It was another warm and sunny Saturday afternoon and we lucked out that the day fell between two rain storms, where the rain cooled down the temperature and got rid of the humidity. It made it the perfect day for our June barbecue.
The grounds of the NJ State Firemen’s Home
The NJ State Firemen’s Home built an outdoor grill a few years ago making it easier for us to sponsor our barbecues, where the food is cooked and served outside for the residents and their guests. The tables and chairs were set under tents and umbrellas and shade trees making it an enjoyable afternoon.
The built in barbecue was ready to start cooking
The food preparation by Chef Prince and our own President of the NJ State Firemen’s Association Bob Ordway was started in the afternoon
Chef Prince and his helper manning the grill
With the grill fired up and meat sizzling for lunch, everyone anticipated a wonderful lunch ahead. With the assistance of Chef Prince of the Firemen’s Home and NJ State Fire Association President and member Bob Ordway, we stated serving lunch to everyone by 12:30pm.
NJ State Firemen’s Association President Bob Ordway helping with service to the residents
Entertainment rocked that afternoon with the sounds of performer Kelly Carpenter
As residents and their families settled in for lunch and the members of our organization startled to serve everyone, singer Kelly Carpenter started to perform singing popular contemporary songs.
Singer Kelly Carpenter is always a favorite at our events
Residents got to enjoy the beautiful weather that afternoon
It was such a beautiful afternoon with temperatures hovering around 80 degrees with no humidity making it the perfect afternoon to eat under the large shade trees.
Members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association relaxing for their lunch after serving the residents
Kelly Carpenter performing as the sun shines on this marvelous afternoon
Sitting down to enjoy our barbecue lunch. One of the perks of membership to the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association
The lunch started to wrap up by 1:00pm and everyone started to either head back inside or wondered ofc to spend time with their families.
It was another successful picnic sponsored by the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association.
If you would like to make a donation to our organization, please send it to:
BCFHA
C/O Jeff Parma
277 Harriott Avenue
Harrington Park, NJ 07640
Please make the checks out to the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association
Our 2026 Meeting Schedule:
All our meetings at the home start at 12:00pm at the NJ State Firemen’s Home in Boonton, NJ:
August 15th (August Barbecue)
October 18th
December 6th (Annual Christmas Party)
A big “Thank you” from The Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association Executive Board 2026
In the months of March and May right before the Memorial Day holiday, many of the museums I belong to held their private ‘Members Night’, where they hold extra hours for members after the museums are closed to the public to come and see the exhibitions, listen to music, have something to eat and drink and listen to talks about the exhibitions. The funny part is that the museum’s are more crowded on these nights than when they are open to the public.
Walking inside the soaring dining space at the Morgan Library
The first set of ‘Members Nights’ I went to were on March 24th with my first stop at the Morgan Library. I was there to see the ‘Mozart’ exhibition again.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Treasures from the Mozarteum Foundation of Salzburg, an exhibition that traces the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791). On view March 13th through May 31st, 2026, this two-gallery exhibition combines the Morgan’s significant holdings in Mozart manuscripts and first editions with remarkable objects, on view in the United States for the first time, from the Mozarteum Foundation of Salzburg. These include Mozart’s clavichord on which he composed The Magic Flute and his childhood violin, as well as famous portraits, letters, and personal objects of Mozart and his family (Morgan Library.com).
Touring the exhibition
Video on the exhibition:
The concert of Mozart as a child
The Magic Flute music and costumes
I happen to love ‘The Magic Flute’ and it was interesting to see the notes and some of the original costumes from the opera at the exhibition.
The costumes from the Magic Flute
After I toured the Mozart exhibition, I toured the rest of the museum that included the original part of the mansion.
The old Living Room
The ceiling outside the exhibition hall
The old Library and Rare book collection
The ceiling in the old Library
I then visited the exhibition of ancient Mesopotamia art scrolls. This was really interesting how this form of written art worked into the collection.
After touring the museum, I went to see what everyone was eating in the museum’s small restaurant was eating because it was getting crowded. The counter was filled with delicious looking desserts.
The sweet treats at the dessert bar at the Morgan Library
The selection of desserts at the Morgan Library the night of Member’s Night
I then visited their very interesting Gift Shop
Admiring the flowers at the Coat Check on the way out. I thought this was a nice touch.
All good things come to an end and I made my way up Fifth Avenue to the Museum of Modern Art for the second part of the evening
I could not believe that the museums arranged these ‘Members Nights’ on the same night. They would plan this three weeks late when the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I just had to enough time at one museum and see what I wanted to see and then go up the next.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) at 11 West 53rd Street
Frida and Diego: The Last Dream celebrates Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera—two of Mexico’s most beloved icons of 20th-century art—in a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera. Organized in conjunction with the Met’s new production of El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, the presentation at MoMA features artworks by Kahlo and Rivera in an elaborate setting designed by Jon Bausor, the set and co-costume designer of the opera. For both the opera and installation, Bausor evokes the artists’ lives and artworks in his theatrical designs (MoMA.org).
Key participants in a movement to redefine Mexican culture and identity after the revolution of 1910–20—Rivera through monumental murals and Kahlo through intimate self-portraits—the artists were romantically involved from 1928 until Kahlo’s death in 1954. The fictional narrative of the opera El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego begins three years after Kahlo’s death and follows an aging Rivera as he summons the deceased Kahlo back to life on the Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday honoring passed loved ones. As the opera and installation design attest, the pair continue to have an enduring influence on artists across the visual and performing arts (MoMA.org).
Video on the exhibition:
The opening of the ‘Frida and Diego’ exhibition brought members out in droves
The description of the exhibition
The tree dominates the center of the exhibition
The signature piece from the exhibition
One of the dominate drawings
Looking over costume designs
Some of my favorite costume designs
Another great costume design
After touring the exhibition, I visited some of the other galleries and looked over other works of art that I admired in the past. I took a quick tour of the Modern Galleries before I left that evening.
The Jackson Pollack work
I loved this creative food service work
After touring the museum, I joined the rest of the crowd on the main floor for music.
The main lobby of the MoMA the night of Member’s Night
A few weeks later, the Metropolitan Museum of Art had planned their Member’s Night and then the Museum of Modern Art planned a Member’s Night the same night. So I planned another night of running back and forth between museums.
Member’s Night at the Museum of Modern Art
The schedule of events
There was a lot of activities happening that evening and I wondered around museum to see all of them. I started in the Museum Garden to hear the singers who were performing that evening.
The first performer was Lizzy Hilliard, who performed the guitar and was really enjoyable to hear. She is a very lively and engaging entertainer.
The crowds were outside enjoying the beautiful weather that evening
Lizzy Hilliard performing that evening in the garden
After the performance, I wondered around the museum to see some of the exhibitions and started on the first floor which was really active.
I love wondering through the lobby of the MoMA.
While most of the crowds were still listening to the entertainment in the garden, I went up to the Marcel Duchamp exhibition and toured the galleries again (I had been there the previous week and quickly walked the exhibition).
The Marcel Duchamp exhibition was the biggest retrospect of the artist’s work in years
Marcel Duchamp is organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Philadelphia Art Museum, with the generous collaboration of the Centre Pompidou. “Contemporary artworks often prompt viewers to ask, ‘Why is this art?’ It is virtually impossible to answer this question without referring to the work of Duchamp,” said Temkin. “More than any other modern artist, Duchamp challenged and transformed the very definition of an artwork.” Kuo added, “Duchamp’s influence is incalculable and his myriad contributions have established him as one of the most important figures in modern culture (MoMA.org).
Our exhibition will foreground the ways in which Duchamp upended conventional oppositions between hand and machine, original and copy, intention and chance, and matter and idea.” MoMA and PMA have a longstanding history with Duchamp’s work. MoMA was the first museum to acquire a work by Duchamp, in addition to including his work in early landmark exhibitions such as Fantastic Art, Dada, Surrealism (1936) and The Art of Assemblage (1961) (MoMA.org).
Video on the exhibition from the MoMA curator:
I joined the start of the walking tour with one of the docents at the MoMA at the beginning of the exhibition
The gallery was so crowded with people listening to the one docent that was describing the exhibition that I continued on my own. I had never seen much of this artist’s work in museums before and had heard about his piece of changing the look of the Mona Lisa. I really enjoyed seeing it up close.
The 1919 original “L.H.O.O.Q.” was on a card
The 1930 replica “L.H.O.O.Q.”
The information on the replica piece
I then moved on to other works that he was well known for especially his controversial urinal piece.
The work “Fountain” (I thought this was unusual)
The write up on the piece
The last piece that I saw in the exhibition before I left the museum for the Met was his spoke wheel piece.
The work “Bicycle Wheel”
I wondered around the museum for a bit after the tour of the exhibition and admired works in the Modern Wing.
I love Picasso’s Cubism works
After I finished touring the exhibition, I left the MoMA for The Met. The weather was beautiful and with it being light out until almost 8:30pm. It was a beautiful walk up Fifth Avenue with the trees and the flower beds in full bloom.
Arriving at The Metropolitan Museum of Art for “The Met After Hours”
The lobby and rotunda for the event seemed very quiet to me
The beautiful floral arrangements in the lobby area were fresh Cherry Blossoms
The Cherry Blossoms in the urns around the lobby
The American Wing where the Member’s Bar and entertainment was located
The Met seemed very quiet that night. Being the Tuesday after Memorial Day Weekend, I guess most members were getting back to work or still tired from the weekend. It had been a rainy mess the whole weekend and I could not see many people going away.
The bar and the entertainment in the American Wing were located that evening.
I had about two hours before the museum closed for the evening, so I wondered through some of the special exhibitions and started with the “Raphael-Sublime Poetry” exhibition on the second floor.
Raphael: Sublime Poetry is the first comprehensive exhibition on Raphael in the United States, bringing together more than 170 of the artist’s greatest masterpieces and rarely seen treasures to illuminate the brilliance of Raphael’s extraordinary creativity. The son of a painter and poet, Raphael engaged with the foremost writers and thinkers of his age in Rome, displaying a poetic sensibility that captivated his peers and generations that followed. Follow the full breadth of his life and career, from his origins in Urbino to his rise in Florence, where he began to emerge as a peer of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, to his final, prolific decade at the papal court in Rome (Met.org).
Dive into the artistic process of one of history’s most beloved and influential artists. A true titan of the Italian Renaissance, Raffaello di Giovanni Santi (1483–1520)—better known as Raphael—matched ambition with lyricism to create works with both intellectual heft and emotional depth, a necessary skill in the complex political landscape of Renaissance courts. In his short life of only 37 years, he achieved such profound success as a painter, designer, and architect that he was regarded as the pinnacle of artistic perfection for centuries after his death (Met.org).
Video on the exhibition with the MoMA:
Video on the exhibition with CBS This Morning:
The work admired as I was walking around the exhibition.
This was my favorite piece from the exhibition
The Raphael Exhibition I know was a big deal for the museum but it really was not my taste in art. As much as I admired the work, the whole exhibition did not ‘grab me”.
I was not as impressed with the art in the exhibition and took a quick tour of the works. I had seen the exhibition on a previous tour of the museum so I just wanted to walk around again to see the works that I missed.
I then went back to the first floor and spent more time at the Costume Art exhibition. There had been so much media on the exhibit that you could not get in without timed tickets but because it was quiet on Member’s Night, I just walked in.
The Costume Institute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body (Met.org).
Focusing primarily on Western art from prehistory to the present, Costume Art presents connections between garments from The Costume Institute and objects from the Museum’s other collecting areas. Pairings between fashions and artworks will present a spectrum of connections and experiences: from the formal to the conceptual, the aesthetic to the political, the individual to the universal, the illustrative to the symbolic, and the playful to the profound. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their pervasiveness and endurance through time and cultures (Met.org).
Video on the Costume Art exhibition:
Walking through the entrance of the exhibition
This gallery was newly created for this collection and I had display the pieces that stood out to me the most in the Costume Art exhibition.
One of the pieces I admired
Some of the Evening clothes I admired
Another piece I admired
I thought this was really unusual
I really enjoyed looking over the exhibition yet wondering how many people would actually wear some of these pieces out in public. It really asks the question “What is art?” Still, I loved the dress with all the human organs on it. Now that would stop everyone in mid conversation at a party.
All good things come to an end again and I left the Met as it was closing for the evening. It really is a pretty site at night looking down Fifth Avenue.
How beautiful the Upper East Side is at night
I was starved when I left the museum and knew not too many places outside the bars would be open this late at night. I remembered Asian 83 on East 83rd Street that still might be open for the evening and I was one of their last customers that night. The food is excellent at this little ‘hole in the wall’ on the Upper East Side.
Dinner at Asian 83, Beef and Broccoli with Fried Rice
I ordered a combination platter of Beef and Broccoli with Fried Rice and an Egg Roll with a Coke. Their prices are so reasonable and their portion sizes are very fair. It was a nice dinner before I left Manhattan that evening.
The Beef and Broccoli entree
Their Egg Rolls are excellent
Being a member of many museums, this is one of the perks about membership. You get to enjoy these wonderful evenings while supporting the museums which in this economy really helps. That’s why I have enjoyed supporting them for years. The donation benefits everyone.
I recently attended the Annual ‘Pathways Tour’ in Morris County, NJ to visit some of the historical sites. It was a very interesting visit to some of these sites that were over 250 years old. With the anniversary of our country coming up in two months, I can see that these sites will be getting more attention.
Having toured most of the sites in Morris County, which has a treasure trove of historical homes, parks and museums, I concentrated on the sites that are rarely open, like the Doremus House and the Florham Park Schoolhouse for my blog, VisitingaMuseum.com.
Readers reach out to me asking about these sites but no one seems to man them outside the Pathways tours. So you have to race to see them then. These small historical sites offer a glimpse into New Jersey’s rural past and the history of how our state developed.
The Henry Doremus House during the Pathway’s tour
I visited the Henry Doremus House first during the Morris County Pathways Tour in May of 2026 and it is good look at the early farming communities of New Jersey under the Dutch and then the English. The house was used by General George Washington while he was passing through this section of New Jersey during the Revolutionary War.
The sign for the Henry Doremus House
The historic sign for the house
Montville Township Historical Society:
(from the Museum website)
Established in 1963, the Montville Township Historical Society is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of Montville Township. Our unwavering commitment to meticulous archival work, interactive educational programs, and community outreach initiatives is aimed safeguarding the rich history of our town. Our ultimate objective is to ensure that the stories and traditions of Montville Township are cherished and celebrated for years to come.
The farm and harvest equipment
General Washington’s payment to the Doremus family for use of their home during the Revolutionary War. I thought this was really cool.
The farming equipment
The farm and household equipment room
The farm equipment from the time of the Revolutionary War
Henry Doremus House History:
(from the Museum’s website)
The Henry Doremus House is a Dutch American stone farmhouse that has been remarkably preserved since the time the first portion was built, circa 1760. The house has never been modernized with heating, plumbing, electricity, or wiring, and is one of only seven left in New Jersey without modern electricity. What is now Route 202 was one of the main military routes during the Revolutionary War through Montville and Towaco, (then part of Pequannock Township). The Henry Doremus house was located in a small community often referred to as Doremus Town.
The main room of the original house during the tour
The kitchen and cooking equipment by the open hearth fireplace
The open hearth fireplace for cooking and heat for the home
Cooking items
I visited Diane’s Dairy at 446 Main Road Suite 8 after my tour of the Henry Doremus House, a local ice cream store just around the corner from the historic home. What started as a place to turn around my car, I had to stop on this historical looking strip mall. When I saw the words ‘homemade ice cream’ I of course had to stop. Ice cream is one of my weaknesses.
Diane’s Dairy at 446 Main Road Suite 8
The menu of the selection of flavors
What was nice was I got to meet Diane herself that morning and she explained to me that they create and make over 92 flavors inside the store. I could tell by the quality and taste of the ice cream that a lot of care was taken in the making of her ice creams.
The section of ice cream
Diane has created many unique flavors so it was hard for me to choose but I wanted to try something different and settled on Bubble Gum flavored ice cream. It was delicious.
The Bubble Gum ice cream
The ice cream was rich and dense and had such an intense flavor of cream and cherry flavored gum. What I also liked was her prices were very fair and the portion size for a small ice cream is the size of most mediums sizes at the commercial ice cream stores. Plus I like to support local businesses. Diane has created a wonderful product and could not have been nicer.
The ice cream is do good
This ice cream was the best. Funny enough though I was her first review on TripAdvisor. I would have thought more people would have been singing her praises. After my snack, it was off to the second site on my list, the Florham Park Little Red Schoolhouse.
I visited the “Little Red Schoolhouse” Museum at 203 Ridgedale Avenue in Florham Park, which is also rarely opened. This interesting little museum showcases the town’s historical collection of items from the 1800’s and 1900’s dealing with all aspects of town life.
Schooling at the “little red frame building” prospered and so by the 1850’s, the building was “in condition of dilapidation rendering it unfit to be occupied” due to overcrowding.
The schoolhouse from the front
The inside of the museum schoolhouse display
The inside of the old classroom
The schoolhouse setting
In the back there is a small classroom set up keeping with the theme of the building. This lets students, who are visiting the building of their counterpart’s early education with desks, ink wells and chalk boards that have not changed that much over the years.
Not much has changed in the modern classroom over the years
The old schoolhouse desks
There is early century clothing, farming equipment from the town’s farming past and even Native American objects found in the town and in private collections.
The town artifacts and school items
The hitching post
Other items included decorative items from the home including dishware, home products and furnishings.
Each section of the museum is divided up by lifestyle.
The museum’s historic plaque
The docents that day explained that the items were reflect the town’s past and some came from families that have been in town for years. The museum reflects the community spirit of town’s past. It explains that times have progressed but not changed too much over the years.
The Veteran’s Monument outside the museum
History of the Little Red Schoolhouse Museum:
(From the Museum Website)
By Kat Kurylko, Research Assistant
In 1830, the residents of Columbia, now Florham Park, sought to improve their thriving farming and broom-making community by establishing a public school for the local children. Therefore, a small schoolhouse, Columbia School #5, was built on the corner of Columbia Turnpike and Ridgedale Avenue and dedicated it on February 17th, 1831.
The schoolroom display
Schooling at the “little red frame building” prospered and so by the 1850’s, the building was “in condition of dilapidation rendering it unfit to be occupied” due to overcrowding. It just showed me one thing as an educator, that the concept of modern education has not changed that much in 150 years.
I next visited the Tunis-Ellicks House 16 Village Road in New Vernon and enjoyed the self-guided tour of this well maintained and displayed home. Unlike many sites I have visited over the years where things are left out and jumbled on tables, the Tunis-Ellicks House offers a look at small family farms from before the Civil War. The displays depict and discuss the life of a farming family in Central New Jersey.
