The holiday season feels so much richer now that I've got kids. Suddenly, I have the opportunity to experience the magic of the season all over again and through their brilliant, excited eyes. Yesterday, I took Ohm and Jai to the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show. It was an outing to remember.
The New York Botanical Gardens Holiday Train Show is wondrous!
The Holiday Train Show is a coveted annual event. Elaborate train tracks are constructed out of natural materials and botanicals.
Model trains chug down tracks that loop around New York's iconic landmarks that have been re-created using bark, leaves, flower petals, and sticks. It's an imaginative child's dream. It's a nature lovers dream. Who need leggos when you can build such extraordinary things using items you can forage on a walk through the park?
It was really astonishing to see what the imagination can do.
It was fantastic to see my little guy beam and light from within as he ran through the garden chasing trains and pointing out landmarks.
The New York Botanical Gardens never fail to inspire me. Regardless of the time of year, where else can you go, in New York to completely escape the hustle and bustle? Where else can you go and get lost in layers of green? Where else can you spy vibrant, tropical orchids, track numerous species of moss, and explore desert cacti and the flora of the tropical rain forest while never setting foot outside of the city? It really is an instant vacation.
Visiting the New York Botanical Gardens in the winter feels extra special because beneath the canopy of the greenhouse, the temperature is simply tropical. Dress in layers and be prepared to be comforted by the warmth of other suns.
The Holiday Train Show runs through January 19th. Don't miss it!