920s to make way for skyscrapers, even though the home cost almost $100million in today's dollars to make!!!)... anyway, there was a mini replica of that home, so of course I snapped a pic :)...

...St Patrick's Cathedral...

My Dad and I with other major NYC landmarks :)

The Little Red Lighthouse!  This lighthouse is right under the GW bridge on the NYC side... which I have fond memories of biking past :)...

...anyway, what you may not have known is that ALL of these replicas are made from natural material... and I don't mean wood and stone.  I mean twigs, leaves, etc!!!  Incredibly detailed, ornate and beautiful.  Such a cool experience.

I highly recommend a visit, and make sure you go after the sun sets so the holiday lights shine more brightly :)  It's only showing until Jan 13th, so you need to act quick, or wait until next year... but it is also worth the wait as well :)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!