Fall in NYC

Library at NY Botanical Garden

Because New York City is a little more temperate than West Michigan and the fall changes were still in progress, I (along with my NYC kids) was inclined to find outdoor things to do on this visit.

And--when I arrived by taxi from La Guardia airport on Friday evening it was that perfect 72 degree temperature which I live and die for. We tried to do dinner on the street again--but we all became so hungry waiting that we walked to Shake Shack and scarfed down hamburgers and fries with Shackmeister ale at one of their outdoor tables--not fancy, or French--but on my list for NYC to do's ever since I learned of this NY phenomenon while visiting a pristine new Winter Park, FL outcropping this past spring.

The next day we took the subway to the Union Square Farmer's Market. It was jacket weather now, but we sipped hot apple cider and had fun finding food for dinner--duck breast, miniature butternut squash and vegetables in a rainbow of colors. I found some pheasant sausage and buffalo cheese (actually labneh from water buffalo!) which took me back to thoughts of my home state of South Dakota.

So I will include a photo of our market haul and the dinner we ate. We watched a documentary about a NY chef and how some of these new vegetables (like honey nut butternut squash) come to be--from collaboration between the farmer and the chef. I confess that even though I dozed through a bit of it, I always enjoy learning more about food and farmers!

On Sunday we tried out a new brunch place in the neighborhood, Bocado Cafe. Remarkably, everyone loved their choices. I had pancakes with caramelized apples, blueberries in whipped cream and strawberries for color--very elegant and tasty! (I kept my camera in my purse, for once!)

Then we took the subway to East Harlem (not on my NYC list!) and walked a few blocks to the Metro North train. It was a challenge finding which track would take us to the NY Botanical Garden. If it had been up to me I would probably have ended up stranded somewhere in Connecticut.

The train stop for the Gardens was right at the entrance, but we walked and walked through both older and more newly planted sections of the gardens, in addition to taking the tram around and stopping at the cafe for a sandwich. We left the indoor gardens of the conservatory--and much more--for the next visit, but (unexpectedly) happened on a live demonstration of birds of prey.

A small indoor display featured *amazingly perfect mums of all kinds, mostly? Japanese cultivars, including this one:

Chrysanthemum 'Megumi'

The gardens provided us with a perfect fall walk in the woods, although I found more concentrated beauty in the gardens and along the walkways of Carl Schurz Park in the neighborhood where I was staying and also in the gardens of the High Line.

Yes, on Monday we walked the gardens of the High Line (google it!) that have been created from/on old railroad tracks. I will highlight only one specimen, out of the thousands that have been planted and maintained there--the juniper, which is prominently featured on the walkway and loaded with berries (for the birds). One can adopt a juniper for $50 and help to support the maintenance of this delightful city walk.

Juniperus Virginiana - Eastern Redcedar

These are some of the highlights of the outdoor fall beauty that we enjoyed in and around the "concrete jungle" of New York City. I will include a few more culinary delights that had not so much to do with nature or the outdoors in a future post, although that breakfast club I had in the West Village was pretty "farm to table" and that oatmeal cookie I had with my Martha's Blend coffee at the Martha Stewart Cafe--that must have had some pretty darn good natural farm products in it as well...

*amazingly, used with apology