NYBG Parking Garage Construction to Create Parking Nightmare for Botanical Square Residents

Well, the good news is that the construction of the New York Botanical Garden's new garage on Bedford Park Boulevard and Webster Avenue is moving along nicely after a lengthy delay awaiting funding.

The bad news is that, well, parking in the area will be a bitch whilst the new "intermodal transportation facility" is being constructed. Botanical Square residents will be losing 25 spots from January through May, and there will be intermittent street and lane closures as delivery trucks come and go. Come June, Botanical Square resident may just want to take their summer vacations early - Botanical Square South will be closed 24-hours a day to both pedestrian and vehicular traffic for the entirety of the month. Additionally, Botanical Square North will be temporarily converted to a dead end street, with no parking on either side, to accommodate 2-way traffic in order to provide pedestrian and vehicular access to the Botanical Arms building and the Metro North train station for pick-up and drop-off only. At this point of the construction, a total of 35 parking spots will be off limits.

We sure hope that NYBG has some free visit passes or, better yet, a free parking alternative for the residents of Botanical Square...this construction is sure to wreak havoc on their lives for quite some time.

For your convenience, we've converted the contents of the entire update into a PDF which you can read below.
Nybg Parking Update

And here's a survey NYBG would like residents to fill out in order to gauge interest for parking for the community:
New Parking Garage Flyer for Community Residents 122010
~ErLu

End Of Summer Bubbly with Martha Stewart

NYBG will be hosting a Champagne Cocktail Party with Martha Stewart this evening from 5:30pm to 8pm as part of their Edible Garden series. More details here or below...~ErLu

Botanical Garden Farmer's Market to Return

The New York Botanical Garden's farmer's market is set to return this Wednesday June 16th. There will be a weekly market that takes place every Wednesday from June 16th - November 24th from 9am-3pm.

The produce is always great and the breads are top notch. Whether you stop by just to get some fruits and veggies for home or simply to grab a muffin or an apple for your garden walk, the farmer's market is a great seasonal addition to the neighborhood and the Bronx.

Unfortunately last year's system of having an additional weekly market on Saturdays set up in the Metro North parking lot will not be returning. (Make sure you stock up on Wednesdays!)

Here are this year's vendors:

• Bread Alone, Boiceville, NY – bread and other baked goods
• Gajeski Produce, Riverhead, NY – vegetables
• The Little Bake Shop, Valley Cottage, NY – baked goods
• Migliorelli Farm, Tivoli, NY – fruits and vegetables
• Perez Farm, Goshen, NY – fresh produce and herbs
• Red Jacket Orchard, Geneva, NY – apples, pears, and cide

~ErLu

Still a Few Spots Left in Spring Sprouts Gardening Progam for Kids at NYBG

We just heard from the folks over at New York Botanical Garden that there are a few spots left in their popular Spring Sprouts Gardening Program which takes place in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden (which has recently welcomed a cute new bunny named Darwin). Here are all the details:

Children’s Gardening Program 2010

Kids plant, tend, and harvest fresh produce with the help of instructors through the New York Botanical Garden’s celebrated Children’s Gardening Program.

As featured on NBC Nightly News, the program allows kids the chance to cook and eat vegetables, meet new friends, and make a lasting connection with nature. Age-appropriate activities are offered in two special programs in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden: Garden Sprouts (ages 3-5) and Garden Crafters (ages 6-12).

Secure your tot’s spot in Garden Sprouts this spring!
There’s still room in Sections B (May 5 – June 9) and D (May 7 – June 11) starting next month. Please click here to access the brochure with all registration information.
You can also pre-register for Summer Sprouts and Crafters starting in July.
Please click here to find out about more family activities at NYBG.

We can't wait until Pearl is old enough for this program - it looks awesome! Here's a video clip of the NBC Nightly News segment which aired back in January:



~ErLu

New Signage Up at Gloriously Ambiguous Botanical Garden Metro-North Parking Lot

Looks like Bedford Park's most ambiguous parking option is ambiguous no more - the Botanical Garden Metro-North parking lot has posted a new sign instructing drivers that they'll have to shell out $5/day to park their cars in the lot. On weekends the price to park shoots up to $12/day (this has always been the case though), and there's also a commuter option listed for $85 to park Monday to Friday only.

