Brooklyn Botanical Garden

Where: Brooklyn, New York, NY
When: January 6, 2007 / April 25, 2009
With: Suzannah

Just a short subway ride away from the concrete jungle of Manhattan sits a garden oasis in the middle of Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden occupies 52 acres of land and makes you forget you're in one of the largest cities in the world. Its well-planned layout makes it beautiful at any time of the year, but obviously, when the flowers are in full bloom is when it is the most spectacular. 

Suzannah and I had made two trips out there during my time in New York. The first was on a freakishly warm January day when it was in the 60s and we decided to take advantage with an outdoor activity. While the warm day didn't bring about any blooms, it was our first glimpse into the spectacular layout. However, we returned a couple years later to experience it in full springtime force, so I've combined the photos from both trips below. 

The garden sits just behind this large building that contains the art of the Brooklyn Museum, which is something else fun to check out while here. 

Just past the entrance sits the Japanese Hill and Pond Garden. Opened in 1915, it was the first Japanese garden to be built anywhere in America. Even in the winter, this was a beautiful spot. 

However, the spring time brings about a particularly special aspect of the Japanese gardens: the cherry blossoms. Luckily, these were in full force when we returned. 

I couldn't get enough of the pink blossoms against the blue skies. 

The rest of the Japanese garden was also very beautiful, particularly with the carefully placed rocks in the pond, the waterfalls, the bridges and the Japanese archways. 

In the winter, the "Cherry Esplanade" doesn't make a ton of sense. 

In the spring, it becomes obvious where it gets its name from. 

In the winter, the only color really came from these berries that almost look like Christmas decorations. 

In early spring, even the ski is part of the rainbow of colors that explode all over the place. 

I was also in the height of playing with my new camera, and some of these shots remain my favorite I've ever taken. 

A little home state shoutout. 

Weeping willows just starting to go green. 

Always the early bloomers: the tulips and daffodils. 

So many little flowers and areas to explore. 

We then took a wander through some of the greenhouses that specialize in particular climates. First up, tropical. 

Next up, arid. 

Bonsai!

Finally, we landed in the full display of tulips. I thought we'd seen all the colors before, but this was even crazier. 

The red in these looks fake. 

And thankfully, we ended with more cherry blossoms (or at least blooms that look just like them). 

A lot more colorful in spring than my final photo from winter. 

This serene slice of heaven makes city living a little easier. I wish I'd gone back at some other times of the year. I also only scratched the surface of the garden - it has so many more sections! And no doubt, the blooms to go with them!