The Tunis-Ellicks House in New Vernon, NJ
The house sign
The house is located in the New Vernon Historic District
The house was located in one of the oldest sections of the community, facing other structures in the historical district of New Vernon, NJ.
The house and front garden from the road
The vegetable garden in the front of house
In front of the house was a large vegetable and fruit garden with a grape arbor for spirits on the side of the house. These items would be jarred and pickled for the winter months or sold at market.
I liked the way the volunteers maintained the gardens with fruits and vegetables that would have been used in Colonial times mixed in with a modern twist.
Mission Statement:
(From the Museum website)
The Harding Township Historical Society is a private, not-for-profit corporation founded in 1977 to stimulate interest in the history of Harding Township. The Society shall support, assist in and seek to achieve the preservation of documents, buildings and sites related to Harding Township. It shall also collect, preserve, maintain and interpret original cultural material, which illuminates this history. In addition, The Society is responsible for preserving and maintaining the Tunis-Ellicks House and environs. Through use of its historic site, collections and programs, the society endeavors to document and illustrate the history of Harding Township for present and future generations (Tunis-Ellicks website).
You enter the museum from the back of the house. In the backyard of the home, there were all sorts of activities going on while you could start a self-guided tour of the house.
The back of the Tunis-Ellick’s House
The beautiful view from the back door of the home
The inside of the main part of the museum
The main part of the museum was the newer extension of the home where the living room and dining rooms were located. There were displays on the walls discussing farm life in New Jersey during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s.
The Dining Room section of the house
The workings of the Dining Room
The story of ‘Country Life’ and the gentleman farmer
Pieces of the decor on display
The kitchen area of the older part of the home offers a homey fireplace for cooking and summer storage for jarred and pickled food stuffs for the winter.
The kitchen and storage areas of the home
Pottery collection in the museum
The pottery collection
The kitchen dining and cooking area of the home
The fireplace for cooking, roasting and stewing of foods
The oven for baking breads, cookies and pies and the baking equipment
The Summer storage area for canned and jarred provisions for the winter months and for cooking.
History of the Harding Township Historical Society:
(From the Museum website)
The Harding Township Historical Society was formed in 1977 to save the circa 1795 Tunis-Ellicks House and restore it as it appeared in the early 19th century. The society discovered an original 18th century hearth and Federal-style mantel and a water-fed cooling room besides the well. Areas of the house were left exposed to showcase the post-and-beam construction. A permanent exhibit on 19th century farming was created as well as space for temporary exhibits.
The Society saved a circa 1870 Tramp House from destruction when the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was created by having the building moved the Tunis-Ellicks House property. The Harding Township Historical Society maintains an extensive archive containing records, maps, and objects since the colonial era pertaining to the town. The archive is open to researchers, genealogists and the public. Each year we provide an award to a student at the Harding Township School that excels in the subject of history. The Society produces exhibits, lectures, tours, and interactive events to bring history to the public.
When I drove to the Tunis-Ellicks House, I was really hungry and it was lunch time. I had passed the Green Village Deli at 536 Green Village Road and I read the reviews online while in their parking lot and they were excellent so I decided to give it a try. The food and the service were excellent.
The Green Village Deli at 536 Green Village Road
The sign that welcomes you to this local breakfast and lunch establishment
The Village Green Deli is a popular local sandwich shop, where the staff seems to know all the customers by name (with the exception of me) and is located in this small downtown area facing the Village Green.
I really liked the vibe of this small town deli where the owners knew everyone by name and I felt like an interloper at a private party.
The inside of the Village Green Deli
The deli has that small town feel to it, with local art and sports paraphernalia in the walls. The woman who worked the register was greeting everyone by name and the guys that worked the grill seemed happy to see me.
Looking at the menu at the grill
I looked at the extensive lunch menu of popular sandwiches and some wonderful combos. You could even still get breakfast as I saw some of the guys at the counter devouring as I decided on what I wanted to order.
The deli has a wonderful selection of sandwiches, hero’s and other delicious sounding items.
There were so many things I wanted to try that day that it was hard to choose. Was it a breakfast sandwich with local sausage? The Thanksgiving ‘Gobbler’ sandwich with turkey, stuffing and cranberry relish, that sounded so good? I decided on an Italian hero sandwich with a selection of deli meats with fresh lettuce, tomato and onion. The hero was excellent!
The Italian hero with a pickle
The sandwiches here are huge! One half of a sandwich a normal person could eat for lunch and save the rest for another meal. The sandwich was loaded with salami, bologna, ham, Swiss Cheese and fresh veggies. I could barely fit it in my mouth.
The sandwich was excellent
The food was excellent. The bread was so fresh and the cooks did not skimp on one ingredient. The vegetables were so fresh and crispy and I loved the combination of flavors of the cold cuts. I really enjoyed my lunch and would like to make a special trip back just to try more of their sandwiches. I was very happy with my lunch.
One of the last places I visited was the Historical Society of Boonton Township, which is located in the former Oscar Kincaid Farm Homestead 591 Powerville Road. The house and what was left of the acreage of the farm was part of the current museum. The museum was an example of early New Jersey farming that dated from the 1800’s to the Twenty-First century.
There was not much in the way of period furniture or farm equipment (items of the home were sold off since Mr. Kincaid’s passing), but the new historical society is buying artifacts and bringing them back to the farm. This includes one of Mr. Kincaid’s tractors. His roll up desk is also still in the display room which was once the Living Room of the home.
The Kincaid Homestead at 591 Powerville Road
History of Oscar Kincaid and Homestead:
(From the Morris County Historical Society website)
Originally a part of the extensive tract belonging to William Penn, the earliest portion of the home was constructed in 1785 by Adam Miller and Anna DeMouth Miller. Just over a decade later, they sold the property to Adam’s cousin, Sarah Miller Parlimen (of the Miller/Dixon homestead) and her husband, John, who built a sawmill there. After a brief ownership by William Scott of Powerville, a Miller relative, the land was sold to John Decker in 1828. An industrious man, Decker operated both a farm and successful forge, shipping his goods to New York via the Morris Canal. By 1837, he expanded the home, adding a distinctive folk-art painting of a face and unique plasterwork that can still be seen today (MCHS website).
The homestead passed through generations of Decker’s family, ultimately being inherited by Oscar Kincaid Sr. in the early 20th century. Kincaid ran a popular ice cream stand and dairy business throughout the 1920s and 30s. Following World War II, the family opened Valley Farm on the site, which continued until the death of Oscar Kincaid Jr. in 2000. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, the Decker-Kincaid Homestead today operates as a museum and headquarters of the Historical Society of Boonton Township (MCHS website).
The Kincaid House
The historical marker for the house
The front yard
The entrance to the house
The main foyer of the house
The house is a small farmhouse built in two sections. The original part of the house dates back to the late 1700’s and the newer part in the early 1800’s. The once furnished rooms now hold displays of Morris County and the farming industry of the time plus community artifacts.
The former Living Room
Oscar Kincaid’s desk
There were not much left in the way of family furnishings and heirlooms but this desk was Oscar Kinkaid’s.
The back bedroom
The Flag display for the ‘250th Anniversary’
Story of Oscar Kincaid’s life: Oscar Kincaid was a farmer/businessman, a politician and a conservationist.
After the short tour around the house, I walked around the farm grounds. The house was set on a beautiful piece of land that sloped down to the old farmstand. There was also a swimming pond which was once part of the farm which is now private property.
The farm property from the side with the barn
The barn across the street
The property was about ten acres at the time of his death and parts have been developed. It still has some of the most wonderful views of the area.
The view of the old farm from the front porch
The farm land stretches over different sections of the road and the property is very picturesque. It is a very beautiful homestead.
The view of the farm from the lawn
The swimming pond on the edge of the property
The old farm stand that had been used for eighty years
I recently visited Lewes, DE for ‘Maritime Day’ by the harbor and there were a lot of interesting booths on the watersheds, environmental agencies that discussed their purpose with harbor issues and what the town of Lewes does for the environment.
The historic Blizzard from 1888
History of the Lewes Life Saving Station & Museum:
(From Historic Lewes.com)
It was also a busy station, guarding both the mouth of Delaware Bay and the protected waters created by the massive breakwaters of the National Harbor of Refuge. Its string of Keepers and their six- or seven-man crews of Surfmen enacted scores of rescues through the years and in particular won great praise for their tireless heroics during the Great White Hurricane of 1888, when they pulled scores of sailors from the frigid waters and iced-over hulks of wrecked vessels to safety.
The front of the museum
The History of the Lewes Lifeguard Museum:
(From the Historic Lewes.com)
The United States Life-Saving Service (USLSS) protected the American coast and saved lives in peril at sea from 1871 until 1915, when it became a part of the new United States Coast Guard (USCG). This incredible humanitarian mission came to Lewes in 1884, making it the fourth of six stations to be established in Delaware. Lewes was among the most desirable stations for the Keepers and Surfmen who manned it, with its original location on the site of the present-day Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal placing it not far from town and therefore civilization.
The view of the harbor which has changed over the years
I spent my time touring the Lewes Lifeguard Museum, which is an interesting little museum on the history of life saving along the Delaware coast. The museum’s artifacts show some of the earliest and innovative forms of rescue equipment from before the Civil War. This was the precursor to the United States Coast Guard.
The inside of the museum
The lower part of the museum contained most of the equipment, items like rescue ropes, wenches, rescue apparatus, lanterns and uniforms like jackets and boots.
Pulled and equipment used to rescue stranded people
History of the Lewes Historical Museum:
(Historic Lewes.com)
The United States Coast Guard maintained the Station Lewes from 1915 until 1969, when it was closed, declared surplus, and sold. The original main station building was relocated numerous times and still stands today, heavily modified, as the Rehoboth Beach VFW. The Boat House preserved by Historic Lewes, a unique 1884 addition to the USLSS station intended to launch lifeboats on a marine railway directly into the harbor, was acquired from the Pilots’ Association of the Bay & River Delaware in 1979 and moved to its present home at Canalfront Park. It stands proudly beside the Lightship OVERFALLS (LV-118), together commemorating the nation’s and community’s efforts to preserve life on hazardous waters.
The bullies and wenches used by the men
Information in the Lewes Life Saving Station
Biography of the men who worked there
Information on the Boat House
Some of the ropes and wenches used in the rescue procedures
On the other side of the building was the rescue boat the ‘Life Car’, a rudimentary form of rescue boat that the docents said was effective but clunky and hard to use. It shows how we have progressed in life saving.
The Life Car rescue unit
Information on the ‘Life Car’
The ‘Life Car’
The ores and other rescue equipment used
The small rope cannon
The ores
The rope equipment
The story of the ‘Great White Hurricane of March 1888’
The Men’s Dining area in the front of the building
There was no living area in the facility but a place to gather the team, eat and socialize when manning the station.
History of Lewes Lifeguard Museum:
(From the Lewes Lifeguard.com)
Guests visiting the USLSS Boat House today will find it furnished just as Keeper John Clampitt and his courageous Surfmen left it on March 12, 1888, as they pushed out into the roaring gale and whipping snow for their finest hours. It also features a display of early life-saving equipment, including the rope-and-pulley Breeches Buoy rescue system, a steel life-car, and a rare 1887 Long Branch, New Jersey-style surfboat under restoration.
The dining area and the schedule
The dining room table
The Lewes Life Saving Station & Museum is an example of early beach and shipping rescue at the East Coast Shore. It also shows the daily life of these brave men and how lonely and dangerous this job could be. It shows how times have progressed and how they have stayed the same. To save people and property.
I was finally able to get back into the City for a short break the day after Thanksgiving. I had spent my day before at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and instead of going to Christmas tree drop off with the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association (I decided to give it a rest after 25 years), I worked in Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen serving a post-Thanksgiving Dinner. Talk about busy! They kept me running all morning and afternoon.
After lunch was over, I felt something nagging at me and instead of going home to rest, I decided it was time to finish walking the streets of Alphabet City. It was cooler than it was back in August, so it gave me a different perspective of the neighborhood with all the Community Gardens closed and the trees bare.
Holy Apostles treats people who are struggling with respect and I recognize that after over twenty years of volunteering there.
Plus I figured whatever it was that was trying to take a foothold in me would stop with lots of fresh air and exercise. It worked. After the walk, I not only felt better but was in a much better mood. A brisk walk on a sunny but cool day is the best thing in the world.
I started the walk on the corner of Avenue A and East 13th Street
Alphabet City is a neighborhood in transition. By Avenue A near the edges of the NYU campus, there is much gentrification going on where the bars and restaurants are getting more expensive to Avenue D where the projects are located and there is a massive renovation. I have never seen such changes.
Looking down East 13th Street in the late Fall
I had finished the borders and Avenues of the neighborhood in August before the Fall semester started and tried to finish the streets but this is a big neighborhood and there just was not the time. So I split my time on the neighborhood doing the top part just after Thanksgiving and the rest during a cold snap on Spring Break in mid March. The community gardens may have been dormant at the time but in March you could feel the coming of Spring.
It’s all about creativity and the unique street art
The memorial by artist
(I don’t know the artist)
Sometimes it’s just what a tagger creates that’s unique and fun
What I love about Alphabet City is the combination of creative street art that dominates all the walls and buildings making the whole neighborhood an open air museum.
Another thing I noticed was the vast amount of community gardens that dominated every block. This was the biggest concentration of them I had seen so far in the City. Many gates were locked during the colder months but during my Spring Break with 70 degree weather, the gates flung open and volunteers were preparing beds and clearing the brambles of the previous Fall. Spring flowers were on their way.
The unique paintings on the Roberto Clemente Family Guidance Center at 540 East 13th Street
Ms. Heathcote is an American born artist who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her love of nature and animals is the main theme of her work. She is now based in Vermont (Artist bio).
I have seen this artist’s work all over the City. This is closer to Avenue D right across from the Con Ed complex.
(not sure who the tagger artist is)
The Con Ed complex dominates the core of the Northern section of the neighborhood at the top of Avenue D and East 13th Street. Nothing glamorous about living next to a power plant yet across the street between East 14th and East 13th Streets luxury housing is being developed. Only in Manhattan!
I then passed the Relaxation Garden at 208 Avenue B and East 13th Street. I never really understood this garden. While all the others in the neighborhood have beautiful plantings, artwork and flowers, this one still looks like a garbage strewn lot.
This particular garden I could see needed a lot of work and I could see by many of the articles online that a lot was being done to clean it up again. The garden is one to look to in the future. Right now the garden is full of trash and there is not much to it.
The garbage strewn lot that needs a little TLC
All over the blocks I explored there was so much street art to admire that it was like an open air museum.
This was my favorite piece of art work from the side of the mural on the Roberto Clemente building
“Chico” is the tag name for American/Puerto Rico born, New York City based artist Antonio “Chico” Garcia. “Chico” is known for his colorful murals and graffiti art, many of the works displayed on the Lower East Side (Wiki/Artist bio).
The name Dias y Flores (Days and Flowers) is taken from a hauntingly beautiful song about hope and growing bySilvio Rodriguez. ArtistBob Lasherhas created the bottle and brick pathway. On this site was once a fully occupied building; abandoned by its owners in the early 1970’s, it slowly fell prey to disrepair and drug trade. The City seized the building and cemented up the doors and windows before eventually tearing it down in 1976 and leaving a rubble-strewn lot–and an open invitation to garbage dumping of all kinds (Dias y Flores website).
In 1978, the13th Street Block Associationenvisioned in its place a community lot, with a garden and a playground, and began the labor-intensive work of clearing out the brick, rubble, and trash–from broken hypodermic needles to refrigerators and car parts–all by hand. Dias y Flores from its earliest days was graced with several experienced gardeners and horticulturalists as members. Along with the help ofGreenthumb, most of the trees and shrubs were planted by 1981. (Dias y Flores website).
The inside of Dias Y Flores Garden in the late Fall
Most of the Community Gardens are now closed for the season and won’t open up to the public again until April. In the summer when I was walking the borders and Avenues of the neighborhood, the gardens would open to the public on the weekends. I will have to wait a few months.
Rounding East 12th Street
Walking down East 12th Street was interesting in the contrasts to the different side of Alphabet City that you live on. Closer to Avenue A you are near the quickly gentrifying East Village with the NYU and Pratt students or closer to the river near the renovation of the housing projects and the park and its overhaul. It is going to be an interesting Great Saunter this year.
The artwork of artist Felix Morelo lines the walls of this restaurant
Artist Felix Morelo is American born artist now living in New York City. He has studied at the Parsons School of Design and Art Students League of New York City. He is known for his creative street art and his ‘chalk circles’ which promote dialogue (Artist website).
By March 2026, the artist painted over his work on the wall
All along East 12th Street, there are all sorts of creative street art in various forms. It seems that there are two things that dominate the neighborhood, street art and community gardens.
The memorial mural
I am not sure what happened to Nugget
(Could not find the artist on the work)
As I passed PS 34 School, I noticed the fascinating metal work of then building’s playground and had to stop and admire it. I was not sure if this was artwork or just design to protect the windows.
The ironwork art outside the playground of PS on East 12th Sttreet
I was not sure who created it but I thought it was interesting enough to stop and admire it . I thought the affect was interesting.
This is one of my favorite series of murals that I passed again when I was walking through the neighborhood. This sits on the side wall of PS 34 on East 12th Street.
The murals by Avenue C created by a series of artists from the Thrive Cooperative
The panel that lined the school created by artists from the Thrive Collective
Danielle Mastrion is a Brooklyn-born, New York City based painter and muralist who specializes in large scale, brightly colored murals. She holds a BFA from Parsons School of Design (Artist website)
I loved this whimsical school painting by artists Savannah Zambrano and Andrea Amanda
Savannah Zambrano is a freelance sequential artist thathosts workshops and panels, does face painting and caricatures, and works with Traditional and Digital Media (Artist Bio website).
The artists sign with the Thrive Collective
I loved this mural with the Puerto Rican flag by artist Miki Mu
Michela Muserra is an international muralist and illustrator based in Brooklyn. A graduate ofAccademia di Bella Artiin her hometown of Foggia, Italy. The artist has worked as a teaching artist with Thrive Collective since January 2017 (Thrive Collective website).
I love this colorful display of positive behavior of Frank Ape by artist Brandon Sines
Artist Brandon Sines was exposed to many cultures while growing up simultaneously in New York City, Toronto, and Los Angeles. He mixes Pop Art’s mass culture, Surrealism’s private associations, and inventive paint handling to create dreamlike environments. His mark making ranges from experimental techniques to illustrative precision. Parts of the paintings are crystal clear, and other parts reach abstraction.
I loved his video on how he creates his work!
