Saturday Adventures: Botanical Gardens

Saturday is here again. As you have probably noticed, each Saturday we find some adventure to do as a family. Many are documented with photos, but many are not. Either way, when Saturday comes the kids know it is a day for fun.

This Saturday was no different. We had heard about a Holiday Train Show at the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx and decided to go. It was quite the event. Within the large greenhouse at the gardens, they had constructed a variety of structures (buildings, skyscrapers, bridges, stadiums, etc) that can be found in NYC. The amazing part was that each of these structures were made of natural materials - bark, sticks, acorns, nut shells, moss.. you get the idea. Some were only a foot tall, while others were close to 7 or 8 feet. I was amazed at the detail. The kids I think we more impressed with the model trains that ran throughout the exhibit - through roads and centers and across bridges. Connor (our train man) was in heaven.

The gang waiting for the subway at our local subway stop - 96th

"The Train Show"

"Waiting for the crowd to get moving"

A typical NYC crowd ... basically it is always crowded. You learn to push your way through the crowd with the best of them.

"Ellis Island" - the train show display

Real life Ellis Island... Can you see the resemblance? I think they did an amazing job.

Abigail and Penn Station in the background

John trying to show the kids the details ... trying to help them appreciate :)

"Brooklyn Bridge"

"Yankee Stadium"

This was a fun one... the tallest building was probably about 8 feet tall. Can you tell which famous buildings are in this shot?? Rockefeller Center, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building...

It was always fun to come upon something that the kids recognized and could remember visiting... Many of the above were part of that remembering... as well as many sites from Central park and others.

Connor was SO much fun to watch. He LOVES trains! He was so excited whenever a train would pass by. Many times he would sit and wait for the next train to reappear.

After the train show, we walked around the gardens and tried to enjoy some of the other facilities. After walking not too far we came upon the children's center. But I think the kids favorite part was climbing the rocks. More than anything, they were so excited to have space to run and play... things to climb on and ground to jump on.

Enjoying the Rocks

Even Owen was having fun

Connor being a scientist

Hooray for another Saturday of fun. We actually had such a great time we decided to put the cost of the days tickets toward a yearly membership. We can't wait to go back... especially in the spring.

Side Note: I was so bummed that I forgot to bring my longer lens for my camera. Especially after remembering that my regular lens is broken and is only in focus 50% of the time. Bummer.