Spend a Couple Minutes »Natural History at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

20111012-121811.jpgby Patrick Dougherty

Sometimes we forget what great, beautiful resources we have for outdoor fun in the city. I hadn’t been to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in some time but enjoyed the surprisingly gorgeous weather introducing Van to koi, grass (which he’s still skeptical of) and roses.

I also really loved the Natural History sculptures by Patrick Dougherty. They feel both natural and otherworldly. Wish we had one of these stick huts to hang out in all the time.

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Posted on October 14, 2011

Places to Visit »Wave Hill

wave hillSaturday was such a lovely day to stroll the grounds of Wave Hill, one of the Bronx's best kept secrets. Snuggled in the very wealthy mansion dotted landscape (the mansion across the way from the park gates was used at the exterior of the Corleone mansion in The Godfather) of Riverdale, the park is a pint sized oasis from the city with an extraordinary view of the Hudson River.

There are several small gardens, a green house, two houses (which in the past have been rented by both Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain),?many lawns to layout on, and a small trail through the woods. Grab one of the many benches and seats in the shade of a tree and enjoy life.

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Posted on April 27, 2009

Places to Visit »Grey Towers Mansion Grounds

grey towers mansionLast fall, friends and I strolled the grounds of the magnificent French inspired Grey Towers in Pennsylvania, not too far from previously recommended Castle Antiques. The home will not be open for tours until the end of May, but the grounds, which is all we were able to see at the time, are alone worth the trip.

Here's the castle's story (from the official site):

“Grey Towers was the home of Gifford Pinchot, first Chief of the US Forest Service and Pennsylvania Governor for two terms. Grey Towers was completed in 1886 by Gifford's father, James Pinchot, a wealthy wallpaper merchant. Civic minded and a supporter of the arts, James and his wife, Mary, connected themselves with many influential people, among them Richard Morris Hunt, a leading architect of the era. Hunt designed their summer home to utilize both local materials and reflect the French heritage of the Pinchot family, who first settled in Milford in 1818. For two decades the Pinchots and their children enjoyed numerous summers at Grey Towers, entertaining guests for afternoon teas and dinner parties. Here James, disturbed by destructive logging practices then prevalent in the country, encouraged his eldest son, Gifford Pinchot, to consider a career in forestry.”

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Posted on April 13, 2009

Places to Visit »Planting Fields Arboretum

Planting Fields Arboretum The weather is still nice.
And apparently they have “Ornamental Cabbage” in November.
Take a look at their web site: www.plantingfields.com

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Posted on November 7, 2005