I could not find the artist who created this piece
Some of the taggers really know how to decorate the corners of walls and doors
The Campos Community Garden at 640 East 12th Street
The Campos Community Garden was an empty lot until 1982 when the lot was cleared and the it was an active garden enjoyed by the community. When the main organizer moved away, it had fallen into neglect for years until it was revived in 2004 by a group of neighbors. A Children’s Garden was added in 2006 and was rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy. It is now a thriving garden enjoyed by the community and fruits and vegetables are raised to benefit everyone (The Campos Garden website).
The inside of the Campos Community Garden in the late Fall of 2025
The Down to Earth Garden is at 546 East 12th Street and was also closed for the season
The Down to Earth Garden was established in 1993 when a building was knocked down, leaving an empty lot. It was originally called the Children’s garden but changed its name in 2020. It is now part of the GreenThumb program and is part of the NYC Parks Division (Down to Earth Garden website).
The next park was the Joseph C. Sauer Playground at
The sign for the Joseph C. Sauer playground at 532 East 12th Street
Joseph C. Sauer was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His family moved to the Lower East Side of New York City when he was an infant. Sauer graduated from the Redemptorist Parochial School and excelled in athletics, especially track. He worked for the Western Electric Company, and following the death of his grandfather, Sauer and his mother took over the family’s basket manufacturing business. He worked there until he entered the United States Army on September 28, 1917 (NYCParks.org).
The history of the playground
The Sauer playground in the Fall of 2025
The last of the parks and gardens I either passed or explored on East 12th Street was the El Sol Brillante Garden. Though the gardens were closed for the season, you could see the extensive plantings through the beautifully wrought iron gates created by local artist Julie Dermansky.
The sign for the El Sol Brillante garden at 522 East 12th Street
The garden and the beautiful wrought iron gates
(From the El Sol Brillante website)
El Sol Brillante Community Garden rose from the ashes of a demolished lot of four burnt-out buildings in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1977. Residents organized to create a garden that would revitalize the neighborhood, unite local leadership, and improve the quality of their environment. The original group of forty, with the help of a resident architect, the Horticultural Society of New York (gardening advice), the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service (gardening advice), and the CETA Summer Youth Corps (labor and jobs for kids) designed plans and with very little money and a great deal of sweat equity, a garden was born. In 1978, with the assistance of the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit land trust was created and the lot was acquired in 1980. A once rubble-filled lot became a thriving 1,000 square foot, 40-plot vegetable garden, a meeting place, and a preserved natural space for its members and their community.
Artist Julie Demansky is an American born artist. She graduated from Tulane Newcomb University with a concentration in ceramics and sculpture and was awarded the Watson Fellowship. She is known for her large scale metal work projects (NYC.gov).
A full view of those beautiful gates
As I walked down the street there were several small restaurants and gourmet shops that caught my attention. I did not have a chance to stop having eaten at another restaurant in the area for lunch. These will be for another visit.
I passed this cute little bakery that warrants a visit.
Turning on East 11th Street
When I turned onto East 11th Street, it was like an open air art museum with various tags and paintings that were both creative and colorful along the walls of the neighborhood.
East 11th Street in the Fall of 2025
I thought this bird piece by Grilla was pretty interesting on this window
Artist Grilla
(I could not find any information on this tagger/artist online)
I loved this tag. I thought it was pretty creative
On the side of this building on East 11th Street was another mural painted by artist Lesley Heathcote.
The mid nautical scene was created by Artist Lesley Heathcote
In 2007, Toyota provided funding to transform this site from a basic vegetable garden into an outdoor children’s learning experience, commissioning landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh for the design.
To prepare the garden for restoration, New York Restoration Project construction crews performed demolition and grading procedures on the site, cleared debris and garbage and installed various hardscape features. Over the course of six months, NYRP horticulture and design teams worked hand-in-hand with local residents and Van Valkenburgh to realize the community’s vision for this newly renovated gem, which includes four distinct habitat areas that NYRP and New York City educators can use to present environmental education programming to neighborhood youth.
Walking down East 11th Street on a crisp late Fall day
The weather got a little warmer in the afternoon and I was enjoying the weather. The leaves on the trees were changing as the weather got cooler and more brisk. The streets were quiet on this holiday week day.
The next park I passed was the Dry Dock Playground at Szold Place on 11th Street
The sign at the entrance of Dry Dock Playground on 11th Street
The playground had been very active with basketball games, birthday parties and barbecues when I was exploring the neighborhood in the summer months. There was non stop activity until September but very silent in the colder Fall months. I did not see anyone there except when I returned in March during my Spring Break visit and it was in the 70’s. Kids were out playing basketball.
The murals behind the closed gates
(I could not get a close enough view to see who the artist was on this mural)
The park sitting quiet in the colder months but comes alive with all sorts of neighborhood activity in the summer
The last garden I passed on the block as I finished was the 11 BC Serenity Garden at 626 East 11th Street.
The garden behind closed gates in the Fall of 2025
It was one of the few locked gardens on all three of my walks in the neighborhood. I could see the garden was going through the season change and would have to visit the garden again in the warmer months.
I got to East 10th Street by the late afternoon. I could see the changes of the late fall on the parks and gardens in the neighborhood.
Rounding East 10th Street near Tompkins Square Park for the last part of the walk that day
I walked through the empty Dry Dock Playground a couple more times as I rounded the neighborhood, through the quiet paths. The sounds of children and of adults barbecuing and birthday parties are the sounds I will hear in a few months when the warm weather comes.
The Dry Dock Playground by Avenue D in the quiet cooler months. It is a mob scene in the warmer months on the weekends.
The large ‘El Bohio Murals’ created by the Thrive Collective on the outside of the old public school
Thrive Collective creates hope and opportunity through arts, sports, and mentoring in and around public schools. Our core programs – Murals; RHYME (Rhymes Help Young Minds Excel); Media; Mentors; Festivals, and Sports – connect artists, youth workers, and volunteers with local schools as teaching artists, art directors, coaches, and mentors. Project based learning and accredited curriculum integrate life and art skills in four kinds of experiences: in-school electives, after school clubs, seasonal intensives, and weekend warriors.
My favorite section of the mural created by this talented group of artists
I came across this taggers art on one of the doorways
I came across this nature scene on the corner of East 11th Street
I thought this was really original and was beautifully designed and colored by the artist. It is also one of the few murals in the neighborhood that has not be covered over by other artists.
Joel Chico is an Actor, Writer, Director from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the creator of JMC Creative Endeavors, an artistic platform for his projects as a musician, poet, painter, photographer, and spiritual wisdom keeper. He is currently in the process of writing a poetry anthology, and his Cosmic Trilogy Feature screenplays (Artist bio).
I crossed Avenue D into the housing projects and came across the murals that were painted on the first floor of the housing complex. These colorful works were created by a series of artists working with Thrive Collective (see above) to decorate these rather plain walls in the housing complex.
The mural along the housing complex
The mural by Artist Miki Mu
Artist Miki Mu
Michela Muserra(known as “Miki Mu”) is an international muralist and illustrator based in Brooklyn. A graduate ofAccademia di Bella Artiin her hometown of Foggia, Italy, Michela launched Thrive Collective’s Private Murals Collection as an advanced apprenticeship for our most promising School Murals students and artists. Michela has worked as a teaching artist with Thrive Collective since January 2017 (From the artist website on Thrive Collective).
The last part of the mural on the other side of the building
This was my favorite part of the mural
This was painted by artist bebebsmbu88
The project is inspired by a sacred ceremonial mask carved from a coconut shell in the island of Puerto Rico. It’s called “Vejigante,” and it’s an important and iconic character portrayed in the carnival celebrations in the island. The artwork pays tribute to the HipHop and Caribbean culture presenting the characters in a modern context. The Coconut Mask is a metaphor for our ancestral connection to nature and spirituality (From the artist’s website website).
Artist Bebe Bambu88 (real name Gabriel Rosario Mongil)
The artist is originally from Santurce, Puerto Rico. Artist Gabriel Rosario Mongil aka Bebe Bambu is a designer and recording artist. Originally known for his graffiti work and slam poetry, being the author of several murals in Puerto Rico and Monterrey, MX. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras and received a scholarship to do his masters degree in graphic design and graduated from the University of Monterrey, MX in 2013/15. During this; he had his second solo exhibition, recorded his first solo album and started offering workshops for children in communities in need (From the artist’s website)
I finally reached the end of East 11th Street in the projects. Years ago you would never dream of walking through Jacob Riis complex. Now it is the cut through to East River Park by the hipsters and college students who have moved into the area.
I then rounded the corner and I was on East 10th Street and found myself in front of Topkins Square Park to passed peak foliage. Both during the holiday weekend and on my Spring Break, the park was busy. The park has come a long way since the 1980’s when it was all drugs and homelessness. It is now the center of the community for skateboarders, dog walkers, seniors getting rest and new parents spending time with their kids.
The brownstones and tenements around Tompkins Square
Tompkins Square Park was once one of the most notorious parks in New York City between the homeless and the drug dealing. Now it is mostly college students from the downtown schools and the neighborhood residents gentrifying the neighborhood. It was in the final stages of the fall foliage. This is where I would stop in November. It was a big neighborhood to walk.
Once the weather got colder and I got busier with the holidays so I had to put the walking in Alphabet City on hold for a few months. Who knew it was going to be one of the coldest winters in recent memory. I was not able to get back to walking the neighborhood until March of 2026 during my Spring Break from the college when the temperatures hit 75 degrees.
Between the cold weather and the recent snow storms with the foot of snow, who could or wanted to walk around New York City? Then Spring Break came at the college just as the Spring thaw started and the weather really warmed up. It seemed for two days the whole City, tired of the cold weather and snow, played hooky and were in Tompkins Square Park enjoying the weather.
From March 9th through the 10th in 2026, the weather warmed up into the mid 70’s and it gave me a chance to finish walking the neighborhood. The temperatures would go right back down to the 30’s and 40’s after that until mid-April. The warm weather gave me the opportunity during my Spring Break to finish walking the streets of the neighborhood.
I walked East 12th and 11th Streets again to get a feel for the neighborhood and see if anything changed. There was a lot I missed back in November as I had more time, with better sunlight and warm weather to take my time to explore the neighborhood.
I revisited some of the streets that I had walked over the Thanksgiving break and noted all the artwork and architecture that I missed on the first trip walking all the streets of the neighborhood.
I had not seen the mural of Run DMC on the wall of the apartment building on West 12th Street.
This meticulously designed garden features vibrant floral displays, tranquil pathways, and cozy seating areas, making it an ideal spot for relaxation and reflection. With its blend of nature and artful landscaping, 11 BC Garden invites everyone to enjoy a moment of peace amidst the city’s energy (From MapQuest.com)
The 11 BC Serenity Garden in the late winter months
The Gardens were just coming into bloom when I visited during my last visit. The temperatures were about 75 degrees at the time and things had just started to bloom.
I love the street art on the neighborhood walls. The heart cheered me up!
It is funny how just small painting could make you so happy. Paintings like this were located all over the neighborhood.
The Toyota East Children’s Learning Garden was one of the many gardens open during the warm spell
The Toyota East Children’s Learning Garden on a warm
Most of the gardens I visited, most were still coming into bloom. The Toyota East Children’s Garden was opened for about an hour when I visited. The park was quiet at the time while some volunteers were maintaining the gardens.
(History of the Garden from the New York Restoration Project)
In 2007, Toyota provided funding to transform this site from a basic vegetable garden into an outdoor children’s learning experience, commissioning landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh for the design.
To prepare the garden for restoration, New York Restoration Project construction crews performed demolition and grading procedures on the site, cleared debris and garbage and installed various hardscape features. Over the course of six months, NYRP horticulture and design teams worked hand-in-hand with local residents and Van Valkenburgh to realize the community’s vision for this newly renovated gem, which includes four distinct habitat areas that NYRP and New York City educators can use to present environmental education programming to neighborhood youth (NYRP).
While I was walking down East 11th Street, I noticed how much the neighborhood had changed over the years. The whole block was gentrified and looked really nice. What I was amazed by this was how expensive everything was in the neighborhood. As I was walking around the neighborhood, I noticed how expensive the bars and restaurants were around Tompkins Square Park. I thought they would be much cheaper in this part of the neighborhood.
Looking down 11th Street at Avenue A in the Winter. It was 76 degrees during the Spring thaw
After a long walk enjoying the sunshine while revisiting the last blocks I had visited before the holidays, I turned the corner on Avenue A and started to walk the remainder of the neighborhood.
While Alphabet City does not have the classic architecture or statuary of neighborhoods to the north, it’s streets are lined with creative and interesting street art and pocket neighborhood gardens showing the dedication of residents to better their community.
This is what gives the neighborhood its charm and why it has gotten more expensive to live here. I noticed in between all the former tenement buildings, there are plenty of luxury buildings that dot the neighborhood even at the borders of the once notorious Avenue D.
Turning the corner at Avenue A an East 10th Street
I rounded East 10th Street, I noticed this giant Buddha head outside someone’s home in their front garden. I thought this was quite unique.
Passing interesting art in people’s front gardens along East 10th Street
I walked through Tompkins Square Park several times watching the skateboarders performing their feats and college students sunning themselves. It seemed like the whole City had called out sick and just wanted to enjoy the weather in the park.
I walked past the rows of apartment buildings and small businesses and then walked around the park several times to see how people were Lo enjoying their afternoon. I then started my walk down East 9th Street past many more community gardens.
The Francisco ‘Pancho’ Ramos Community Garden at 703 East Ninth Street
The Lower East Side of the 1970s was a hard place with little green. Local residents noticed the abandoned, littered lot at the corner of Ninth Street and Avenue C and began to sow seeds and plants along the chain link and among the debris, and so the Ninth Street Community Garden & Park was founded in 1979. Today Pancho’s Garden hosts community events including music, art, and gardening workshops (Ramos Garden website).
The garden is half an acre of gorgeous flowerbeds, and vegetable gardens. Meandering pathways crisscross the park, follow them to the koi and turtle pond, fig arbor, or one of many quiet nooks that offer a cool quiet spot to read a book, have a chat with a friend, enjoy a cup of coffee, or just sit and enjoy a respite from The City (Ramos Garden website).
The Ramos Garden was open that afternoon to walk around as the gardeners were preparing the beds for the Spring. There was a lot going on around the small beds and gardens that lined the pathways. This garden stretched from East 10th to 9th Streets.
Walking along the pathways of the Ramos Community Garden on a sunny warm day
The artwork in the park
More of the interesting artwork in the garden
The Ramos Community Garden during the Spring Thaw was very active
While I continued my walk down the street, I saw how the neighborhood was reacting to the recent ICE raids going on not just in the City but all over the country. There were signs and graffiti all over Alphabet City and the border with the Lower East Side.
Artworks about ICE dotted the neighborhood
All over the place
As I walked down the street, I came across more street art dotting the walls of buildings around the neighborhood. This mural was with the theme of the Old West and Doc Holliday.
I thought this piece of street art with Doc Holiday and his crew was interesting
Joel Chico is an Actor, Writer, Director from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the creator of JMC Creative Endeavors, an artistic platform for his projects as a musician, poet, painter, photographer, and spiritual wisdom keeper. He is currently in the process of writing a poetry anthology, and his Cosmic Trilogy Feature screenplays (Artist bio).
I then rounded the corner and walked down East 9th Street as the weather got warmer. It got to 78 degrees by the mid-afternoon.
Walking down East 9th Street
Tompkins Square Park had gotten even busier in the late afternoon as dog walkers, skateboarders and seniors talking amongst themselves filled the park. It was funny how all the benches were filling up and it looked like everyone had called in sick at work. It was the first really warm day since the beginning of November of 2025 and everyone was enjoying this warm and sunny day.
Walking through Tompkins Square Park during the Spring Break
I stopped in the bathroom at the park, which is a good pit stop being one of the few places where there is a public bathrooms. While I was relaxing, I watched this singer in a Mondrian kimono perform David Bowen hits. I have to admit it was a bit strange but this is Alphabet City and the guy was very entertaining.
Pinc Louds’ lead singer, Claudi (all pronouns accepted), moved from Puerto Rico to NYC in 2015 to fulfill their dream of playing in the subway. This immersion into the city’s underground, performing daily for a steady stream of New Yorkers, sculpted the sound and look of the project (Band website).
Through the “litteral” underground, Claudi met the musicians (keyboard/bassist Marc Mosteirin and drummer Matt Dallal) and other artists that would turn Pinc Louds into the full-blown spectacle they are today. Busking in the parks and tunnels opened many doors for the band, who quickly gained a cult following and by 2018 were selling out shows in such NYC venues as (le) Poisson Rouge, Market Hotel and Joe’s Pub, as well as tours throughout the US, Puerto Rico, Europe and Chile (Band website).
It was an interesting concert
The David Bowie song ‘I just Dancing’
I sat in the park listening to the concert for about a half hour and relaxed through a few songs. I swear, this guy held this concert for over an hour because everytime I walked back through the park, crisscrossing through the various streets, he was still there singing.
I walked back and forth down the various streets, ending at Avenue D and walking through various parts of the complex. Most of public housing was under renovation so I was trying to avoid any scaffolding.
The corner of Avenue D and East 9th Street. How things have changed from the 1970’s and 80’s. The housing projects were under scaffolding around the entire complex. There were changes throughout the Jacob Riis Complex.
La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez Community Garden was founded in 1976 by local residents and greening activists who took over what was then a series of vacant city lots piled high with rubble and trash. In an effort to improve the neighborhood during a downward trend of arson, drugs, and abandonment common in that era, members of the Latino group CHARAS cleared out truckloads of refuse. Working with Buckminster Fuller, they built a geodesic dome in the open “plaza” and began staging cultural events. Green Guerillas pioneer Liz Christy seeded the turf with “seed bombs” and planted towering weeping willows and linden trees. Artist Gordon Matta-Clark helped construct La Plaza’s amphitheater using railroad ties and materials reclaimed from abandoned buildings (La Plaza website).
Later, block residents tilled the western portion of the space and planted vegetables, flowers, and fruit trees. During the 1980s, the garden came under attack by developers seeking to build on the space. After numerous court battles, La Plaza was finally preserved in 2002 as part of the terms of a legal settlement. In 2003, La Plaza was renamed in memory of Armando Perez, a CHARAS founder and former District Leader of the Lower East Side who was killed in 1999 (La Plaza website).
The Armando Perez Community Garden was one of the larger community gardens in the neighborhood
I walked all through the garden, watching the planting and seeding and cleanup going on. In the two days I visited the neighborhood, almost all the Community Gardens had opened their gates and volunteers could not wait to tackle the damage done by all the recent winter storms.
The inside of the gardens in the winter
Walking through the gardens in the winter
The view of the top of the garden in the winter time
The history and importance of these Community Gardens on these neighborhoods
As I left the Community garden, I walked past a series of interesting and creative pieces of street art along the walls and doors of the various buildings on the block.
