flushing meadows

Much like visiting Coney Island, going to Flushing Meadows was one of my long time New York dreams (please note this is different from Flushing). Jeff appeased me this weekend by taking our bikes out to Queens to visit the site of two World's Fairs. There's been a lot written about Flushing Meadows (this is the post that sold me), so I won't get into the history and details. I will say that it was one hundred percent worth the schlep - totally fascinating!

© all photos by me

breezy point

After visiting both Fort Tilden and the Rockaways last summer, I knew I wanted to explore more of the Rockaway Peninsula. We took our bikes to the end of the A line and then rode out to Breezy Point, a cute beach community at the western edge.

©all photos by me

lost lake

Lost Lake is located in Putnam County (about an hour and a half north of the city). The property consists of twenty-eight cabins which surround the lake but are almost entirely obstructed by vegetation. When you are sitting on the dock, it almost feels like the entire lake belongs to you.

© all photos by me

watch hill

My friend Sara had the brilliant idea of going to Watch Hill, a national park on Fire Island. It was beautiful - clean, picturesque and gloriously uncrowded. The weather could not have been more perfect - hot enough to make you want to go into the water, but not so hot that you felt like your skin might melt off. It was a beach miracle!

© all photos by me

taliesin: the site

One of the things that's hard to describe about Taliesin is the vastness of the landscape. The 600 acre site played an important role in the design of the home, providing inspiration for both where the buildings should be built and how they would appear in the landscape.

© all photos by me

duke farms, part 2

Although there were many lovely parts of Duke Farms, my favorite spot had to be the Hay Barn. Originally housing a hay press, a fire destroyed everything but the shell in 1915. The structure was later turned into a sculpture garden (above and below).

The Duke family shared a fondness for orchids. The Orchid Range contains rare and beautiful species (below).

©all photos by me

More photos here.

duke farms, part 1

Duke Farms, located in Hillsborough, New Jersey, is the largest privately owned parcel of land in the state. The Duke family purchased the 2200 acre farmland at the turn of the century and spent about $10 million developing the landscape, creating lakes, hills and other topography.

Plans were made and begun for a large mansion on the property. A two level basement was built, but the house was never completed. You can still see evidence of the original foundation.

The farm can be visited for free and includes 18 miles of walking and biking paths. More information can be found here.

©all photos by me

More photos here.

snug harbor

Snug Harbor, originally a retirement home for sailors, serves as a regional arts center, botanical garden and working farm. All just a ferry and bus ride away on New York's least respected borough. 

©all photos by me

wave hill gardens

We took a short train ride on my favorite Metro-North line (also, the only one I've ever taken) to visit Wave Hill Gardens in the Bronx this past weekend. The weather in New York has been so amazing lately that it seemed criminal not to be outdoors. Wave Hill was just beginning to show signs of spring, so I can only imagine how lovely it will be when things really start blooming in a few weeks.

More photos here.
©photos by me

persian rugs

After the Earth Room, it made perfect sense to see grass growing out of carpets.

newtown creek nature walk

The Newtown Creek Nature Walk was designed by George Trakas and built by various NYC governmental departments as part of an "upgrade" to the nearby water treatment plant. It's definitely random and there really isn't a lot of nature happening. This article (with unintentionally identical image) kinda sums it up. It was, however, a really beautiful day to go for a walk....

©photos by me.