Prior to the new sign going up, this lot was always a nice secret option to avoiding alternate side parking regulations. My dad sure is going to miss it - apparently if you told the guard you were pulling in only to take the train, it was FREE. He pulled this stunt many a weekday when he'd arrive to visit with Pearl between the alternate side hours of 11:30am to 1pm and didn't want to double park and block other vehicles in their spots. I've talked to some other folks who have actually used the lot in the past as a late-night spot to park their car if there was no street parking available. There's always been a sign saying that the lot officially closed at midnight, but I've never heard of anyone being towed over there.

I've gotta say, I'm actually happy there's a sign up now. I hate having to talk my way into situations, and a finsky is quite a bargain to get a parking spot for 12.5 hours anywhere in this city. I also think that if there are Westchester or Connecticut drivers using the lot as a park & ride (as the license plates I regularly see there would indicate), they should be paying for their spots. With all the budget cuts that our 'living museums' are currently up against, it's pretty hard to blame NYBG for trying to capitalize on some prime parking real estate.

~ErLu

Zoolander Sighting at NYBG Train Show

We saw this on TheBronxRocks.com's Simone Davis' Facebook status and just had to share it:

Ben Stiller in The Bronx! 5 feet in front of us at The Holiday Train Show at The New York Botanical Gardens!

Simone reports that Zoolander was there this Sunday with his wife (Christine Taylor) and kids, and was quite friendly and even posed for pics with some eager fans.

My general aversion to people caused me to miss this awesome sighting. We were at the Gardens Sunday, but I refused to check out the train show because it's absolutely mobbed on the weekends. Damn it!

However, we did get to see some much less cooler recognizable figures the night before at the Garden's annual Tree Light Ceremony. Ken Singleton, the Yankees announcer, was there, along with several pols including Senator Jeff Klein, Congressman Jose Serrano, Senator Jose Serrano, and Assemblyman Carl Heastie (whose tardiness seemed to hold up the festivities for a few annoying moments).

left to right: Yankees announcer Ken Singleton with his wife and Senator Jeff Klein

Damn! I'll take Ben Stiller over Bronx politicians any day...oh well.

~ErLu

Columbus Day Weekend Events at NYBG

For all you folks with kiddies out there, NYBG has some great programming all throughout this Columbus Day weekend. Kids can make their own apple cider and applesauce, build a scarecrow, and even rock out to some live music. Here's the lineup for the musical performances:

Musical Entertainment
in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, 12–4 p.m.
Saturday: M Shanghai String Band
Good times are plenty with the M Shanghai String Band playing traditional and modern folk songs around a single microphone.
Sunday: The Ukeladies
Audience sing-a-longs and dance are part of the fun with The Ukeladies, a perpetually-touring act from Regina, Canada, with a lust for life. Sounds of the fiddle ukulele, toy piano, flute, glockenspiel, pennywhistle, and kazoo combine in perfect melody to send cowboy love songs and favorities from the ’30s and ’40s.
Monday: The Manhattan Valley Ramblers
Dance and have a good time to music that combines fiddle and banjo instrumentals with harmony singing ―a staple of country and bluegrass.

Click here to check out their press release with all the details for this weekend's events.

~ErLu

Scrumptious End to NYBG's Edible Garden Programming

This shot of Lidia Bastianich (right) was taken through a tree from pretty far away

because I didn't want to wait on line for the book signing... Creepy, huh?

As we told you on Friday, the New York Botanical Garden held their Finale Festival to close out the Edible Gardening programming that's been running all summer long. We were able to stop by yesterday (Sunday) to check it out. We got there a little later than we wanted due to Pearl pulling a surprisingly long nap on us (she has an uncanny ability to detect when we have plans and then snoozes like she's been drinking for 8 hours straight), so unfortunately we missed Lidia Bastianich's cooking demo. We did get to see her from a distance as she was doing her book signing (picture above), but we couldn't get too close because girlfriend had a lot of NYBG security protecting her!