A stand pipe with colorful works
I thought this was interesting
This stood out against the wall
I was not sure what this meant
In the late afternoon, I got to Avenue A and St. Mark’s Place (East 8th Street) and walked around the ‘Restaurant Row’ that was going strong between lunch and dinner. The bars were filled with college students from Pace and NYU enjoying the weather and all the outdoor cafes were set up. This was going strong from about 2:00pm until I left the neighborhood around 6:00pm.
Making the turn on St. Marks Street/East 8th Street
As I walked down Avenue A, I took a longer tour of Tompkins Square Park and saw the singer in the Mondrian kimono still singing. This guy put on an all day concert!
The concert was still going on over an hour later
It got even warmer that afternoon and someone said that it topped 75 degrees. I think more people played hooky that afternoon as the park was packed with students gossiping and dog owners watching their pooches play. The look of the park said ‘end of winter’ but the mood was ‘Yeah, Spring is finally here’. (It would go back down into the 30’s by the end of the week).
Tompkins Square Park in the afternoon
It was so nice to get the first glimpse of Spring before the temperatures would drop again at the end of the week.
People socializing in Tompkins Square Park
Whether it was listening to music, playing with their dogs or just reading a book or conversing with neighbors, people from the neighborhood were enjoying the snap of 70 degree weather as much as possible. They enjoyed being outside and wanted to enjoy it as much as possible.
Turning the corner of Avenue A and East 8th Street
The street art along East 9th Street is unique
The De Colores Community Yard & Cultural Center at 313 East 8th Street
De Colores Community Yard & Cultural Center is a vibrant community space located in New York NY. It serves as a hub for cultural activities gardening and educational programs fostering a sense of community and inclusivity. Visitors can enjoy a variety of events workshops and green spaces designed to celebrate diversity and promote environmental awareness (MapQuest.com).
The inside of the Community Garden
The garden was going through a major clean up the day I was there and the volunteers were leaving for the afternoon.
The Earth People Community Garden at 333 East 8th Street
Earth People Garden is a serene urban oasis located in New York, NY, designed to celebrate nature and community. This park features lush greenery, vibrant flower beds, and tranquil pathways, making it an ideal spot for relaxation and reflection. Visitors can enjoy various activities, from gardening workshops to community events, all while embracing the harmony between people and the environment (Mapquest.com)
The inside of the Community Garden in the winter
The Earth People Garden like most of the gardens in the neighborhood was closing for the evening as the volunteers were giving the garden a cleaning from the Winter storms. The garden was just starting to come back into bloom.
LaCasitaCommunity Garden, established in 1990, is primarily used by the community as an event and gathering space. To that end, the garden’s renovation in September 2014 included the installation of a raised, round stage where performances can be held; a new grill and picnic tables for barbecuing; a shaded seating area; and two sheds for storage. The backdrop of the stage is a chalkboard that can be used by the local elementary school for an outdoor classroom or even as a movie projection screen (NY Restoration website).
Funded by generous support from The Geraldine Stutz Trust, the Trust aims to remember Geraldine Stutz’s significant contribution to the fashion industry, her love of theatre as well as her passion for gardening. A fashion retail groundbreaker, Stutz served 29 years as president of Henri Bendel, the upscale women’s store (NY Restoration website).
The inside of the Community Garden
I was able to walk around this garden but there was not much to see at this point. I am going to have to return to the neighborhood in two months when things start growing again.
Street art along East 9th Street
This little devil was in the detail of this work
I thought this was very clever as these small works of art are tucked here and there on walls and doors on buildings all over the block.
The Green Oasis Community/Gilbert’s Garden at 372 East 8th Street
The gardens all over the neighborhood were open as everyone was enjoying the 75 degree weather and were working in these Community Gardens getting ready for the Spring. This garden was particular busy.
The signs were all out and people were enjoying the Spring weather
As the volunteers were cleaning the beds and trimming bushes and trees, I was able to walk around the gardens. They must be very impressive when they are in full bloom. This is one of the larger gardens in the neighborhood.
The History of the Garden:
(From the Green Oasis Community Garden website)
The New York City neighborhood known as the East Village experienced massive arson and destruction during the 1960s and 1970s. The area had been compared to Dresden, Germany after World War II. Rubble from bulldozed buildings lay in mounds, and garbage accumulated. Cars were abandoned. Rats were rampant. Drug use reached epidemic proportions. Drugs and crime made the neighborhood unsafe, but few areas were worse than the neighborhood east of Avenue B (Green Oasis Community Garden website).
The inside of the garden in the winter
Normand Valle moved to East Seventh Street between Avenues C and D. From his window, he looked down upon one of these blighted lots, and decided to do something about it. In 1981, Valle, an ex-Marine, and his life partner, Reinaldo Arana, began to undo the mess one brick and one piece of garbage at a time. At the same time, Gilbert Ingram (who lived nearby on 8th Street) had taken control of another piece of that same large lot, creating a sculpture garden where he carved found wood and stone and hosted friends and neighbors who dropped by for barbecues and sculpting lessons. Both gardens engaged neighborhood children to help with the clean-up and ultimate creation of a combined garden with communal and private vegetable plots; beehives; a grape arbor; a koi pond; dozens of now huge trees, flower beds of perennials and annuals and an iconic gazebo.Thus were Green Oasis and Gilbert’s Sculpture Gardens born (Green Oasis Community Garden website).
The signs outside the gates
From the beginning, the sister gardens’ mission has been to provide a safe, green haven for all people, but especially for the children who lived in that inhospitable environment. Mr. Arana was particularly interested in the theatre, so theatrical events abounded. Plays for children were written and performed. The first generation of Nuyorican poets read poetry; music was performed; the well-known Butterfly Release ceremony was held here during the all-garden pageant The Rites of Spring until its demise in 2006 (Green Oasis Community Garden website).
The beds in the gardens were being prepared for the season
The garden pays homage to the memory of Martin R. Celic (1952-1977), a young member of Ladder Company 18 who lost his life fighting a fire in the tenement that once stood here.
The Community Garden in the Winter
The Firemen’s Memorial Garden was closed for the day but I was able to take a peak inside before it got dark. Another garden to revisit in the Spring.
I got a kick out of this written on the wall but was not sure of who it referred to
Turning the corner of East 7th Street and Avenue A
I arrived in the middle of the neighborhood by the early afternoon and continued walking past the statue of Samuel Cox, who was making his presence known for all the neighborhood to see. I just don’t think anyone knew how he was anymore but the pigeons.
The statue of Samuel S. Cox stands guard at the southwest entrance of Tompkins Square Park
Samuel Sullivan “Sunset” Cox was born in Zanesville, Ohio, and served his home state as a Democratic Congressional representative from 1857 to 1865 before being unseated. After moving to New York in 1866, Cox served again in Congress for several terms from 1869 until 1889. Although Cox once publicly declared that his most satisfying contribution to public service was championing the Life Saving Service—founded in the 1840s to patrol the coasts and save imperiled boaters during bad weather, the group was absorbed into the Coast Guard in 1915—this statue is sponsored by U.S. Postal Service workers because of Cox’s support for their quality-of-life issues (NYCParks.org).
Artist Louise Lawson was an American born artist who studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and Cooper Union. She worked as an apprentice under several famous sculptures and was one of the first American female sculptures to have a professional career. She is known for her Neoclassical sculptures (Wiki).
Starting the walk down East 7th Street
I thought this was a beautiful detail on 193 East 7th Street
The Clyde Romero Memorial Garden at 213 East 7th Street
When Christine Datz and Clyde Romero met in 1986, they shared a deep passion for the environment and improving their neighborhood. With a people-powered approach to sustainability they launched the Lower East Side Ecology Center in 1987. Six years before New York City implemented a citywide recycling program, the Ecology Center was already leading the way. We established a community drop-off site at the 6th Street and Avenue B Garden, where locals could recycle paper, metal, glass, and plastic (LES website).
By 1990, we leased four city-owned, rubble-filled lots on East 7th Street. These 15,000 square feet became home to one of the city’s first community composting programs. Neighbors dropped off fruit and vegetable scraps, while volunteers collected food waste from health food stores and restaurants (LES website).
Over time, we transformed the lots into an attractive garden, demonstrating how the composting of food waste can improve quality of life and ecology on a community level. Now known as the Clyde Romero Memorial Garden, it is a 6,000 square-foot protected community garden (LES website).
The inside of the gardens in the winter time
The garden like most of the ones I visited that day were still in the stages of late Winter, awaiting Spring to come soon. A lot of work was being done in here.
Admiring the street art that lined East 7th Street
I saw this beautiful butterfly on the side of a school I don’t know why but it really cheered me up.
The butterfly sculpture
Walking down East 7th Street near Avenue D. It tells you how the neighborhood has changed.
I noticed one thing about the neighborhood, as you got to the lower streets there was more newer luxury housing mixed in with the old brownstones and apartment buildings. The streets had that classic ‘New York’ look to them.
The Sam & Sadie Koenig Garden at 237 East 7th Street
This small garden was one of the few that had been really maintained and looked like it had gotten its cleaning done already. The gates were locked in the early afternoon but you could still see through the gates.
As I was walking back to Avenue A, I passed a series of colorful and interesting street art, created by both commercial and street artists. This made the block look like an open air art gallery. There was lots of interesting street art to admire and try to interpret. There are some talented artists in the neighborhood.
Michi Meko is an American born artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, and installation, activating spray paint and found objects to create layered compositions. His gestures reflect an interplay between beauty and violence, rebellion and reflection, and past and future. Meko’s art interrogates themes of identity and resilience by offering an exploration of light, texture, and form (Mariane Ibrahim Gallery website).
The term TCK in the context of the Lower East Side most frequently refers to the TCK Crew, a prolific graffiti and street art collective. While the crew is widely known for their work in Berlin. The TCK Crew is primarily recognized for “non-stop train” graffiti and raw, urban style writing (Brooklyn Street Art website)
I finally reached East 6th Street by the late afternoon and it got hotter outside. It got to 75 degrees on the Monday of my Spring Break and I was tempted to wear shorts the next day. It was so weird in that it was 36 degrees the week before. This weather was a result of the annual Spring Thaw and God knows we needed it.
The corner of East 6th Street and Avenue A
As I rounded East 6th Street, I saw this beautiful mural on the side of a restaurant but I could not find any artist name on the painting. It is a nice painting and I thought it was a nice compliment to the building.
The street art the lined the side of a restaurant on the corner of Avenue A and East 6th Street
As I walked down East 6th Street, it was a whirlwind of street art and tagging. Some the most unique art filled the walls, doorways and stairs of many of the buildings, especially the store fronts that stood empty. The neighborhood is still going through that transition but you are reminded there is still a creative vibe here.
The interesting street graffiti on the doors of buildings
This was on a garbage can cover
This tagging was on one of the doors
This was along one of the walls
The I passed 630 East 6th Street which stood out among the small buildings in the area. This is the former Pencer House Building that was built in 1900. It is a now a rental building (Street Easy.com).
The building was originally one of the Children’s Aid Society’s schools, donated by Emily Sloane Vanderbilt, the granddaughter of the Commadore. the Society turned to the architectural firm of Vaux & Radford, which would eventually design 12 Children’s Aid Society projects.Calvert Vaux, best known for his work in designing Central Park, had partnered with George Kent Radford in 1872.The Sixth Street School building would follow the same lines as their other Children’s Aid Society buildings—a blend of Victorian Gothic and Flemish Revival styles (DaytonianinManhattan.com).
The beautiful architecture really stands out among the other buildings on the block. The building has now been fully renovated and the outside restored. As I walked further down the street, more community gardens were tucked here and there on the block.
The 6BC Garden on East 6th Street between Avenues B and C more than lives up to the standards of its neighborhood. Founded in 1981, the garden began as a traditional organization – its members maintained their own plots while contributing to community spaces. A shift in leadership and the decision to incorporate, led to changes in 1995 (6BC Garden website).
6BC became an official botanical garden, the first and only one in Manhattan devoted to bio-diversity, horticultural education, neighborhood beautification, and community programming. 6BC was assigned to parks in 1999, a move that safeguards the land’s status as a green space while leaving administration, leadership and maintenance of the garden in the hands of its members (6BC Garden website).
The 6B Botanical Garden in the Winter
I was able to take a quick walk around the garden before the volunteers called it an afternoon. I really liked the paths of plants and artwork. Another place to visit in the Spring.
Walking down East 6th Street
I liked the classic look of East 6th Street. It is so classic ‘Old New York” with new stores and restaurants opening all over the place.
Our garden began as this tenement building at 530 East 6th St. It’s the building in this circa 1940 photo with the stairway and the truck parked in front. Through the 50’s and early 60’s several buildings on this block became abandoned. Some were renovated, some homesteaded and a few were totally demolished. The building that occupied our site burned in the early 70’s and was demolished soon thereafter. Immediately following, the land was marked for a community garden and in 1978 opened as the Creative Little Garden (Creative Little Garden website).
In the early 80’s Françoise Cachelin started the garden and under her leadership the lot was leased to the Parks Department and Greenthumb. She was an outspoken and staunch supporter of individual and community rights, and without her our garden would not be here today. Françoise passed away in 2003, but we continue to take inspiration from this former member of the French Resistance and spirited advocate for the rights of downtown residents (Creative Little Garden website).
The Creative Little Garden in the Winter
The garden’s gates were open but I didn’t see anyone. I ventured in to look around. I liked the organized beds and places to sit. This will be a fun place to visit when the weather gets warmer.
Walking through the Creative Little Garden in the Winter time
What I liked about this garden was the contemporary artwork that lined the walls. I thought this was really interesting.
Artwork in the Garden
I also liked the way it was landscaped. I liked the paths and rock gardens. The trees and bushes were awaiting the warmer weather to fully bloom.
The garden is so nicely designed and fun to walk through in the Winter
I rounded East 5th waiting to see what interesting things I would find on this block. It was early evening as the sun started to go down. Daylight Savings time had started and it was still light out around 7:00pm. I was also getting tired. I walked down the first two blocks before I called it quits. I passed a series of community gardens dotted the block.
The Sage Garden Community Garden at 281 East 4th Street
The Sage Community Garden is a vibrant green space nestled in New York, NY, offering a peaceful retreat amidst the bustling city. This community-driven garden is dedicated to fostering collaboration and sustainability, where local residents come together to cultivate various plants, flowers, and vegetables. With its colorful blooms and lush greenery, the garden provides a welcoming environment for relaxation, learning, and community gatherings (Mapquest.com).
The Sage Community Garden in the Winter
The Sage Garden was closed for the evening that I was there but I was able to peek through the fence and see what was going on.
I quit around 6:30pm. I was exhausted and out of shape because of the Winter of not walking around. The last traces of snow were melting during the first real day of the thaw and I decided to head down to Chinatown for dinner and continue the next morning. It was going to be in the high 70’s and a perfect day for the walk. Chinatown was busy for a Monday as people had the same idea that I had about being outside. I knew where I was heading for lunch.
Mott Street in Chinatown in the early evening on a 70 degree evening
I decided to return to North Dumpling at 23 Division Street for an early evening snack. I ordered their delicious homemade Wonton Soup and an order of their Steamed Pork and Chive Dumplings. This has become my new ‘to go’ place. I love both the food and the prices.
Dinner that evening at North Dumpling at 23 Division Street
My early dinner hit the spot as the soup really warmed me up and had a rich chicken taste. The homemade wontons were light as air.
The homemade Wonton Soup at North Dumpling
The Steamed Pork and Chive Dumplings are made right in front of you behind the front counter
After dinner, I stopped at a new bakery on Division Street that I had not noticed before on Division Street, Cardio Bakery at 51 Division Street. I just needed something sweet to complete the meal. I settled on a moist and chewy sugar doughnut. I loved the selection of baked goods here and plan on returning soon.
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
The selection at Cardio Bakery in the early evening
I needed something sweet after dinner and I didn’t want to walk to the other side of the neighborhood to some of my favorite bakeries. That is until I walked down the block from the restaurant and came across Cardio Bakery. It must have just opened because I had not noticed it before. There was so much to choose from but I was still stuffed from dinner so I settled on a sugar doughnut. It was an excellent choice.
My selection, a sugar doughnut
Yum!
After a whole afternoon of looking at street art all over Alphabet City, I walked around Chinatown and admired the street art in Chinatown. These are some of my favorite ones that I saw as I enjoyed my dessert. There are so many talented taggers in the neighborhood.
This was on one of the doors
I thought this was unique
I took the subway home that evening. I had not realized how out of shape I was after a winter of not walking around. I shoveled plenty of snow but not done much walking. The moment I sat down, I stiffened up and it was a long walk through the Port Authority.
I felt much better Tuesday morning and it really warmed up and the weather topped 78 degrees and sunny that day. I was off and running early to get back in the City and enjoy the sunshine while finishing walking the neighborhood. I started where I left off.
Finally making it to East 5th Street
I had walked all of East 5th Street the night before which is an unusual block because they built an elementary school at Avenue B that cuts one part of the neighborhood from the other. Then a series of low rise public housing was built that surrounds the back of the school. So you have to walk a combination of both East 5th and East 4th Streets.
Walking down East 5th Street on a sunny, warm morning
Passing the Secret Garden at 293 East 4th Street as I had to walk around East 4th Street to get to the extension of East 5th Street
I start the second day of my walk back at the Secret Garden which was closed for the day but I could again peek through the fencing. Spring had not come to the garden but it will soon.
The Secret Garden in the Winter
You have to walk around the Lower East Side II complex to complete the neighborhood. This is built around M 364 The Earth School.
Walking around the Lower East Side II housing behind the M364 School
Alfredo Bennett, professionally known as The Royal “Kingbee” is a NYC artist. He was born in Harlem and raised in The Bronx in the early 70’s. He began his career painting graffiti on walls until gathering recognition and eventually being commissioned to perform his artistic abilities all throughout the city of New York. The artist went to JF Kennedy High School in the Bronx (BX 200 Artist.com).
The art was not just limited to the murals that looked more professionally done. The taggers showed their creativity on the closed gates of the businesses and the walls of the buildings around the Avenue.
The Garden of the Humanities at 270-272 East 4th Street
The Generation X Cultural Garden, located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is a community garden that was founded in 1971. The garden features Geoblock paving for all-ability access, a masonry retaining wall for additional planting areas, and a mini urban orchard with nectarine, pear, peach, and apple trees. The garden also hosts cultural programming related to the Latino community and collaborates with Greenmarket farmers, Youth market displays, and TAiNO arts and crafts (Mapquest.com).
The garden in the winter time
The snow was still melting in the back of the garden as temperatures hit about 80 degrees that day.
