Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

Pine Cone! Acorn! Bee! Weeping Willow! Grass! Squirrel!

I felt like a five-year-old who was still seeing the world with new eyes this past Saturday while visiting the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. As one who has grown up in lush Michigan, living in the city for even a short two months has led me to appreciate the little things like grass, trees and undomesticated animals that are lacking in the concrete jungle of NYC.

The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens were, simply put, pretty and serene. I felt like I was walking into a completely different world, a world far away from the city with its blaring car horns, dirty streets, unpleasant smells, and air pollution.

What I was rather surprised by was the fact that I spent nearly two hours in the gardens, and didn't even feel bored. It wasn't crowded, there was plenty to see, it was a gorgeous day, and it felt nice to walk around. My favorite part of the gardens was actually towards the entrance. Walking down a set of steps that were lined with trees shading the pathway, it felt as if I were entering a secret kingdom. There were also florescent purple flowers in between the trees. It literally made me stop in my tracks because, even though in reality it was a pretty simplistic layout, it was perfectly gorgeous.

I also enjoyed the man-made pond swimming with turtles and white and orange fish. There is a Japanese-style viewing pavilion overlooking the pond, offering a peaceful place to sit and enjoy the sounds of the outdoors.

I could go on and on about all of the different things I saw that I enjoyed, and as a writer it should be my duty to bring those sights back to life through my writing, but it truly is one of those places that you just need to see and experience for yourself. And, you must have an appreciation of nature in order to really enjoy the abundance of different species of trees, plants, flowers, etcetera that the Gardens have to offer.

During my first visit at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, I felt as if I were having a sensory overload-- but in a good way. My eyes were furiously darting around trying to take everything in as quickly as possible as if the scenery were about to disappear before my eyes. There was so much to see in fact that I plan on going back again, not only to discover numerous things that I'm sure I missed during my first trip, but to also get away from all of the city hustle for a few hours.

The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens may not be a hot spot for weekend visitors to New York, but after actually living here, it's finding tucked away beauties like this one that continues to make New York an appealing place full of surprises and opportunity.

(Pictures above found on the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens wesbite.)