Beer, wine, and food tastings were set up along the Conservatory

So onto the complimentary tastings we went... there was a booth set up with wine samples from the Finger Lakes region in New York, as well as two Manhattan Beer Distributor tents offering samples of Palm Ale, Mother's Milk, Ithaca Apricot Wheat, Southampton Double White, and Blue Moon. There were also a few different food options, including nuts, granola, plantain chips, and whole wheat dumplings. Apparently there was also goat cheese ice cream, but it must have been gone by the time we arrived. Clearly most of my time was spend loitering near the wine and beer tents trying to think of intelligent observations to share about the samples to mask the fact that I really just wanted to get some more free hootch.

Food Network's Daisy Martinez about to present her cooking demo

After that we caught a cooking demo presented by Food Network's Daisy Martinez. I've gotta say, Daisy was the least impressive part of the day. She was a little too focused on delivering one liners to really provide any meaningful explanations about the dish she was working on (arroz con pollo... yawn). She even messed up and referred to NYBG as the Brooklyn Botanical Garden... come on now, Daisy!

Clearly we are not frequently awarded press passes because we blatantly misuse them...

All in all I'd have to say this was one of the best events we've ever attended at NYBG. It was extremely well run and the programming was spread out so that even latecomers still had a chance to enjoy themselves. Bravo NYBG! Now we sit tight and look forward to Kiku autumn events, which begin October 17th.

~ErLu

Emeril and Lidia to Appear at Edible Garden Finale Festival Weekend at NYBG

This weekend is your last chance to catch the Edible Garden programming at New York Botanical Garden. There will be all sorts of cool stuff happening from 10am to 6pm tomorrow and Sunday... click here for a full lineup of the scheduled events.

In addition to complimentary food, beer, and wine tastings throughout the day, there will be various seasonal cooking demonstrations. Emeril Lagasse will be cooking in the Conservatory Kitchen on Saturday from 2 to 3pm, and will be available for book signing in the Shop at the Garden from 3 to 4pm. Lidia Bastianich will present her cooking demo on Sunday from 2 to 3pm, and then will be signing books from 3 to 3:30pm.

Warning to Lidia: If there's a swarthy looking bespectacled man who gives you a love letter or excitedly tosses his boxer shorts up on the cooking stage, it's my husband. He's a little obsessed with your show... The man makes a mean gravy and meatballs thanks to you.

Pricing: Grounds only will be free on Saturday before noon. If someone wants to see The Edible Garden programming, the Conservatory, and the cooking demos, they will have to purchase the $20 All Garden Pass or for the cooking demos $35. Members get full range of programming, except the cooking demos. They pay $15 for the premium seating for the cooking demos.

~ErLu

NYBG Farmer's Market Expands

We swear that you'll never find another living human who loves meat
more than this Ledge Rock Farm representative...

Many of you who live in the hood probably already know about New York Botanical Garden's Wednesday Farmer's Market which arrives each summer. Well, this summer the Farmer's Market will also be set up on Saturdays in the Botanical Garden Metro North parking lot.

This is great news for people in the Bedford Park area. We're always looking for nice produce options that are within walking distance. Although the prices seem to have gone up from last year (our $10 that we usually set aside to spend on veggies at the market just didn't go nearly as far as it usually does), the food is fresher and more delicious than ever.

In addition to being around on Saturdays this year, the market has also expanded its food options somewhat. There are now ridiculously good muffins, cookies, and scones, as well as more bread options. There's also a meat vendor and even a cheese guy! The cheese was really expensive, but we splurged on some fresh mozzarella and were not disappointed.

As for the meat, it's offered direct from Ledge Rock Farm in Medusa, NY... it's all grass fed and antibiotic and hormone-free. Besides offering what was quite possibly the best london broil we've ever tasted, the Ledge Rock Farm tent is just a fun spot to visit. I swear the vendor actually loves meat more than life itself. He gives you a preparation sheet and tips for getting the most out of your cut.

And don't forget about New York Botanical Garden's food festival to kick off the 'Edible Garden' series this weekend! There will be food demonstrations and lots of interesting activities for foodies on both Saturday and Sunday.

~ErLu

Wine & Roses

We went recently went to one of New York Botanical Garden's three 'Wine and Roses' events and wanted to share some of the photos we took while admiring the rose garden throughout the week.