The ‘Success’ mural in the schoolyard
I was not about to get close enough to see how the artist was on this interesting mural at the track at PS 15.
Admiring the street art on East 5th Street
It was a return and straight run down East 4th Street, having just covered most of it walking around the elementary school. The weather at this point had just hit 78 degrees, making it very pleasant to walk around without a jacket on. Mother Nature was tricking us with this early Spring weather during the Spring Thaw but with the number of people hanging out in Tompkins Square Park, it looked like most of the neighborhood was playing ‘hooky’ from work.
Turning the corner at East 4th Street
East 4th Street like most of the neighborhood was like an open air museum. There was a lot of interesting street art to see.
The interesting street art along the wall at East 4th Street
The Memorial Murals along East 4th Street
(I could not find the artist on this piece)
The Memorial Murals along East 4th Street
(I could not find the artist on this mural)
The back of the El Jardin Del Paraiso Community Garden at 710 East 5th Street
(From the El Jardin Del Paraiso Community Garden website)
The stage is set for the reemergence of community gardens during this time due to three factors: a large influx of immigrants, predominantly from agrarian cultures; the movement of many city-dwellers to the suburbs; and the deactivation of many fire houses due to dwindling city budgets. The result of the is a dramatic increase in burned-out vacant lots. These empty lots become the territory of drug dealers and the dumping grounds for rubble and toxic wastes and yet they bring a new openness to this area of Manhattan (El Jardin website).
Two movements worked to bring green spaces to the neighborhood of the Lower East Side: the homesteading and the gardening movements. Homesteaders work to rehabilitate buildings. Gardeners removed the rubble and turn the soil, reclaiming the vacant lots. El Jardín del Paraíso is founded by these two groups who were inspired by the idea that the space was large enough to be a park and a community garden.1973 — Liz Christy founds the Green Guerillas, a grass-roots organization dedicated to aiding neighborhoods and providing guidance and education in the of new community gardens. The organization recognizes the need for city involvement and lobbies for formal recognition. It is believed that Liz planted El Jardín del Paraíso’s existing two Weeping Willow trees (El Jardin website).
Walking along a very gentrified stretch of Alphabet City along East 4th Street
I came across the very colorful mural on the side of Public School 15 at 333 East 4th Street. I thought this was really interesting and I bet no one really notices it.
This was all done in tiles and I thought this was very interesting. The only thing I could find out about it was it was created in the early 1980’s by some local artists.
Reaching the edge of the neighborhood at Avenue D. I could not believe how this neighborhood has changed in thirty years.
Walking down the street, I could not believe how many luxury condos have been built on the side streets of the neighborhood about a block from the housing projects. How things have changed in this neighborhood since the first time I walked in it in 1994. There have been so many improvements in the last twenty years.
The Orchard Alley Community Garden at 350 East 4th Street
Orchard Alley is a quaint establishment nestled in the heart of New York City, offering a unique blend of artisanal goods and services. With a focus on community engagement and sustainability, Orchard Alley provides a welcoming space for individuals to connect, create, and explore (Mapquest.com).
The inside of the garden in the winter
The Orchard Ally Community Garden was also closed that day but I could see it from the fence and see the work going on in the garden. The next garden I passed was the Parque de Tranquilidad Garden at 314-318 East 4th Street. It was also locked that afternoon but I could see the garden through the gates.
The Parque de Tranquilidad Community Garden at 314-318 East 4th Street
(From the Parque de Tranquilidad Community Garden website)
The garden was started in 1979 when neighbors cleared out the lots and started the garden by planting vegetables and flowers. Parque de Tranqilidad was purchased together with other sixty three gardens city wide by the Trust for Public Land. In 2004 it became one of the fourteen gardens when The Manhattan Land Trust was founded. Garden Members take care of this little park all year long.
The inside of the garden
You could see the coming of Spring through the fencing.
I have seen this artist’s work all over the City
I saw this interesting mural along East 4th Street by Avenue A “Teach One Teach One”
I loved the details on the mural
Another look at the mural
I could not find the artist for this work but I thought it was one of the best murals that I had seen on my walk in Alphabet City. I loved the vibrance of the colors.
It looked a fairy peeking through of the woods
Rounding the East 3rd Street at the end of the day
Walking down East 3rd Street
East 3rd Street is the last full block of the neighborhood with just part of East 2nd Street extending into the neighborhood. The Los Amigos Community Garden at 221 East 3rd Street was also closed for the afternoon but I could see it through the fence.
The Los Amigos Community Garden at 221 East Third Street
The American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) is dedicated to the promotion and support of community gardening efforts across the United States. With a focus on networking, education, and resource sharing, the ACGA serves as a vital hub for community gardeners and leaders, fostering resilience and collaboration within urban ecosystems (Mapquest.com).
The Los Amigos inside
It looked like people had been working that afternoon. This was the same with the Brisas Del Caribe Community Garden at 237 East 3rd Street. It was locked in the later afternoon.
The Brisas Del Caribe Community Garden at 237 East 3rd Street
The Brises del Caribe Garden is a 90 x 24 plot of land located at 237 East 3rd Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. In 1986 this land was an abandoned city owned lot inhabited by rats, drug addicts and dealers, and strewn with refuse and toxic wastes. The garden was born thanks to the efforts of Mary and Angel Aponte, a neighborhood couple, who cleared out the garbage and told the addicts to go elsewhere (Earth Celebrations website).
The community group Green Guerrillas gave a lot of assistance to the Apontes in the beginning. In addition, they received many letters and petitions of support from the community board, the Church and other local community groups. When Operation Green Thumb and the City saw what had been accomplished in the garden, they agreed to a year-to-year lease for the Apontes, claiming it could only be year-to-year because the City might decided to sell the land (Earth Celebrates website).
The gardens in the early Spring
The garden was closed for the day when I walked the neighborhood as was the All People’s Garden at 293 East 3rd Street. Most of these gardens would be open in late April and early May when things would be blooming again.
The All People’s Garden Community Garden at 293 East Third Street
All People’s Garden Inc. was created as a not for profit organization in 1978 by former VISTA volunteer Olean Cowart For a community organizer who work with the neighborhood community development organization known as Interfaith Adopt-A- Building, Inc. The garden was fashion out of a vacant site owned by the City of New York, and was strewn with discarded rubbish. With the help of the community and other volunteers, slowly remove the debris and create the beginning of a community garden space (All People’s Garden Inc. website).
In 1979 with the support of the Council on The Environment of the City of New York (now known as GROWNYC), a plan to open the garden for community use was also supported by the then Mayor Ed Koch and Ms. Liz Chrystie the pioneer for the first community garden on East Houston Street and the Bowery. All People’s Garden is the first Grow NYC’s PLANT-A-LOT garden in New York City. At the opening Mayor Ed Koch with Liz Chrystie plant a ceremonial Rose Bush. The ceremony was conducted to symbolize the working coordination of the City of New York in the beginning of the redevelopment of the Lower East side community open space and housing (All People’s Garden Inc. website).
Street art along East 3rd Street
I continued my walk down East 3rd Street admiring all the street art. There were so many interesting pieces to see all over the block. Just look at all the walls as you past the buildings.
Kenkeleba House was founded in 1974 by Joe Overstreet, Corrine Jennings and Samuel C. Floyd to support African American culture. Kenkeleba began its work on The Bowery near Delancey in New York City with experimental projects to assist African American, Caribbean,and African artists in developing and documenting their work. Early projects included exhibitions and experiments with poetry, music, visual arts, workshops in dance, theater, children’s programs and African markets. The name, Kenkeleba is derived from that of the Seh-Haw plant grown in West Africa, and known for its spiritual, nutritional and healing values (Kenkeleba House website).
The inside of the garden
The garden was also closed that afternoon but I could see the artwork in the garden.
When I stopped to get a Coke at a deli around the corner, I saw this mural of the Ramones that I thought was so cool. I know that they had played clubs around here so it was the perfect honor for the singing group now that most have them have passed away.
Ireland born artist Solus found creativity key to keep him inspired and on the right track. Embracing natural talent and keen eye using spray paint as his main medium, leaving his mark in Europe, America, and Asia on walls, canvas and sculpture. He has exhibited in various international solo shows in America, Canada, and Paris (Artist Bio).
The artist Solus
I passed even more community gardens along East 3rd Street, most of the closed during the day. Like of other gardens, some volunteers were cleaning out the gardens and preparing the beds for seeding.
Miracle Garden is a unique establishment in New York, NY that offers a serene and enchanting environment for visitors to explore. With its diverse collection of flora and carefully curated landscapes, Miracle Garden provides a peaceful retreat for individuals seeking a moment of tranquility amidst the bustling city (Mapquest.com).
The inside of the garden in the early Spring
The Miracle Garden was being cleaned during my walk in the neighborhood.
Walking down East 3rd Street near Avenue A
Street art by Avenue A
(I could not find the artist to this work or it may be multiple artists)
Walking down East 2nd Street
I finally got down to the last street of the neighborhood, the extension of East 2nd Street. I was tired by the time I got to this last block.
Walking down East 2nd Street
Walking down my last block in Alphabet City, East 2nd Street. This block borders Little Italy, Chinatown, the Bowery and the Lower East Side once you cross Houston Street.
One of the street murals on East 2nd Street
The Kenkeleba House Garden at 212 East Third Street on the back side of the gardens
The garden facing East 2nd Street in the early Spring
I then passed the neighborhood firehouse and its memorial to my fellow Brothers who died on 9/11. This was very touching and still pretty raw to me.
The one thing I admired was the dedication to the brave members who lives were lost on that tragic day. I was not sure who the artist was on this work but I think it was firefighter Michael “Mikey” Borriello, who is also the resident artist at Engine 28, Ladder 11. He has created art all over the firehouse.
Their touching tribute to their fallen brothers on 9/11
Peach Tree Garden is a quaint and charming establishment nestled in the heart of New York City. Specializing in providing a serene and peaceful environment for guests to relax and unwind (Mapquest.com).
The garden in the early Spring
This was one of the few community gardens that looked like it was ready to start blooming.
Looking down Avenue D at East 2nd Street. How things have changed since the 1970’s and 80’s
I finally made it to the edge of Alphabet City. This is looking up Avenue D from East 2nd Street and the edge of East Houston Street.
Walking down the tiny section of East 2nd Street
The park lining East 2nd Street was still in Winter mood when I passed it in March. It was in full bloom when I was walking the Avenues back in August so it was nice to see the contrasts in the seasons.
262 East 2nd Street was one of the more distinct buildings in the neighborhood
One of the few buildings that stood out in the neighborhood among the low rise tenement buildings, brownstones and new luxury building was 262 East 2nd Street with its elegant embellishments and faces staring back at you. I had not seen this since I left the Flatiron District a year ago. You have to look up to see all the beautiful stonework. This unique looking building was built in 1920 and recently was converted to luxury condos (Streeteasy.com).
The detail work the windows all around the building
I wrapped up the visit to the neighborhood by walking the very edges of the area, seeing the locked gates of the community gardens and an abundance of street art.
It was established in 1996 by artists Peter Cramer and Jack Waters, who wanted to create a queer public space in the city. Peter Cramer and Jack Waters had been artistic collaborators in New York since the 1980s. They became co-directors of ABC No Rio space after curating an art exhibition there together and both joined theVisual AIDScollective. The garden site on 2nd Street had been an auto chop shop before that was demolished. Cramer and Waters built the garden together, in 1996 (Wiki.org).
The inside of the garden
The garden was being prepared for the Spring and I was able to sneak a peek inside to see some of the artwork that was pretty interesting. It will be cool to see it when it is in full bloom and get to see some of the other art up close.
The artwork around the fencing
Walking down the block was lined with all sorts of metal works and murals heading back towards Avenue A and the heart of the East Village. Various artists works boldly displayed on the walls of businesses and buildings. Unique works that stood out.
The metal work on one the buildings
Artwork on the sidewalk
The mural on the corner of East 2nd Street and Avenue A
The artist Slim Storm
(I could not find any information on the artist)
The Heart of NYC
The artist Bio TATS Cru
Wilfredo “Bio” Feliciano is also a founding member of the world famous art collective known as Tats Cru “The Mural Kings” originally known as TAT Cru founded by Brim, Mack and Bio in the eighties.
Wilfredo “Bio” Feliciano’s work has been featured in many publications, movies, music videos and documentaries throughout his career. He has also painted in numerous countries over the past 30 years, invited by different organizations. Bio has collaborated with many of the top graffiti artists in the world from past to present day. He has also lectured at M.I.T. and various universities in the United States.
I finally finished walking the entire Alphabet City neighborhood around 5:00pm. It had been a long but productive two days. I could not believe the number of community gardens in the neighborhood. I was lucky it had been warm out so I got to see many of them but will have to revisit when everything comes into bloom. Right now they still hold tight to the end of Winter but I have seen in the neighborhood in August when everything is green.
For dinner that evening, I went to Two Boots Pizzeria, where I had not eaten in a decade. I went there years ago with my best friend when the neighborhood was a bit more scratchy. This is a neighborhood institution and the pizza was still wonderful. (I just read though that the original location will be closing on May 26th, 2026 after an agreement on the rent with the landlord fell through and the owner will be moving to a new location soon).
Two Boots Pizzeria at 42 Avenue A. This is its original location of the current chain of pizzerias. (It will be closing on May 26th, 2026).
I forgot how funky this place looked inside. One thing I remember was how good the pizza was and the selection of pizzas they had available that evening were rather interesting.
The pizza selection in the case
I looked through the case at the different toppings of pizza and I eyed the Cajun slice which was topped with gumbo ingredients items such as spicy sausage and shrimp. The pizza has a brown sauce instead of the traditional red tomato sauce. It was out of this world! I never had such a unique slice than this.
Finally able to sit down and relax
A slice of Cajun Pizza with a Coke
I chose a slice of Cajun pizza with sauteed shrimp and andouille sausage with Cajun seasonings. It had the most amazing flavor and one of the best slices of pizza I had had in a long time.
The Cajun Pizza was amazing and so full of flavor
Yum!
I had an interesting time in Alphabet City. It reminded me of how much the City has changed in thirty years. It never looked so good. Was that good for a neighborhood with such a storied past? It shows how the City just keeps changing.
While the neighborhood is much cleaned up since I remember it in the 1990’s, it still retains that funky independent vibe to it . Let’s see what happens in the future in an ever changing City as the tentacles of NYU keep stretching over this neighborhood. Will they adapt to it or will the neighborhood adapt to them? Just like every other neighborhood in Manhattan, I will just keep walking.
The members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Association at the April Meeting
On a rainy Sunday afternoon, the members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home added a little cheer to the residents of the NJ State Firemen’s Home with refreshments and entertainment.
We started with our monthly meeting with reports on our ongoing fundraising drive to raise money for the organization and the plans for our Summer picnics which are coming up quickly in both June and August. Hopefully the cold weather of these tough Winter months are behind us.
We are having a very successful fundraising year and want to say a big “Thank You” to all the fire companies in Bergen County who are donating to us. This is making a big difference in the programming and events that we can offer the residents here. It is your donations that help create all these wonderful events that the residents and their families enjoy.
The afternoon’s entertainment was performer Gigi, who sang country and contemporary hits, which the residents loved.
Gigi singing to the crowd
Gigi, who performed a songbook of country and contemporary hits that we along with the residents enjoyed. One of the crowd favorites especially to those residents, who have Italian blood in them was the song, “That’s Amore”. This really got the residents and their families pepped up!
‘That’s Amore‘
Gigi engaging the crowd
One of the contemporary songs she sang to the crowd was “You can’t hurry Love” by the Supremes. It was a nice send off for the afternoon.
‘You can’t hurry Love’
It was a really nice afternoon and everyone had a nice time. We are now looking forward to excellent weather and everyone having a nice time at the barbecue.
Here is Gigi’s business card and information to contact her if you like the video’s:
If you like the songs and concert, here is Gigi Onofrio’s contact information. We have such great afternoon concerts up at the home and the residents love her.
If you would like to make a donation to our organization, please send it to:
BCFHA
C/O Jeff Parma
277 Harriott Avenue
Harrington Park, NJ 07640
Please make the checks out to the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association
Our 2026 Meeting Schedule:
All our meetings at the home start at 12:00pm at the NJ State Firemen’s Home in Boonton, NJ:
February 15th
April 19th
June 13th (June Barbecue)
August 15th (August Barbecue)
October 18th
December 6th (Annual Christmas Party)
A big “Thank you” from The Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association Executive Board 2026
The Meadowlands Museum is the main steward of the history and culture of the Meadowlands region and one of its leading storyteller.
The sign welcoming you
Its mission and collection, which resides in the Yereance-Berry House in southern Bergen County in Rutherford, NJ are distinctive and unique. The house too is a historic treasure and landmark and was built in 1804 by the Berry family, who were among the county’s earliest European settlers.
The front of the museum in the Spring of 2026
Rooms in the three-level American Dutch farmhouse are alive with permanent and temporary exhibits and sometimes include loaned objects from other museums and private collections. Historical artifacts like archives and photographs are mingled with textiles, furniture, housewares and artwork.
The display on the history of area
There is even correspondence by the daughters of John Rutherfurd, a close confidant of George Washington.
The display in the local artifacts
The gardens outside in the Spring of 2016
Grounds include the William Carlos Williams Poetry Garden, which acknowledges the legacy of Rutherford’s most famous native and the town’s history as a cultural center.
The everyday products of the Meadowlands Museum
Founder in 1961 as the Rutherford Junior Museum by parents of school age children to help connect them to their community, the museum is staffed by professionals assisted by dedicated volunteers and involved trustees. Interns add to the rich resource of individuals who contribute to its present and future.
A recent commercial developed by my Business 101 Class for the Meadowlands Museum for the project “Rocking it in Rutherford: Being a Tourist in your own Town”
The location of the Yereance-Berry House suggests a colonial farm dating to 1740. The oldest house in south Bergen County in close to original condition, it was part of the Historic American Building Survey project of the 1930’s. The building is also listed on the state and national registers of historic places and the Bergen County Stone House Survey.
The Yereance-Berry House is the now the Meadowlands Museum
Affiliated organization include the American Alliance of Museums, American Association for State and Local History, Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey Association of Museums and The National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Programming & Community Service:
Free and reasonably priced services for individuals, community groups, businesses, government bodies and educational institutions are available.
*Educational programs, lectures and traveling exhibits.
The ‘Historic Rutherford Homes’ exhibition at the museum in 2026
The Historic Homes exhibition
The Historic Homes exhibition
*Customized on and off site programs.
*Collaborative ventures with a wide range of partners.
*Assistance with academic research and other archival support.
