As I sit here procrastinating from studying and with a new sunburn on my back, I realize how amazing it is to be out of doors and running around without a care in the world. This, my friends, is a post-ode to running around on grass barefoot, wide open spaces and fresh blue air.
Not in New York City you say! Wrong! Wrong wrong!
Today I experienced what was perhaps the most satisfying morning of my life at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens which I have now mentioned in this not even one week old post THREE TIMES. These gardens are not only free on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10am- noon (except on holidays/ festivals like next Saturdays cherry blossom viewing) but offer wide expanse of spaces in which to frolick, run, and do piggy back races! The cherry blossoms were gorgeous and the mood was perfect in which to celebrate this over 70 degree day!
Now, here are some issues with said park. You are not allowed food (rat problem) blankets (oxygen problem) sport activities aka Frisbees (who knows what problem) or, as Ethan or Ben put it, Mirth. No worries though, get there early enough to stake out a spot at cherry lane and eat your packed lunch (though the cafe's prices were reasonable I am told by my paying friends) when the guards aren't looking, same to frisbee. If you would like a code name to shout out when you see a 'Curity (as Roma called him) guard, you can borrow our code word "Jake" and call it a day. The picture is us playing frisbee at Cherry lane shortly before getting busted.
There are other less-known places to visit in the boroughs, however and so far my favorite has got to be the Alley Pond Environmental Center. While it takes nearly a good two hours to get to this haven from the city (though I was with an 8 year old and we were, I believe, stuck on a train that stopped for a large chunk of time, so, come to think of it, that may be wildly inaccurate, but still it's FAR), this place boasts over 635 acres of woodlands, marshes, and trails which are beyond gorgeous and that's coming from a New England gal. The paths are almost mystical as they wind around bamboo trees and pass by cranes and you can't imagine being farther from the city. My companion and I barely saw anyone else there the entire day and the visitors center boasts a fantastic mini-zoo (v mini mind you) with rabbits and chinchilla's and the like and the workers were all too happy to take the critters out of the cages and let us pet them. For anyone seeking refuge from the city, this is the place to be and guess what? It's FREE. Always. AMAZING!
It's in Queens but the website will do a MUCH better job of explaining how to get there. Just put on some sneakers, pack a book and lunch and go.
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