Highlights: The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at The New York Botanical Garden
"...the greatest patron American horticulture has ever known... " -- Gregory Long, President of The New York Botanical Garden (commenting on the significance of Enid Annenberg Haupt as a NYBG patron)
The New York Botanical Garden
2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10458
Open year-round, Tuesday through Sunday, as well as Monday on federal holidays, from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Purchase NYBG exhibition tickets or all-garden passes online or in-person (10% ticket discount for MasterCard cardholders)
The best places to visit in New York City during the winter are the Bryant Park ice skating rink, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and...The New York Botanical Garden?! Yes, The New York Botanical Garden, located in the Bronx, may not have been the first place that came to your mind when brainstorming sights to see during this frigid, winter season. But I guarantee that trekking all the way uptown to the Bronx will be a worthwhile trip, once you find yourself amidst beautiful flora in the 65 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit weather inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at The New York Botanical Garden. 2016 is a particularly special year at NYBG because it is the garden's 125th anniversary, since being founded in 1891.
For highlights from my January visit to the garden, read my post below!
On Saturday, January 30th, 2016, my girlfriend Andrea and I waited in the early afternoon for the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) train at the Syosset train station nearby her house, so that we could head west towards New York City. In my opinion, this is the easiest method of transportation to the city from Long Island, since finding a parking spot or dealing with traffic in your car can be stressful, albeit more cost-effective. The time it takes to travel from the town of Syosset (on the Huntington train branch) to Penn Station at 34th Street and 6th Avenue is approximately 45 minutes to an hour, depending on delays. While train tickets can be expensive, they are luckily discounted by a few dollars on the weekends, due to off-peak prices. Once on the train, we headed towards Penn Station in Manhattan.
At Penn Station, Andrea and I walked over to Herald Square to take the B or D subway lines uptown towards Bedford Park Boulevard Station, which took about 25 minutes. While in the subway station, we saw three adorable boys wearing fuzzy animal hats to keep them warm in the cold weather. There are always unique, quirky fashion trends that you can witness in New York City! Andrea and I could have benefitted greatly from these animal hats, although they probably would have made us momentarily unrecognizable in the underground, urban jungle.
After arriving at the Bedford Park Boulevard station in the Bronx, Andrea and I opted to save taxi or Uber money by walking eight blocks downhill on Bedford Park Boulevard. While this saved us time, the walk did take us around 20 minutes. Nevertheless, this leisurely stroll was scenic, enjoyable, and romantic (particularly if you decide to bring a date to The New York Botanical Garden). The only sketchy part was when we had to walk a little too close for comfort alongside speeding cars, in order to finally reach the Mosholu Gate entrance off of Southern Boulevard. You will also see a big sign for The New York Botanical Garden to confirm that you are in the right place.
Through Chain-Linked Windows
On the way to the Mosholu Gate entrance of The New York Botanical Garden, I happened to see the Metro-North railroad (Harlem local line) pass by the Botanical Garden Station on Southern Boulevard. This is another public transportation option if you are initially heading into Grand Central Station, instead of Penn Station, before heading uptown. It is a comparable 20 minutes from Grand Central Station on the Metro-North railroad to the garden, as opposed to the subway. If you are not inclined to travel via train, subway, and/or walking, there are also bike routes to The New York Botanical Garden that you can read about in more detail on the Plans to Visit NYBG page.
The friendly ticket booth attendant accepted our all-garden pass tickets, which we had purchased online using the 10% off MasterCard cardholder discount. She highlighted the Wild Medicine in the Tropics exhibition, running from January 23rd to February 21st, that was located in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Before heading into the conservatory, Andrea and I explored the Seasonal Walk that was shaded by towering conifer trees, as well as the Ladies' Border, which is a 260-foot long walkway designed by Ellen Biddle Shipman in the 1930's and named after the Women's Auxiliary Committee. For more details, read the NYBG online description on the seasonal changes in the Ladies' Border.
The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
The wind chill started to pick up, so Andrea and I "quickly walked", meaning ran, to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. In 1978, the Victorian glass greenhouse was named after American philanthropist, Enid Annenberg Haupt, a woman whose interest in gardens was largely developed during her marriage to Ira Haupt. She donated substantial funds to support various horticultural institutions, including The New York Botanical Garden and the conservatory for which she is named, after it underwent restorations. The central, 90-foot domed section is known as the Palm Gallery, flanked by smaller gallery wings. This white steel-and-glass building is a New York City Landmark and the largest Victorian glasshouse in the United States, designed by Lord and Burnham Co. in 1902. For further reading on the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, visit the NYBG conservatory page.