Special Events:
Special events, which often are made possible by partnerships with businesses and other organizations, are an additional way for visitors of all ages to enjoy the museum. Public and private events occur on a regular or one-time basis; many are fundraisers. Call or email for a current calendar and sponsorship possibilities. The house hosts both permanent and special exhibits.
Our permanent exhibits include:
*Yereance Berry House: During the Spring of 2026.
The outside of the museum
*Pre-electric kitchen: This unique kitchen in the basement shows off the collection of equipment that would be used in the kitchen from the Civil War to the 1950’s. There are coffee grinders, whisks, wash boards and such. It showed how much effort was put into preparing the family meal through the ages.
The Farm Kitchen of Bergen County
The Farm Kitchen at the Turn of the Century
*Meadowlands Geology: there are all sorts of rocks and gems not just from the area but all over the state. There are two different rooms one of the specimens locally and there is a separate room for glowing stones. It is very interesting to see when the lights are out.
The Mineral Collection at the Meadowlands Museum
The fluorescent Zinc display
The Mining Display
*Mining in South Bergen: This is how the county has changed when we mined ore.
The Mining Display at the Meadowlands Museum
The Mining Display
The Mining Display
*19th century Laundry Room: The Laundry room that is located in the basement has many of the things our grandparents would have used. The washboards, scrub bushes, old washing machines and ringers. Washing clothes was much harder back then.
The Wash Room of the Turn of the Century
*The wonderful Toy Exhibition of turn of the last century toys and from the 1960’s 70’s and 80’s. This contains Dolls, Board Games, play things and instruments:
The Toy Collection fascinates kids of all ages
The Factory Toys display
The wonderful toy factory in Kearny, NJ that used to produce all these wonderful toys.
The Toy Display
The Toy Display
The Doll display
The Doll display
The ‘Brownies’ display in the Toy Room
*The Bergen County Farm display:
Farming in the County in the past
The Farm display
The home Spinning Wheel display
Spinning Wheel display
The new Turn of the Century Furnace display
*Horse elevator
Recent special exhibits have included:
*High school football
*Needlecraft
*Steampunk
*Medical Innovations
*Maps of the region
*Civil Rights
*Dr. Williams’ Babies
Dr. William’s display
Dr. Williams display
Dr. William’s display
Dr. William’s display
Dr. William’s display
*World War I
Special Events:
Scarecrow Day 2018:
I went to the recent Scarecrow Day on October 20, 2018 where guests of the museum created their own scarecrows using their own creativity. All the scarecrows were lined up facing the street with their interesting clothes and accessories.
Each person got to use their own clothes and each one had its own style to it. It was fun watching the families show their creativity at this annual event.
Scarecrow Day at the museum in 2018
Scarecrow Day in 2021: the winners of the contest for best Scarecrow
I also stopped by for the Dutch Christmas decorations. The museum was decorated for the holidays with garland and trees. On December 1st, they had a Dutch Christmas festival (I could not attend) with food and entertainment.
Celebrating the Easter Holidays in 2026
Help tell the story…
(from the museum website)
Individuals who value the purpose and work of the Meadowlands Museum remain its inspiration and abiding spirit. Donations, memberships, sponsorship’s, grants and fundraisers are crucial elements of the museum’s financial well-being.
Admission to the museum is free but donations are greatly appreciated. Fees for events and other services vary. A personal letter to the appropriate person acknowledges a gift made in the name of an individual. Donations to provide for the buildings and grounds are valuable links to the future and a kind of giving that is among the museum’s top priorities.
Disclaimer: This information was taken directly from the Meadowlands Museum’s pamphlet. For information on the site, please call or email the museum for more information.
My Bergen Community College Team Project in 2022:
Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.-Rocking it in Rutherford:
My Business 101 class at Bergen Community College Lyndhurst branch visit in the Spring of 2022 for the project “Rocking it in Rutherford: Be a Tourist in your own Town”.
For Spring Semester in 2022, my Business 101-Introduction to Business class made a weekend visit to the Meadowlands Museum for the project “Rocking it in Rutherford-Be a Tourist in your own Town”. We were promoting the museum to increase tourism with a fundraiser and a barbecue. So on the weekend, I took my Team to the museum to tour it for extra credit. They ended up learning a lot about not just the museum but the history of Rutherford and Bergen County, NJ.
The project was promoting the Town of Rutherford for Domestic and Foreign Tourism and created a fundraiser and modernization of displays for the museum. This is a copy of the project, presentation and Commercials.
The Team Project “Rocking it in Rutherford: Be a Tourist in your own Town”:
Who says there’s nothing to do in the cold months? It all depends on how much you want to bundle up and enjoy the outdoors.
The last weekend of the ‘Monet & Venice’ showing at the Brooklyn Museum brought me out to Brooklyn on a sunny but chilly Saturday afternoon recently. I knew there would be crowds at the Brooklyn Museum as everyone was probably thinking of doing the same (at the end of the visit I found this to be true) so I got to the museum by noon and got tickets to the first slot open at 2:30pm.
Since I had a couple of hours until my tour of the exhibit, I decided to tour the Brooklyn Botanic Garden next door. There were no walking tours that day and the gardens were under a foot of snow from the recent storm. There was a quiet beauty of all the snow and the way it fell and shined in the sun all over the gardens. There were no lines or crowds (like the recent lightshow a few weeks earlier), so I had the gardens pretty much to myself.
The first stop on my walk was the Japanese Gardens, which has I had visited recently for the lightshow and experienced the fantastic musical display. The pond now sat under snow and ice and still it was impressive looking.
Walking through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden next to the Japanese Gardens
The Japanese Gardens in the early afternoon
The inside of the Japanese Gardens in the middle of winter. It was such a spectacular view of the pond.
The beauty of the snow covered pool
Another view of the Garden
I never realized how beautiful the Japanese Gardens were in the winter. The sun shines so nicely on the snow covered trees. It was just as beautiful snow covered as it is in the Spring and Summer when the garden is in full bloom.
The fountain in the Shakespeare Garden
I then walked through the entire gardens stopping in various gardens to see what they looked like topped with snow. My first stop was the Shakespeare Gardens and I marveled at the elegance of the snow covered fountain I like so much in the Spring. The variety of the colors of this garden are waiting just under the snow for the warmer months.
The view of the snow covered gardens
I then walked around the paths to the back of the gardens along the watershed lawns that were under a foot of snow and still impressive.
Daffodil Hill in the winter. In two months this will be covered by hundreds of brightly colored daffodils
The Magnolia tree court and sun dial
In the Spring, this is my favorite part of the garden with the hues of pinks and whites of the Magnolia trees and the yellows of the daffodils.
My favorite fountain just off the Magnolia Court on the stairs leading to the Lotus polls
The snow covered fountains by the Lotus pools
The snow covered Lotus pools shined in the sun
I then got out of the cold weather and entered into the warmth of the Tropical Garden Collection. This series of gallery of plants is a series of greenhouses at various degrees of temperatures that display a series of themed gardens. They don’t just display plants but also keep you warm in a cold day.
The indoor tropical gardens
The Tropical Garden collection
The first room I visited wasabi the Bonsai Museum room. The temperature controlled room was perfect for a stroll.
The Bonsai museum
These beautiful tiny well pruned trees lined the tables with their elegance and been so well maintained.
The Bonsai trees lining the tables in the galleries
The beautiful bonsai
The flowering bonsai
The beautifully shaped bonsai
The Cherry blossom bonsai in the middle of the winter
The other trees in the gallery
The video tour of one side of the Bonsai Gallery:
The video tour of one side the Bonsai Gallery:
My video of the gallery tour
The Tropical Room
The tropical room
I then toured the Tropical Garden collection with its series of flowering plants and palms. It was so nice and warm inside and a break from the cool temperatures outside.
A video tour of the Tropical Gallery:
The walk is amazing
The Tropical Room
Colorful tropical flowers line the walkway in the dead of winter
The blooming Lotus
The real White Lotus
I then walked through the second tropical room in the rain forest and there were more beautiful plants to see and experience. There was a wedding garden shoot going on so I was not able to tour the complex.
The flowering tiers of plants in the Tropical room
The flowering plants in the Tropical gallery
The beautiful violets
I then began the tour of the Desert Gallery and the beauty and warmth of the room made me very happy.
The Birds of Paradise in bloom
Along the walls of the gallery, more flowering plants were placed.
Flowers in bloom in the winter
The climate controlled Desert collection was filled with cactus and other plantings the defied the weather. They have a pretty extensive collection of desert flowers and cactus in the room.
The Desert Collection gallery
The flowering cactus family
Walking back through the rainforest
Walking back through the Desert Gallery before exiting to tour the snow covered gardens
Video tour of the Desert Gallery:
There was still a foot of snow on the ground when I visited the gardens that day, which did not make it popular with people wanting to visit the gardens but I found a quiet elegance in just walking the paths and admiring the snow covered plantings. It was like they were waiting to awake again in the near future.
I walked through the gardens which while under a blanket of snow still offered the most beautiful views. I was one of the few people walking through the gardens that afternoon so it was quiet and you could just enjoy watching nature.
Walking past the Children’s Garden in the Winter
Walking over the bridge in the Watershed lawn
I saw this little squirrel holding on to the tree looking cold
The geese feeding on the Watershed lawn
The Cherry Blossom lawn in the winter
The Rose Garden Fountain in the winter
Walking through the Cherry Blossom lawn
Walking back through the Magnolia garden
Taking one last walk around the Lotus Pools
Before I left the gardens that afternoon, I stopped in the Gift Shop for some warmth and see the items they were carrying. They have such beautiful selection of flowers and gifts and the perfect place to warm up on a cold day. Everything is so colorfully displayed.
The Gift Shop at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Everything was in full bloom and really colorful
Everything was so beautifully displayed here
Before I left for the Brooklyn Museum to start my 2:30 pm tour, I stopped at one of my favorite sandwich shops down the road from the museum, Bahn Mai Place at 824b Washington Avenue for lunch. I love their sandwiches and drinks.
I ordinarily try a restaurant a few times before I recommend it for my dining website, DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com, but I had the most amazing sandwich for dinner a few years ago and I had to share this place with the world.
There are also all sorts of rice dishes on the menu, Pho (soups) and salads on the menu as well most priced around $10.00. On the Beverage menu, there is a selection of Hot, Iced and Milk drinks to choose from as well as a selection of Bubble teas and smoothies.
One sandwich I can recommend on a cold day is the Grilled Chicken Banh Mai. I had the sandwich with a mild hot sauce on a cold wintery day. The warm bun and crunchy fresh vegetables with the spicy sauce really warmed me up on a cold afternoon in Brooklyn.
The Grilled Chicken Bahn Mi with a mild spicy sauce
The grilled chicken with fresh veggies
The mild spicy sauce really brings out the flavor of the grilled meat. With a little plumb and chili sauces, it really brings out the flavor of the sandwich.
The chicken was spicy and moist
It was the perfect lunch
The service was very quick and very friendly. The woman who made my sandwich pushed my order ahead of someone else’s who ordered the same thing as me so I could be on my way which I thought was very nice of her.
After lunch, it was off to the Brooklyn Museum and the tour of the ‘Monet & Venice’ exhibition. I was so lucky that I got to the museum early and got the tickets. The show was completely sold out by the time I left.
The museum was seriously packed that afternoon, not just for the show but all over the museum. I have been coming here for over twenty years and I had never seen it so packed. Every floor was filled with people.
Claude Monet once claimed that Venice was “too beautiful to be painted,” a challenge he embraced by creating an extraordinary sequence of works depicting the Italian city. Monet and Venice is the first exhibition to focus on Monet’s luminous Venetian paintings—a radiant yet underexplored chapter in the artist’s late career—since their debut in 1912 (Brooklyn Museum website).
New York’s largest museum show dedicated to Monet in over 25 years, the exhibition features more than 100 artworks, books, and ephemera. Two masterpieces, the Brooklyn Museum’s own Palazzo Ducale and The Grand Canal, Venice from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, are presented alongside selections from throughout Monet’s career—including 19 of his Venetian paintings (Brooklyn Museum website).
The artist’s singular vision of Venice is also set in dialogue with portrayals of the city by renowned artists such as Canaletto, Paul Signac, John Singer Sargent, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Where others focused on Venice’s busy streets and canals, Monet’s interpretation is hauntingly devoid of human presence. Instead, he captures the interplay of architecture with color and light, enveloping viewers in the city’s distinctive atmosphere. Sonic installations by Niles Luther, the Museum’s composer in residence, and other immersive elements will further transport you to this fabled place (Brooklyn Museum website).
Walking through the galleries admiring the art
These were some of my favorite pieces from the show. These also were a favorite of Monet himself to the City of Venice.
The paintings of the Grand Canal
The views along the coastline of Italy
One of Monet’s famous ‘Water Lilly’ collection
Views from the Grand Canal
Walking around the gallery
Another view of the Grand Canal
I could not believe how packed the exhibition got behind me as I double backed through the gallery on the way out. Not only did the crowds grow in the exhibition but the line outside the exhibition was over a hundred deep and wrapped around three galleries on the Fifth Floor. It was so busy on the floor, I decided to walk around other exhibitions.
My favorite painting in the American Wing of the Mountain House Hotel in the Catskills
Then I walked down to the Middle Eastern Wing with the Assyrian and Egyptian Art, one of personal favorites in the museum. Unlike the Met, the Egyptian Wing of the museum is not overwhelming and is easier to view as the exhibits are not as packed with artifacts.
I started first admiring the Assyrian panels of the genies gracing the walls of the famous palace. It blows my mind that these are almost over a thousand years old.
The panels of genies along the walls of the old palace
The panels of genies along the walls
The different versions of genies along the walks
I have been visiting the Egyptian Wing of the museum since I attended the opening of the renovation with my father over a decade ago. It has an iconic entrance to the wing of the museum.
The entrance to the Egyptian Wing of the Brooklyn Museum
Walking through the Egyptian Galleries
Admiring the art on the wall
Walking through the Mummy display
The details on the Mummy coffin
Finishing the tour of the Egyptian galleries
I had a nice time at both the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and at the Brooklyn Museum. There is more than enough to see and do at both cultural locations in the heart of Brooklyn.
It was a wonderful walk around neighborhood and even with all the snow on the ground, it was easy to maneuver around the sidewalks and streets. The snow may have covered the ground but was a backdrop for the beauty that it displayed. The recent storm did not keep us inside but brought us outside to see how it looked and enjoy its beauty.
It has been nine years since I had spent Christmas in Woodstock, NY and I missed going there. I had spent my Christmas’s here after my Father had passed and I needed to clear my head. The first year I had just needed to get away and the years after I just liked the peace and quiet and beauty to the area. It was a lot of fun to go to the parade and then drive through the Catskills on Christmas day. I find it so relaxing.
After all the running around with Christmas related activities and special events and visiting more decorated houses than I had seen in the past and a very long trying semester, I needed a break. So I returned to past Christmas’s and visited Woodstock, NY, Rehoboth Beach, DE and then finished the holiday in Cape May, NJ. All while the temperatures were dropping. This would be a massive picture taking mission for revamping pictures and revisiting old haunts. It was a lot of fun as I went back in time nine years ago and relived Christmas of 2016.
The first part of December was cool but mild like most Decembers are but around Christmas Eve, the weather dropped into the 30’s and the wind chill picked up. After the trip to Woodstock, a major storm came through and dumped six inches of snow at home. Thank God there was just rain when I reached Rehoboth Beach. When I arrived in Woodstock for Christmas Eve, it was crisp and cool but when I left on the morning of the 26th, I heard they had eight inches of snow later that afternoon. Yet when I arrived, it was a sunny Christmas Eve afternoon with a lot of excitement for the parade that evening.
The Woodstock Green on Christmas Eve morning
The Woodstock Christmas tree when I arrived in the late afternoon
The tree was nicely decorated for the evenings activities
The Dutch Reformed Church was also decorated for evening service after the parade was over
Christmas Eve services posted at the Dutch Reformed Church
Our family decided to cancel our family Christmas together so that everyone could do their own thing this year. So, this Christmas holiday was about picture taking and revisiting the Christmas’s of the past. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to update and revamp older blogs and see how things have changed over the last decade. It was an interesting look at what I had done and experienced over the years.
Downtown Woodstock that afternoon of the parade
I love going to Woodstock, NY for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I have always found it very relaxing and inspiring in the Catskills. It is so beautiful up in the mountains at any time of the year. In keeping with the past, I decided to stay at one of the places I had stayed in 2016, the Woodstock Inn at Millstream at 48 Tannery Brook Road right off the downtown.
The Woodstock Inn at Millstream at 48 Tannery Brook Road
I had really enjoyed my stay here in the past and had always wanted to go back. Funny enough, the room I had nine years earlier was open and I stayed there. Like time had not gone by. The rooms are comfortable and very clean and relaxing.
Rooms 8a and 8
My bedroom when I settled in
The whole property was decorated for the holidays from the buildings to the rooms to the grounds giving it a festive appearance.
The decorations outside my room
The decorations along the property
Once I checked in and got my bags unpacked, I was able to walk around the property and admire the grounds. When I was at the hotel in 2016, I never had that much time to look around. This time around I had two nights and three days this time to explore. The grounds around the hotel are really beautiful.
The upper stream area
The Millstream behind the hotel
I was so busy the last time I was here that I never remembered the beauty of the property or the rolling streams in the backyard.
The grounds from the other side of the property
The office and breakfast on the property
The beautiful pines by the hotel
When I arrived, the manager, Angela, told me to settle in and there would be a snack in the dining area starting at 3:00pm. That sounded good and I settled in and relaxed in my room. Then went to the office/breakfast room to see the offerings.
The Dining Room
After I settled in and before I left for the parade, I stopped in and had a snack. The hotel had small pastries and cookies and crunchy spicy pretzels for guests to munch on before the evening’s activities. I thought this was very nice of them.
The light snack the hotel hosts at 3:00pm in the hotel
Small pastries and spicy pretzels with mustard
My light snack with a view of the streams
This would be the view I would enjoy that day and over the next two breakfasts as I loved this table over looking the steams. This was amazing! I was trying to imagine what it would be like in the Spring when everything was in bloom.
I headed up to the Green to see the tree and the preparations for the event tonight. It was still early but there was a lot of excitement in the air as the parade would be in less than two hours.
They lit the tree as it was starting twilight when I got to the Green
You could see the sun setting in the background of the Catskills as the police and firemen awaited the last Trailways bus to pass through at 4:40pm on the dot to set up. In the background, the sun was setting and there was a golden hue to the mountains.
The 4:40pm bus came early and left exactly at 4:45pm. Then the magic started.
