Last day in the City!

             All the time we have been here I have been thinking we should look at a botanical garden. After our day today, I am sure we have done it!

Don with the start of High Line Park and Whitney Museum of Art

             We spent the morning walking the mile and a half of the High Line Park. It is built on the abandoned elevated rail tracks that transported freight into lower Manhattan. We started at the southern end at Gansevoort (where we saw the new Whitney Modern Art Museum building). There is an elevator or stairs to get into the park and once there you feel like you are in a new world. The city has done such a beautiful job with designing, building, and maintaining the park. There are plants, flowers, trees, and bushes of great variety. The walk way basically follows the rail tracks with pavement, metal walkways, and some cinder walks. There are “flyovers” - places where you can step over and look at the views of the city and the Hudson River. And there were lots of places to sit, which I appreciated! The park ends at 34^th Street and 10^th Avenue.

Suzanne in the English garden, Central Park

           In the afternoon we rode the Subway to the north end of Central Park. The Conservatory Garden is located on the East side between 104^th and 106^th Streets. We saw the most beautiful collection of flowers in the English garden. I wish I knew them all – I would like to grow them! The Italian garden was less impressive. There was a lovely green lawn surrounded by crab apple and yew trees with a fountain and a pergola at one end. It reminded me of the gardens and lawns we saw in Europe. The last garden was French with a fountain “Three Dancing Maidens” and lots of new plantings. It features tulips in the spring.

            And I have also realized that the entire city is a garden. In spite of the traffic, construction, and all the other busyness – there are so many beautiful parks and interesting and well kept residential areas. I think the city has really spruced itself up since when we first started coming here. Everywhere you look there is public art work. It has been an interesting and beautiful trip.