The roses were gorgeous, but as for the wine... um, it was kind of hard to come by. We got there only 1/2 hour into the event and were told that they had run out of wine and it would be a few minutes while someone fetched some more.

Tip for anyone looking to attend next year: BYOV (bring your own vino). I'm not sure if you're officially allowed to bring wine in with you, but I don't think anyone would really give you too much trouble.

For all those foodies out there, don't forget that NYBG kicks off their 'Edible Garden' summer-long series this weekend with a local food festival. Click here for more details.

~ErLu

Beer, Herbs, and... Martha Stewart?

This summer, the New York Botanical Garden's 'Edible Garden' series will offer some super cool programming celebrating plants, food, and booze...

The highlights of the summer programming include two weekend food festivals and seven Thursday evening gatherings featuring beer and wine tastings.

So where does Martha Stewart fit into the equation? Ms. Stewart will be redesigning NYBG's historic Nancy Bryan Luce Herb Garden, which showcases a display of the finest culinary herbs that can be used in countless recipes.

The annual Farmers Market will also return each Wednesday from 10am to 3pm beginning June 24 and ending October 28th.

Here are all the details we have so far on the weekend festivals and Thursday night events:

The Edible Garden will begin and end with two exciting festival weekends. The fun will start with The Edible Local Garden: A Local Food Festival on June 27 and 28, the exhibition’s opening weekend. Visitors will explore the Botanical Garden, where they can discover the origins of food and learn about the plants and plant parts that they eat every day. Experts in the local and sustainable food movements will share information, and Garden scientists will explain their research relating to food plants and healthy living. Celebrity chefs will provide healthy cooking demonstrations, and Garden staff will offer home gardening demonstrations on growing vegetables.

The special festivities will continue Thursdays in July and August with Edible Evenings: A Celebration of Wine, Beer, and Food. From cooking demonstrations with local chefs to beer and wine tastings, guests will experience what can only be described as a cross between a friendly neighborhood block party and a sophisticated New York City banquet as they sample culinary delights and discover the ins and outs of beer and winemaking. Edible Evenings will take place on July 9, 16, 23, and 30, and August 6, 13, and 20, 6–9 p.m.

*Photo of Martha Stewart boozing it up courtesy of www.bestweekever.tv*

~ErLu

Barriers Back in Place at NYBG Construction Site

As you can see in the above photo sent over by the New York Botanical Gardens' PR office, the barriers have been put back in place along the temporary pedestrian walkway next to the garage construction site.

Big ups to NYBG for their speedy response to this matter! (But we would still really love to have our permanent sidewalk back... sigh.)

~ErLu

NYBG Garage Construction Site Creating Dangerous Situation for Pedestrians (Updated)

Friday, 3/27: Barriers set up to 'protect' pedestrians from oncoming traffic have been pushed aside, rendering the temporary walkway impassable.

BoogieDowner is usually one of the New York Botanical Garden's biggest fans. We live a short 2 or 3 minute walk from this world-class horticultural wonderland, and visit it at least once or twice a week with our 1 year old, Pearl.

Since the construction of NYBG's new parking garage on the corner of Webster Avenue and Bedford Park Blvd. has stalled due to lack of funding, we've been getting a little peeved about the temporary walkway that's been set up for pedestrians on the northbound side of Webster. The construction site pushes out past the sidewalk, so pedestrians are left walking basically in Webster Avenue with nothing but temporary wooden barriers protecting them from oncoming traffic. Simply put, it's DANGEROUS.

Well, this weekend the situation become even more perilous for pedestrians due to temporary barriers being pushed perpendicular to the construction site, rendering the walkway literally impassable. Anyone wishing to get from Botanical Square over to Bedford Park Blvd. must cross Webster Avenue to do so. It's absolutely infuriating.

We've emailed some contacts over at the Garden, but the messages have mysteriously bounced back. We've also called 311 to log an official complaint with the City, but had to give up on the phone call after about 10 minutes of trying to explain the situation to the incompetent operator.