The parade is based on the Trailways bus schedules. The last bus leaves downtown at exactly 4:40pm (this bus left a couple of minutes before that) and the next one does not arrive until around 7:00pm just as church service starts at the Dutch Reformed Church. I have never seen such a well orchestrated parade down to the minute. The moment that bus leaves at 4:40pm, the fire and police departments go into action and those roads are closed. Then the parade starts at around 5:15pm on the dot.
The crowds start to grow at 4:30pm
Before the parade began, I figured I had better have a late lunch/early dinner because I was not too sure what restaurant might stay open that night. After looking around, I decided on Sharkie’s Restaurant. The place was really busy before the parade so I ate at the bar. It was a very festive and active restaurant that night.
Sharkie’s Meatballs at 43 Tinker Street in Downtown Woodstock
The temperature was already starting to drop and it was getting cooler out than usual and I needed something to really warm me up and fill me up for the evening of activities. So I ordered a traditional Meatball hero and Coke. It was a real treat.
My Christmas Eve dinner
Talk about a delicious Christmas Eve dinner. It warmed me up inside and out. The Meatball sandwich here was excellent! It was just what the doctor ordered on a cold night up in the mountains.
Their Meatball hero’s are amazing
Yum!
After dinner was over and the Trailways bus was now gone, the police and fire departments started to close the road to prepare the downtown for the parade. While we waited for the parade to start, there were carolers and music in front of the church. It put everyone in the mood for the holidays.
The anticipation of the parade starting and listening to the musical combo by the church
The video on the Christmas musical combo outside the Dutch Reformed Church on the Green
We all watched as the parade started in the distance along Tinker Street
More caroling by the Dutch Reformed Church on the Green. The crowds kept growing!
Then we heard the parade start in the distance and the excitement really started in the crowd. The music from the distance and the lights coming down Tinker Street, the main street in Woodstock, built the excitement of the beginning of the parade.
The start of the parade with Mrs. Claus greeting the crowds as she entered the center of town
We watched as the float carrying Mrs. Claus passed us and she was having a ball opening the parade and greeting the crowd. Some of her friends were calling out her name as she passed by. Her friends were all excited to see her in the parade.
Mrs. Claus greeting the crowd as she entered town
Mrs. Claus greeting the crowd
Mrs. Claus leading the excitement of the beginning of the parade.
Then in the distance we saw more floats heading down Tinker Street. The first float was a band of teenagers singing Christmas songs for the crowd.
The Teenage band as it passed by awaiting Santa
The Christmas band passes by
Then the big float came in the shape of a space ship directed by a team of women coordinating the path of the machine. Everyone was wondering how Santa would arrive and exactly where he was on the float.
The travel machine was being coordinated in precision to bring Santa to the parade
Santa arrives in Woodstock in style
The inside of the travel machine
A close up shot of the time travel machine
As soon as the music stopped and the count down began, Santa popped out of the roof to an applauding crowd. The whole crowd went wild with Santa’s greeting on this cool night.
Santa popping out of the travel machine
Santa greeting the crowd after his appearance
Santa’s message to the crowd before he dismounted to hear the wishes of families and children
Santa starting his dismount to greet families
The members of the Woodstock Fire Department helped Santa and Mrs. Claus in their chairs in the Woodstock Green and they talked to dozens of families and heard the wishes of people from all over the county.
Santa and Mrs. Claus looking at the growing crowd
Mother Nature helped guide the crowds of children and their families hear their wishes
Santa and Mrs. Claus greeting a young guest
The crowds were really large and the line was long but Santa and his wife got through all the guests wish lists with a smile and a wink. While Santa and Mrs. Claus were greeting guests, the student group from the float was singing Christmas carols with the crowd joining in.
The student group performing at the parade
Like all good things though, the line came to an end and perfectly timed at 6:40pm, twenty minutes before church service.
Santa and Mrs. Claus at the end of the evening
I already had my Christmas wish of returning to Woodstock for the Christmas holidays after an eight year absence and asked Santa and Mrs. Claus to take a picture for me. They could not have been more gracious considering Santa had a long journey ahead of him that evening.
Santa and Mrs. Claus taking a pose for me
As quick as it begun, it was over and not even five minutes after I took the picture, Santa and Mrs. Claus disappeared with the fire department, almost the entire crowd was gone and the police were opening the roads. The 7:00pm Trailways bus arrived just as I was crossing the street to the Dutch Reformed Church. Another parade over and another Christmas memory for me.
The front of the Woodstock Dutch Reformed Church at 16 Tinker Street in Woodstock, NY
The alter of the church decorated for the holidays
The alter decorated with flowers
The inside of the church decorated with bows and garland
Church service at the Dutch Reformed Church is very different from the services I have attended in the Catholic Church. Here the church starts with a concert performance and I have been here in the past to hear small quartets. I got into church before services and listened to the bell choir practice before the evening’s service.
The church bell choir practicing before the service
I love these historic churches at the holidays
The beautiful Christmas tree lit for the evening service
It really was a wonderful and very welcoming service. Reverend Renee introduced herself to me and the other parishioners who joined the packed church that night. It was a very inspiring service that emphasized love and encouragement during the holidays. Then the candlelight service began with the bell ceremony.
The start of the bell service and candlelight ceremony
I love when the Reformed Church does this type of service. The whole church gets dark and is illuminated only by the Christmas tree and the candles the parishioners lit. It is quite spectacular. I also find the service to be inspirational in that service was based on some personal experiences and encouragement about things getting better. I think we need more of that now.
The bell ceremony that evening
Looking at the outside decorations as I left the church
The service was over in an hour and most people left to join their families for Christmas Eve dinners. I walked out into the cold night and decided to walk around the quiet downtown. Within fifteen minutes, there was no one around as the church closed for the evening.
The Woodstock Green on Christmas Eve 2025
It got colder and quieter on the Green as I went to admire the Christmas tree and the decorations. You would have never known about five hundred people had just been here an hour and a half earlier to greet Santa.
Admiring the tree while watching the last of the crowds leave the church
Admiring the tree from Santa’s seat
The only problem with Woodstock at Christmas are the restaurant choices are limited especially on Christmas Eve night after church services. Everything had closed by 7:00pm downtown and there were two restaurants in the distance that were open until 8:00pm but that already passed.
As I walked around and down Tinker Street as I had in years past, this year nothing was open. Thank God I had had the late lunch at Sharkie’s or I would have starved. Even the former Joshua’s was closed for the evening and they used to be open until 9:00pm.
After my long tour of the downtown and admiring the Christmas lights, I headed back to the hotel and went to bed. Santa was on his way and I needed my rest after a long semester. I went out like a light and had an excellent night’s rest. I was ready for a long drive on Christmas.
Christmas morning in Woodstock
I slept like a log and woke up late Christmas morning to a mix of sun and clouds. Gloomy as it was in the morning, it was still nice to look at the breathtaking scenery of the property and admire the Millstream that morning.
The stream rushing by as people were out taking a Christmas walk
Most of the guests at the hotel had family and friends close by and were heading off for their Christmas festivities. I was planning a long drive around the Catskills and then finding a place to eat for dinner. I find the ride around the area to be very relaxing.
The Breakfast buffet at the Woodstock Inn at Millstream
There was lots of choices
I enjoyed breakfast that morning. I always got the small corner table and enjoy breakfast while admiring the stream passing by. I wished some of the other guests a Merry Christmas and watched as everyone one by one left to start their day. The hotel had a nice selection of cereals, fruits and baked items and we could take what we wanted. The breakfast was part of our package and some of the items were organic and some gluten free and everything was delicious.
The view of the streams from the Breakfast room
I went back to my room and called my mother and both my brothers to wish them a very Merry Christmas before they left to start their days. I had talked to most of my friends just before I left for Woodstock and did not disrupt their morning with their families. After breakfast, I took the long winding trip around the Catskills to visit the small towns and see how they were celebrating the holidays.
My first stop was in Bearsville to see if anything would be open that evening. I wanted to see if Tibet Pho had changed their mind about opening but it was closed for the day. Only the Mexican restaurant was open that morning so off I went on my journey down Route 28.
My first stop was in Phoenicia, where for years I would crash the Phoenicia Fire Department’s early morning Christmas party to go to the bathroom. It was the only thing open in the downtown after the coffee shop closed at 10:00am. Still it was so peaceful and quiet in the downtown when I walked around.
The only thing open was the gas station and that was about it. The rest of the town was quiet that morning as it had in years past.
Downtown Phoenicia on Christmas morning
I then headed to Pine Hill to see if the ‘sonic boom’ of COVID had brought any gentrification to the town. I was surprised when nothing had changed in the town and it was still as run down as it had been in 2016.
The nicest part of Downtown Pine Hill I could find from any angle
I next traveled to Fleischmanns, a town once dominated by the Fleischmanns resort. The town also did not look like COVID boom had come to this town either. The town also looked as depressed as it did in 2016. Still I found this friendly snowman greeting me on Christmas morning.
The snowman just off downtown Fleischmanns greets you with a warm smile
The funny thing about Fleischmanns when I drove out of town was the line of beautiful large Victorian homes that lined the stream on the lower part of the hill. A piece of history from days gone by.
I made the turn off to go north on Route 30 in Margaretville, which had become much more vibrant with the expansion of the local hospital. Nothing was open that morning, but I had visited the town over the summer on my trip to Bovina Center and Ithaca on Labor Day weekend. The town had really bounced back over the years and was full of small restaurants and stores.
Downtown Margaretville as the clouds stayed to clear that morning
I made my was up Route 30 passing many small communities on my drive north. A lot of the farms decorated their barns of the outside of their homes. Rockville had really changed as all the Victorian homes in the downtown area were being renovated.
I made the turnoff on Route 23a and traveled through the towns of Hunter, where the big winter resorts were and then through Tannersville, where years ago was the only town that had any restaurants open on Christmas.
All that was open was a dumpy Chinese restaurant and a coffee shop where every table was dirty with breakfast plates on them. They must have been overwhelmed all day and had not had a chance to catch up. I traveled on through the small towns and the mountain passes, which Thank God were dry.
I headed south down Route 9 to see if anything was open in Saugerties. No such luck as the entire downtown was closed for business. There were two small Chinese restaurants outside the downtown area but one had no seating and the other had terrible reviews on TripAdvisor.
Then I remembered my standby every time I am in Kingston and stopped in the Stockade section of the downtown and had my Christmas dinner at Wing Shui, the tiny Chinese takeout which was the only thing open on Christmas Day in Kingston. The place was constantly busy that evening and the phone was ringing off the hook the entire time I was there.
My Christmas dinner was spent at the lone table inside Wing Shui which is layered with boxes. Not the fancy place you would expect to eat but the family who runs this tiny take out place is really nice and the food is excellent. I had to wait forty-five minutes to get it but it was well worth the experience. The crowds never stopped and the phone just rang the entire time I ate my dinner.
I had the Beef and Broccoli combination platter with Pork Fried Rice and Hot & Sour Soup. Sorry everyone but I loved this dinner and did not mind the plastic containers and piles of boxes. That was Christmas to me.
The Beef and Broccoli combination platter at Wing Shui
My Christmas dinner that night was so good!
I left Wing Shui about forty-five minutes late to see the same people standing there waiting for their food, the owners and their kids running around and the crowds swelling to almost fifteen deep (maybe more). There were so many people packed in that small space I could not count them all.
I drove back to Woodstock that evening as it got dark to see the lights on in the Green and the Christmas tree blazing. It was such a beautiful site.
The view of the town Christmas tree again
I stopped the car to enjoy walking around the Green one more time. I would be leaving right after breakfast for the second part of my six day, three trip journey to Rehoboth Beach to visit my mother for a post Christmas celebration. I slept soundly again at the hotel and it was so quiet I swore I heard the stream behind me.
The Millstream the next morning
Since I had a six hour drive ahead of me, I had an early breakfast, packed up the car and got on my way before check out. I had to make a pitstop at home for clean clothes and to pick up doughnuts at Mills Bakery for my mother. The usual request.
Enjoying the same breakfast in the same spot the next morning
Woodstock was a little more lively when I left but still not crowded. I want to come back in the Spring to the hotel again to see what it is like in the warm weather.
I could not believe how quiet the highways were the day after Christmas. I got home in record time, dropped off and picked up clothes and the headed to Mills which was decked out for the holidays. The store looked so festive this year with gingerbread men and women inside and outside the store and the shelves of Christmas baked goodies all over the store. It was hard to hold back from just the doughnuts but I promised myself I would be good.
Mill’s Bakery at 275 Valley Boulevard in Wood Ridge, NJ
I have to stop at Mills on every trip to bring butter cakes and doughnuts down to my mother’s. Since the holidays were still in swing I ordered them in advance.
If you have not tried the doughnuts at Mills Bakery you are missing a lot
While I was waiting for the order to be rung up, I admired the beautifully decorated cakes in the cases
They even had an igloo cake and I thought this was very clever
The trip down to my mother’s usually takes about for hours exactly ( with one bathroom break) but with the roads clear of holiday traffic, I made it down in just a little over three hours which meant I could relax before dinner.
I had negotiated with my mother beforehand to make ‘the dinner’ the first night and then I would take my mother and her partner out to dinner the next night as part of their Christmas presents. The bribe worked.
‘The Dinner’ is Fried Chicken Cutlets with Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce and a salad with oil and vinegar. My mom has been making this for us since we were kids.
Over dinner my mother and I caught up on what we did for Christmas, our plans for dinner the next night and then what my plans were for Cape May for the last part of my vacation. I swear, right after I went to bed. I was exhausted from all the driving. I went out like a light.
The beautiful decorations on homes in Downtown Lewes
The next day after breakfast, I explored both Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. I had missed a museum for my blog and wanted to see if it was open. All the Lewes Historical Society buildings were closed for the season and I would have to wait until the Spring.
I was determined to visit the US Lifeguard Station at 2 Shipcarpenter Street but it was closed for the season
I headed back to Downtown Rehoboth Beach to see the Christmas tree and see what was happening downtown. It was a really gloomy day but it was a little warmer and you could walk around the boardwalk. Not the most pleasant day to do it though.
I just wondered through all the stores and walked on the boardwalk as the cool breezes passed by. I was amazed how many people were walking around on this gloomy day but I figured by this point most people were getting cabin fever hanging around their families. This is the case at most holidays.
That evening I took my mother out for the second part of her Christmas gift to Saketumi, a Japanese/fusion restaurant at 18814 Coastal Highway in Rehoboth Beach. Their food and the service were wonderful.
We started with a Dim Sum sampler, that had an interesting mix of dumplings and Shu Mi.
The Dim Sum sampler at Saketumi
I ordered the Chicken Pad Thai and mother and I shared the Vegetable Lo Mein, both of which were delicious.
The Chicken Pad Thai
The Vegetable Lo Mein
I felt for our waitress though. The poor woman had the entire side of the dining room and was running ragged. She managed it with a smile on her face and since we were the last guests to leave that evening, had time to come over and talk about the holiday season. She seemed happy they were over. Saketumi is one of the few restaurants open on Christmas Day and she told us that they had over three hundred people eating there that day.
After a very relaxing night’s sleep (I was putting in about eight hours every night of sleep), it was time to leave and head over to the ferry to go to Cape May for two days as the last part of my trip. I said my goodbyes after breakfast and got to the ferry over an hour early.
I have to say one thing about the ferry company, the terminal building was nicely decorated for the holidays and their restaurants had such great menus. I felt like I was in a hotel. They make it very homey during the holidays.
It was a gloomy afternoon when I arrived
It was a cloudy day when I arrived in Cape May and a cold one. I had just been here three weeks earlier and it was just as cold and gloomy. The sun did just break through later in the day.
I love coming to Cape May at all times of the year. I like it especially at Christmas when everything is so festively decorated. It keeps you in the holiday spirit.
The Washington Street Mall during the holidays
My favorite place to stay in Cape May is the Chalfonte Hotel, which is one of the oldest hotels in the city. The hotel is now closed for the season so I stayed in the Southern Quarters, the B & B next to the main hotel. Somehow I always get the same room on the top floor, Room 7, which looks like Village loft.
My favorite place to stay in Cape May is the Chalfonte Hotel, which is one of the oldest hotels in the city. The hotel is now closed for the season so I stayed in the Southern Quarters, the B & B next to the main hotel. Somehow I always get the same room on the top floor, Room 7, which looks like Village loft.
The hotel itself was not open but was decorated to the hilt and the downstairs rooms were lit for the holidays.
The Chalfonte Hotel during the December holidays
As I said before, this holiday was all about picture taking and going back in time to create the same memories as the past but this time with pictures. Everything I did, visited and ate was reference to a previous Christmas holiday when I did not own a IPhone and now I was bringing all those experiences back to life down rooms that I stayed at and restaurant meals that I experienced.
I know it sounds a little crazy but I have seen a huge jump in the 2025 numbers to this blog as I have added more details to it. People from all over the world seem to like more pictures and visuals so that is why I am giving it to them. This includes staying in the same hotel rooms and eating the same meals at restaurants from years ago.
Trust me, it was a lot of fun reliving it all over again. This started with my room at the Southern Quarters and dinner that evening at the Washington Inn.
The restaurant is one of the nicest restaurants in Cape May and one of the best in the State of New Jersey. The food and the service are wonderful.
The inside of the Washington Inn at Christmas time
The experience was the same as it was back in 2021. The meal and service were both excellent without being stuffy or snobbish. It is a very laid back and very elegant restaurant to dine in. I had the same meal I had four years earlier and thoroughly enjoyed it.
My appetizer, the Seafood Bisque
The savory bisque had shrimp, scallops and lobster in it
The entree was the Washington Inn Crab cakes which I highly recommend. These two cakes were filled with chopped crab and spices. They were excellent!
The Crab cake entree paired with a California Cabernet Blanc
The Washington Inn Crab cakes are amazing and I highly recommend them
For dessert, I kept with the past and ordered the Bananas Foster. This simple light dessert was the perfect way to end the meal and I really enjoyed it.
The Bananas Foster dessert with English Breakfast tea
The Bananas Foster are a wonderful way to finish the meal with a lighter dessert
Even the Christmas tree by the bathrooms put you into the holiday spirit
The whole evening was wonderful and one of the best meals that I had over the Christmas break. It was not cheap but every once in a while worth the money as a special Christmas gift to yourself.
After dinner, I had to work dinner off. You can not go to sleep on a full stomach and since it was still so early, I decided to walk through Downtown Cape May which is always a fantasy world of lights and decorations.
The Cape May Fire Department firehouse decorated for the holidays
The Washington Street Mall decorated for Christmas
I walked off the Mall and down the street to the downtown park, Cape May Rotary Park, which is always dazzling in lights.
