When my sister had the groundbreaking idea* to take Ima (mom in Hebrew) to the New York Botanical Garden for Mother’s Day, I was fully on board. Using my penchant for predicting swarming NYC behavior, I sensed that tickets would sell out, so I bought tickets a week in advance – big mistake that leads me to my bitching:
The Bitch: No refunds – AT ALL! Realizing that it would rain on Sunday at the onset of the week, I called and tried every way I could think of to get a refund. That’s when I discovered that this fucking place NEVER gives refunds. My coworker said when her partner was (legitimately) sick, they wouldn’t shell out the ticket price back. Strike one. Now let’s talk about how the fuck to find the entrance; an endeavor which soured the first 20 minutes of the day! Us 3 women with 3 different smartphones entered variations of New York Botanical Garden into Google Maps to create levels of aggravation only an Israeli native would understand. Like seriously, use your google grant to tell google to fix the API for this, it’s nonsense! Despite the inclement weather, the parking lot was PACKED when we arrived at 11:30, but we were able to find a spot near the Pfizer Plant Research Laboratory. Days prior to the event, they claimed to have a rain plan, which TBH, resulted in a sad tent in the middle of the grassy lawn surrounded by food trucks.
The Beauty: I’m ALWAYS the type to downplay NYC landmarks, like a big garden – big deal! But acres of green grass-covered sloping hills introduced me to a scene that left me truly in awe. The Azalea garden flourished with fuchsias, deep pinks and light lavenders. The greenhouses offered respite from the rain and reintroduced us to unrivaled exotic beauty that is nature. A banjo band did provide some entertainment as we walked past lush plants. The tram ran frequently, so we were able to cover the entire park, plantar fasciitis be damned. Despite my bitching, it was a really nice day!
*Disclaimer: Although this was a dig, I give my sister credit because at least she HAD an idea for Mother’s Day!
Roberto Ricardo agua De Rosa
The eloquent use of the word fuck seems to be the misuse of a word in this context. I do believe that you have could have described your feelings much differently and much less vulgarity involved. Other than that I believe your review was very good. Happy Mother’s Day
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TERENCE HANRAHAN
as a student at the college across the street (a long, long time ago!) the Gardens were a haven of solitude, a place to escape to study, relax…on sunny days anyway! Great post, nice pics.
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