Wild Medicine in the Tropics
As mentioned earlier, the temperature inside the conservatory is a toasty 65 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the gallery in which you are standing. The summery climate makes the conservatory a great place to visit, even in the winter. The recent exhibition, Wild Medicine in the Tropics, was very accessible to the public - it not only provided English and Spanish signage for the more than 50 featured medicinal plants from around the world, but was also paired with an award-winning iTunes mobile app guide, also called Wild Medicine, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Wild Medicine app is easily accessible, free, and multi-functional, including a map, informative text, audio clips, animations, and photos. The temporary exhibition, which recently concluded on February 21st, worked in tandem with the conservatory's permanent collection, A World of Plants, in order to enhance public understanding of plants' healing qualities and expand knowledge of how people and plants interrelate - ethnobotany. Read the NYBG Wild Medicine Press Release for more information.
From Curare to Coconut Palm
When I entered the central, 90-foot domed Palm Gallery of the conservatory, the Lowland Tropical Rain Forest Gallery featured several fascinating plants - curare is an Amazonian vine plant extract that can be used as a muscle relaxant or paralyzing poison (such as the substance that laces the bullets fired by Deadshot, the DC Universe marksman from Netflix's Arrow tv series and upcoming film, Suicide Squad). Of course, you will also find the popular cacao tree, the pod seeds of which were first used by indigenous South American civilizations to produce prized chocolate drinks! Theobromine is the active chemical in cacao that dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. Besides delectable chocolate from the cacao tree, there were medicinal plants in the Upland Tropical Rain Forest Gallery, such as the cinchona tree - the bark contains the active chemical known as quinine, which enables the bark to be used as an antimalarial treatment. Up above in the Palms of the World section, there was also the coconut palm tree, which produces edible fruit, oil for topical application, and sweet juice. The healing plant displays were spread out throughout the conservatory galleries, encouraging a leisurely, exploratory walk.
Upcoming Orchid Show: Orchidelirium
While exploring the Palm Gallery, I also noticed that there were several white folding screens and a large, fan-like structure being set up for the upcoming, 14th annual Orchid Show: Orchidelirium from February 27th - April 17th, 2016. If you have not had a chance to see one of the orchid shows at The New York Botanical Garden, I would highly recommend checking one (or more) out. I have seen two shows before, and the thousands of orchids in all colors and sizes are absolutely spectacular. The backdrops on which the orchids are arranged are also lovely showcases. This year's show opens this Saturday, so quickly buy tickets and take shelter from the winter chill in the conservatory.
Soothing Balms and Succulent Fruit
After passing through an underground tunnel lined with light-box photographs of researchers gathering data on plants worldwide, Andrea and I walked up the stairs to the Deserts of the Americas Gallery wing. One of my favorite plants, the aloe plant, was highlighted as having extremly useful, antibacterial gel inside its thick, spiny leaves that can be applied to sunburnt skin and scrapes. The aloe plant was probably one of the more welcoming sights in a room filled with spindly, needle-covered cacti. The last section of Hanging Baskets was a fragrant room containing heavily perfumed gardenia trees, quirky venus flytraps, and appealing citrus trees. The citrus fruit are not only key sources of Vitamin C, but also for anti-inflammatory use. Another antioxidant-rich plant is the Camellia sinensis, the leaves of which are employed in tea production. Catechins are the particular type of antioxidant in tea leaves and the active chemical, caffeine, is a stimulant for the body. I definitely could have used some juicy citrus fruit and hot tea before heading outside the conservatory!
After mustering up the courage and willpower to head back out into the cold air, I saw two pools in the conservatory courtyard - one was frozen, the other still fluid. In the free-flowing pool, I could see goldfish enthusiastically swimming around flowerless lotus plants. The lotus plant is versatile because every part can be utilized for medicine or food, such as the edible seeds, thick roots, and plate-like leaves. The various ailments that can be treated using lotus plants include nausea, fever, diarrhea, and inflammation. The pink, red, and white lotus flowers are a pleasure to see in the springtime, when I will most surely return to see stunning blooms and widespread greenery spread throughout The New York Botanical Garden.
Thank you so much for reading this latest blog post; I hope that you have enjoyed it and learned more about the medicinal and nutritional properties of plants from around the world! I also hope that you are inspired by the well designed, interactive Wild Medicine displays and the exquisite Haupt Conservatory to visit The New York Botanical Garden. If so, have a blast and celebrate the garden's 125th anniversary. Exhibitions often have accompanying special events for varying ages (I have not had a chance to attend one of these events myself yet).
Leave me a comment below to share with me your experience(s) at The New York Botanical Garden and/or let me know what you thought of my highlights in this blog post!
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Blog Post Sources: The New York Botanical Garden Wild Medicine in the Tropics Press Release; www.nybg.org; Wild Medicine Mobile App.