Cape May Rotary Park just off the downtown mall
The lights are always so dazzling at Christmas
The park puts you in the holiday spirit
The brilliance of the lights
My video of touring Rotary Park at the holidays and its elegant Christmas tree
The Christmas tree in Rotary Park always glitters and sparkles
The Cape May Christmas tree is quite a site
I then walked across the street to the Congress Hotel that is always decorated to the hilt at the holidays. I love walking through the halls and out on the lawn to see their ‘Santa’s Village’. It is quite a site.
The entrance to the Congress Hotel at 200 Congress Place
The whole property is decorated for the holidays and is a popular place for people visit
The backyards of the Congress Hotel at Christmas are decorated to the hilt and during the day there are train rides around the property, Santa is available to visit as well boutiques to shop at.
The lawn and all the decorations during Christmas after Congress Hotel
The Christmas tree at the Congress Hotel
Santa’s reindeer in front of the Christmas tree
The Winter Wonderland sleigh on the lawn
After my long walk around Downtown Cape May, I headed back to the hotel and relaxed and ended up falling asleep. I was out for the rest of the night.
The next morning in keeping with my picture taking mission, I headed over to the Mad Batter at 19 Jackson Street for breakfast. I wanted to order the Egg Croustade for breakfast that I had in 2021. The Croustade was a combination of eggs, sausage, peppers, potatoes and spices in omelet form on top of a brioche bun. An amazing breakfast.
The St. Carroll Villa Hotel decked out with Santa’s
The food and service at the Mad Batter is wonderful. I always enjoy the hospitality at the restaurant in all the times I have eaten here. The place was filled with post Christmas families and children were talking loudly all over the restaurant.
The bar section of the restaurant
The bar section of the restaurant
One of my favorite things that I like to order for breakfast is the croustade and I ordered it again that morning. Trust me, you will not go hungry here.
My breakfast that morning
The Croustade
It was nice to just relax and enjoy breakfast. I needed the calories for the long walk I would be taking around town that morning.
The front of the restaurant was really nice when I left
After breakfast, I returned to the Washington Mall and walked around. It had been a long trip for me and I just wanted to relax and enjoy the views. The Mall and all the business are so nicely decorated for the holidays.
The Washington Mall during the day
The Rotary Park during the daytime
I walked around Rotary Park during the day and even then the park is quite magical with the bows and ribbons and lights. The Christmas tree in the square.
The Gazebo during the day
It was a rather gloomy and cold morning when I left the restaurant but all the holiday decorations kept me in the holiday spirit. There were still more of the twelve days of Christmas and I wanted to enjoy them.
The Christmas tree in the gazebo
The Christmas tree up close
I then walked down past the Congress Hotel again and walked along the shore front. Even on a gloomy day, I loved the smell of the salt air and slight wind against me. It really is so good to breathe in.
I always find the beach so calming. It is nice to just walk around and hear the waves crashing. I find it so relaxing. It doesn’t matter the season. The salt air is so good for you.
I walked around town taking the route of the tour of inns and businesses that I visited three weeks earlier on my tour of town. I ended up back at the Washington Mall in time for church services for Christmas at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church. I always like the holiday services here and have enjoyed the Christmas Eve services here many times.
Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church at 525 Washington Street
The mass was really enjoyable and I find the priest here to be very inspiring. A different service than the one on Christmas Eve but still I liked the sermon and the way the priest encouraged people at the holidays.
The front of the church is so nicely decorated
The alter with all the flowers and trees
The manger in the front of the church
Getting ready for Three Kings Day on January 6th
Looking at all the Christmas decorations at the church
After I finished church services, I toured around the other side of downtown and passed the Cape May Theater. They were performing a show entitled ‘Let’s Catch Santa’. I was bummed that the show was over the previous day.
‘Let’s Catch Santa’ ended the day before and I was bummed
Since the show was over, I found other things to do that day. I walked over to West Cape May and admired all the Victorian homes, many still decorated to the hilt also walked their parks as well and looked at their decorations.
The park and surrounding homes were decorated for Christmas and last year when I visited, it was a sea of lights and decorations.
The Santa’s sleigh in Wilbraham Park
It had gotten late when I looked at the time after touring all the shops and restaurants in the area and it was almost four o’clock. The weather had finally cleared and I decided to walk back to the hotel and drive out to Sunset beach and watch the sun set on the beach. It is something you can’t miss when you are here.
Even though if was cool outside that did not stop the diehard followers as the sun started to set. The colors were breathtaking.
The evening sky had cleared leaving a glow in the distance
The video of the sun starting to set
The glow of the sun in the horizon
The final view of the sun takes its bow
The sun makes its final disappearing act
While everyone else left for the evening, I stayed and watched the colors change in the sky to all sorts of reds and purples as it finally started to get dark by 5:00pm. In all the years that I have seen this since the early 90’s, I never get bored of it.
I headed back to town and stopped for dinner before I headed back to the hotel. I was not on the mood for the usual places and after such an expensive dinner the night before wanted to keep it reasonable. I remembered Mario’s from three weeks before and stopped there for dinner again.
Mario’s Pizza and Italian Eatery at 315 Ocean Street #7
The most amazing comfort food dinner. A Cheese Calzone and an order of Garlic Knots
The Calzone was perfectly cooked and the inside was filled with four cheeses and warmed me both inside and out
Yum!
The Garlic Knots were delicious. Small batches of pizza dough, brushed with garlic butter and smothered in more garlic and then baked. Taste like heaven and then kept the vampires away that night!
The owner was telling one of his good customers that evening that he would be open until this weekend and then closing for two months for a much needed break. There would be no business anyway until the first of March anyway. The whole town got colder and the rest of the shore rolled up its sleeves for the season. I could see why as it got really cold that night.
The winds really howled that night, and it must have gone down to 27 degrees. The winds and cold went right through those old windows and the old windows protection, which was now held by duct tape. The heat could not keep up, and the room got really cool. I learned from three weeks before, I covered the windows as much as I could and hid under the covers. At least the heat was on, and it just needed to balance! I woke up the next morning to a warm room.
I slept in my last night of the trip and checked out early. In keeping with the reason for this trip, I headed to Wawa in West Cape May for breakfast as I had in 2016 before my trip on the ferry. They have the most unrated and delicious breakfast items. I had a Bacon, Egg and Cheese on a hoagie with a Banana and Strawberry Smoothie. God, it was good on a cold day.
The Wawa at 3719 Bayshore Road in West Cape May on the way to the ferry
The Bacon Egg and Cheese hoagie and the Strawberry Banana Smoothie, which I had to eat on the hood of my car in 35-degree weather
This sandwich was over stuffed and huge
Even though it was cold out the Banana-Strawberry smoothie hit the spot
I know it sounds crazy to eat outside in the cold weather but there is no place to eat inside the building and I hate eating in my car. How we make do in the winter months. The breakfast was fantastic and the perfect way to end my trip. I headed on my way home.
Since I had plenty of time in the early morning and I had already left the Chalfonte, I decided to head to Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant to see what was happening there for the holidays.
Both Seaside Park and Heights were really quiet in comparison
I drove though both Seaside Park and Seaside Heights and the towns were both extremely quiet. Most of the businesses I had visited over the summer and late Fall around Halloween were closed up tight with signs that said ‘See you in the Spring’.
The Christmas decorations and the Seaside Park Christmas tree
The festive Santa in Seaside Park
I decided to walk over to the boardwalk to see if anyone was around. Only the arcade with a full staff all on their cellphones because of a lack of customers and one branch of Big Brother Pizza was open with again a bored staff. They have to do a better job of letting people know they are open for business. All the public bathrooms were closed, which was a pain.
The quiet boardwalk was fun to walk in the off season. It has a quiet beauty to it
The snowmen band was one of the few traces of Christmas on the boardwalk
The arcade’s Christmas tree was a real beauty
The one nice thing about the arcade being open is that they let everyone use the bathroom. So, there was a stream of people who were walking the boardwalk that walked in. That meant some business.
When I got back to the car, I headed north to Point Pleasant. The roads and streets of Seaside Heights were empty but I did notice all the construction in Downtown Seaside Heights. All the old motels are being replaced by upscale condos and businesses. This town will totally change in not even two years.
Downtown Point Pleasant and their Boardwalk were much more lively especially with their year round population. I parked in Downtown Point Pleasant which is such a great downtown.
Downtown Point Pleasant decorated for the holidays
Downtown Point Pleasant is always so nicely decorated for the holidays. I have been here at Halloween and the beginning of the Spring and the town does such a nice job making it festive looking.
The downtown decorations
The decorative pots dotted the downtown
I parked at the edge of downtown and walked to the boardwalk, passing the gazebo. It felt like I was just here looking at the Halloween decorations. The town’s Christmas tree was still up and looked beautiful.
The gazebo downtown decorated for the holidays
I loved the Christmas tree in the gazebo in Downtown Point Pleasant
Point Pleasant always does such a creative job decorating their downtown for the holidays. Even though Christmas was over it puts you in the Christmas spirit.
The Point Pleasant Beach Jenkinson Boardwalk by the aquarium
The Point Pleasant Beach Boardwalk was active as there were people heading to the aquarium to see the lights and tour the displays. The whole side of the Jenkinson Boardwalk was open and the restaurants, shops and arcades had families popping in and out of them as the day got nicer.
The snowmen announced the coming of Winter
These festive penguins greeted me at the restaurant
The Christmas tree in the restaurant across from the aquarium
Even though it was the holidays, I thought the prices at the restaurant were a bit ridiculous for hamburgers and pizza considering what was coming out. I walked around the boardwalk and looked over the amusements that would be opening in four months. I could not believe it would be that short of a period of time.
Santa was there in the restaurant greeting patrons
I walked around the boardwalk and the downtown one last time. I decided to head home for dinner. There were some places I wanted to try in Point Pleasant but I would wait until the weather was warmer and I could enjoy the afternoon with some warm weather.
I was surprised that the traffic from the beach back to North Jersey was not that heavy and I got home in just about an hour. I decided to have my pre–New Year’s Eve dinner in Hasbrouck Heights.
Downtown Hasbrouck Heights during the holidays
I went to Dumpling Chinese Restaurant for dinner that evening. All this driving around and exploring towns and admiring holiday decorations and the spirit these towns represent, I was exhausted. I just wanted to stay closer to home.
During the holiday season, I had run from the Jersey Shore to the Hudson River Valley and all through New York City and even to Delaware to find the best of the holiday season and now I needed a break from my vacation.
The lunch and dinner specials here are really good. The food is excellent and the portion sizes are really generous. I ordered the Chicken Lo Mein combination platter for dinner with Hot & Sour Soup. The spiced the better since I was fighting a cold.
The Chicken Lo Mein dinner combination
The Chicken Lo Mein dinner
The Hot & Sour Soup was excellent
After dinner I got home and finally was able to unpack and unwind. It had been a long holiday season of running around and attending and revisiting every thing I had seen in the past years. Now I would be able to concentration visiting new places and discovering other parts of the region.
I spent New Year’s Eve at home just relaxing, doing laundry and reading. It was time to put it all into perspective and look back at the last year and all I accomplished. I thought I gave my students the best education and experiences I could and visited as much of the places that I wanted to see. The Team projects had been successful and the blogs all hit new highs with all of them reaching new goal’s and toppling last year’s numbers.
That’s where I than you the readers for joining me on my journeys. I hope you got a glimpse on what places to visit in the future. I watched the ball drop in Times Square from home and felt I lucked out on not having to spend a freezing evening in Times Square. I would be back over the weekend rested and relaxed. New Year’s Day was Soup Day with my best friend and her family. I have such a great time with her family. I just feel really lucky to have all this in my life.
Merry Christmas everyone and a very Happy New Year!
My post New Year’s Day walk around Manhattan:
Pictures of my post Christmas walk around Manhattan! Whose says Christmas is over on December 25th? I just wanted to stretch after a long series of travels and picked a day in January to walk around Manhattan to see what decorations were left around the island. People really do believe there are twelve days of Christmas.
Engine 65 in Times Square which inspired my book ‘Firehouse 101’
I promised myself I would cut back on holiday activities last year. Since almost all of my older blogs have been revamped and updated to reflect the work on my newer visits and walks of neighborhoods and towns, I took a step back and revisited one last holiday activity I enjoyed last year, The Light Show at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. So, join me for my walk through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s ‘Lightscape’.
The Gardens have been running this show for several years to increase traffic in the Gardens during the winter months to great success. These type of lightshows are gaining popularity in botanical gardens all over the country similar to the drive through holiday light shows. They are becoming a new tradition for families in usually quiet parks during the holiday season. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has been an impressive show over the last four years that I have attended.
The directory of the ‘Lightscape Show’ at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The brilliance of the “The Tree of Stars” display at the entrance of the show
I love how they illuminated the trees to the music
The Christmas music illuminated the trees in the “Shadow Play” and created a festive beginning to the light shows
One of the best parts of the light shows is displayed in the Japanese Garden “Let the Magic Begin”. The water show keeps people dazzled for almost five minutes. I find myself every year having to watch it three times. Once to check it out, once to film it and then the last time to be dazzled by it myself. It is one of the reasons why I put up with 35-degree weather.
The beautiful lights illuminate the gardens at its start
Then the water show “Let the Magic Begin” begins
The video of the water show is so impressive every year (excuse my coughing)
The end of the water show was spectacular
I walked down the pathway toward Daffodil Hill and could not wait until the sea of yellow flowers returned in four months. In its place was a sea of lights and sounds in the display “Papillion’s”.
I next walked through a sea of butterflies and the skies were full of color in the ‘Papillion’s’ display
The trees were full of colorful butterflies in ‘Papillion’s’
I then walked through the Shakespeare Garden and came across the ‘Threshold’ display which was a sea of lights that flipped and sparkled around.
The ‘Threahold’ display in the Shakespeare Garden
‘Threshold’ in full color
‘Threshold’ changing colors
I walked around the spiral of spinning lights s and admired all the beautiful colors as it moved around. I walked around the Shakespeare Garden and looked at where the colorful flowers and plantings are placed in the Spring and Summer.
As I walked to the lawns of the Watershed, I passed the ‘Sway’ exhibition with its layers of colorful lights on the trees.
The colorful lights of ‘Sway’ as the music plays on CD
The video of the ‘Sway’ lights against the trees
The illumination of the trees in the gardens during the light show
The next display on the lawn of the Watershed was ‘Fluxit’, which looked like outside fire. It clicked and sparkled as the music played.
The ‘Fluxit’ display as it lit and moved
The video of the ‘Fluxit’ display
Once I left the Watershed lawns, I walked into the ‘Winter Terrace’, where in the warmer months are the Lotus Pools and seasonal plants and flowers are displayed. It was now decorated with topiary women guiding in the pools, the fountains were decorated with blinking lights and where the bar and restaurant were located. The area is really crowded with people milling around and taking a break from the walk.
The ‘Winter Terrace’ in full illumination
The Lotus Pools with the illuminated women
The ‘Illuminated’ women in the pool
One of the ‘Illuminated’ women
The fountain was shimmering with lights in the “Winter Terrace”
While I was walking around the frozen pools admiring the lights, many of the patrons were in the glassed-in banquet room having snacks and drinks. The building was packed with people eating and drinking.
I walked through the next series of displays ‘Flock’ and ‘Shadow Lantern’s on the edge of the Water Basin lawn. “Flock” looks like illuminated pigeons flying around the trees.
The display ‘Flock’ on the lawn’s edge
The ‘Shadow Lantern’s’ were quite brilliant
The ‘Shadow Lantern’s’ cast their brilliant lights all over the sidewalks with a sea of snowflakes and could hear the music in the background.
One of my favorite displays in the show was walking through the giant ‘Lilly’s of the Valley’ display to what sounded like a 1970’s folk singer. It was like a surreal trip through ‘Wonderland’ and I felt like Alice when she was shrunk walking through the gardens.
The ‘Lilly’s of the Valley’ display
Walking by the floral displays illuminated with brilliant lights
My video of walking through the giant patch of Lillie’s and watching the plants and trees change colors. It was a lot of fun to walk around.
The next display was another favorite of mine, the colorful and interactive ‘Winter Walk’ with lights and music to the song ‘Sleigh Ride’ that sounded like the New York Pops. The colors popped and popped with the music.
The ‘Winter Walk’ in full color as the music played
My pictures and videos don’t give the display justice as I filmed everything from the side view of the display.
The festive lights dancing to the song ‘Sleigh Ride’
Talk about putting you in the Christmas spirit even after the holidays were over. “Sleigh Ride” is still one of my favorite songs at the holidays.
I loved walking past the lines of trees that were illuminated
I followed the path down to where in the Spring, the Bluebell flowers bloom brightly and the whole area is a sea of purples and blues. Now it was ‘Bluebonnets’, a sea of purple lights. It was just picturesque and brought the gardens back even in the dead of winter.
‘Bluebonnets’ light display
The light flowers replacing the Spring flowers
The ‘Robin’s Trail’ display at the end of the ‘Bluebonnets’ display
As I entered the Cherry Blossom lawn, which is a sea of pinks in various hues, there was now the ‘Leaf on the Light’ display on all the trees.
The ‘Leaf on the Light’ display
Towards the end of the light display for the spectacular finish of the display in the Cherry Blossom lawn, you had to walk through the lines of Cherry Blossoms that line the pathways on both sides of the lawn. Only this side of the pathway was open and lit for the display.
I walked through ‘Pulse’ , where the trunks of the trees kept changing colors. It was an interesting walk down the pathway.
The lighting of ‘Pulse’ as I walked down the pathway
‘Pulse’ as it changed colors
All this led to the best part of the show, ‘The Sea of Light’, where the whole Cherry Blossom lawn became a dazzling sea of lights, sounds and music. I love the creation of the lawn light display every year I visit the show.
The ‘Sea of Light’ as it started
The ‘Sea of Light’ as it changed colors
The dazzling ‘Sea of Light’ performance and the lively music that accompanied it.
This was the best way to cap off the evening with its dazzling lights and music. Even as it got colder, I stayed longer to see watch it at least three times. I wanted to get the perfect video to share with everyone. If there was part of the show I enjoyed most, it was this part of the display.
As I left the gardens that evening, I exited through the ‘Winter Cathedral’, an archway of an illumination of lights that is the one place that foot traffic stops as people always want to take pictures here. While this display has moved around the gardens over the years, it is still the one display that has been been consistent every year.
The ‘Cathedral of Lights’
Couples were stopping here asking everyone to take their pictures. It was a popular spot to take pictures.
The ‘Cathedral of Lights’
The last display I walked through to exit that night was the ‘Firefly Field’ at the old main entrance of the Gardens.
The ‘Firefly Field’ blazing with Tony lights
It was a nice way to wrap up the show. The “Lightscape” light display at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden was spectacular this year and always different. As cold as it was, it was still an amazing night of sights and sounds.
It was a nice way to rest and relax as the holiday season ended. Until next year!
mywalkinmanhattan 