My dad told me his favorite thing to do with a couple hours is to sip a gin and tonic in the garden. Which also happens to be how I would spend a fantasy couple hours with Tennessee Williams, but I digress. I decided on his last day visiting, the family would head to one of the country's most beautiful gardens the Brooklyn Botanic.
We weren't able to sip gin and tonics, but we were able to gaze at wormwood and pennyroyal in what turned out to be my favorite little corner of the park, the Herb Garden. True, it's not quite as colorful as other spots, but there was something fascinating about seeing the plants that often become part of our meals. It's easy to get out of touch with the fact that nearly everything in our kitchen comes from the ground, especially if you're surrounded by concrete. The enormous radishes and cabbage were especially cool.
Next we gaped at the enormous koi fish that make the Japanese Hill and Pond Garden their home. Beneath the pavilion we caught some shade and snippets of old lady conversations about young women's skimpy clothing. The English cottage style Shakespeare Garden was next where my dad got lots of photos.
We headed on to “Celebrity Path“, a trail of names in stone, of people (I thought) had dedicated money to the park. But it's just famous Brooklynites – glad to see Mae West and John Saxon included.
A bah mitzvah was taking place in the famed Palm House, and the nearby conservatory had a bonsai exhibit that puzzled some kids. They just didn't understand why anyone would make a small tree. The day was beautiful, the park was over flowing with babies, and we were all exhausted. So we unwittingly broke the rules and laid about under the shade of a large tree. It's not the first time my family has broken park rules. One day I'll tell you about how the Minute Man Park has no bathroom but plenty of trees?br/>
It was time to head home, there was just too much to explore for one day if you're tired, but fortunately we stumble across these fields of lilacs before we said goodbye.
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