BoogieDowner is angry. NYBG is normally one of our favorite amenities in Bedford Park, but we feel they've totally bungled this garage project. We were in favor of the project when it was first announced and even when construction was up and running, but now Bedford Park residents are left with a gaping whole in the ground and a dangerous situation for pedestrians in the area. To add insult to injury, it seems NYBG doesn't feel the need to work with the press to communicate with the community (for example, their spokesman declined comment in Dorian Block's Daily News article about growing frustration regarding the construction site) about their future plans for complete the project.

Please note that the photos you see were taken this Friday and Saturday, 3/27 and 3/28. It's quite possible that someone has corrected the situation by now in the one day that's passed since we took them, but somehow we doubt it...

Saturday, 3/28: The situation had only gotten worse, with barriers not only blocking the temporary walkway, but also jutting out into Webster Avenue's right lane of traffic.

Update (3:56pm): We heard back from Nicholas Leshi, NYBG's Associate Director of PR, who says it "...looks like the barricades were moved by a third party (maybe due to an accident). I know that our Capital Projects Director is now aware of this unacceptable situation and making sure it's corrected immediately."

Update: Problem was resolved promptly. Click here for more info on resolution.

~ErLu

The Orchid Show

We checked out the Orchid Show over at New York Botanical Garden today and just wanted to post some photos... We're sure that when Simone of TheBronxRocks.com makes her way over to the exhibit she will put our crappy Canon Power Shot images to shame!

~ErLu

Details Behind Halt to NYBG Garage Construction... (a mere $20 million will finish the job)

Rendering of NYBG garage as it will look upon completion
(whenever that may be...)
Courtesy of crainsnewyork.com/NYBG


BoogieDowner photo of stalled worksite from a few months ago

We have been hearing at our Bedford Mosholu Community Association meetings that the construction of the New York Botanical Garden's parking garage on Bedford Park Blvd. and Webster Avenue had come to a halt because of the pesky global credit crisis we currently find ourselves in... but until now we didn't have too many nitty gritty details about the stalled project.

Big ups to Crain's New York Business for the story they posted today on the issue. Click here to check it out.

In a nutshell, NYBG has already forked over $13 million to purchase the plot of land and design the site. However, the project has been stalled since the summer due to both credit and revenue crunches, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in the ground. NYBG is appealing to Washington for stimulus funds in the amount of $20 million in order to complete the job.

BoogieDowner sure hopes this project gets back on track somehow... Just from a local pedestrian's standpoint, the inactive work site is a huge nuisance because it forces residents to walk essentially right IN the right northbound lane of Webster Avenue. All that stands between me and Pearl in her stroller and the Bx41 bus is a temporary blockade. Very dangerous stuff...

~ErLu

NYBG American Gardening Lecture Series

Tomorrow, 1/15/09, is the first day of the New York Botanical Garden's Gardening Lecture Series.

Tomorrow's lecture will take place from 10am to 12pm in the Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall and cover two topics: South African plants in northern gardens and how to keep your garden in tip-top shape well past summer and into fall.

The fee to attend the lecture is $31 for non-members and $28 for members. There will be two more lecture days on 2/19/09 and 3/19/09. Those who wish to attend all three days of the lecture series will get a 10% discount.

Click here to get more information about the Gardening Lecture Series.

*Photo courtesy of nybg.org*

~ErLu

Porcupine For Hire

You have to have a heart made of coal and nails not to appeal to lawmakers about proposed cuts to NY's Living Museums after watching this Wildlife Conservation Society advertisement:




Click here to fill out a petition urging legislators not to lay off the porcupine.

~ErLu

Henry Moore Exhibit Extended Again

We were happy to learn recently that the Henry Moore exhibit over at the New York Botanical Garden has been extended for a second time.

So we now have until March 15th to enjoy what was voted as one of Time's "Top 10 Museum Exhibits of 2008."

Hooray!

~ErLu

NYBG Henry Moore Exhibit Listed in Time Magazine's Top 10 Museum Exhibits of 2008

Click here to check out Time Magazine's glowing write-up of the New York Botanical Garden's Henry Moore sculpture exhibition.

By the way, you better get over there quickly if you haven't seen it yet. The exhibit ends January 11th, and it's already been extended once.

I want to cry thinking about it not being there anymore... The sculptures are such a natural fit in the landscape there, and it feels like they've been there forever. It will be so sad to see them go.

~ErLu