Visiting New York City this summer or just bored out of your mind quarantining at home? The good news is that social distancing had been lifted in the city and people are free to roam the five boroughs again. The bad news is that with the lift, it means that a swarm of tourists and native New Yorkers are out and about again. Coming to the rescue, we put together a list of three neighboring locations in Brooklyn that is safe to visit and have their own specialty.
1. Brooklyn Botanical Garden
The Brooklyn Botanical Garden was planned to be constructed in 1897 and later founded by botanist Charles Stuart Gager in 1910. After its establishment, the garden declares a mission to unite people through the mutual wish of learning and appreciating the world of plants. Important then and especially important now in a city where people are swarmed by crowds of skyscrapers hiding nature away from our eyes.
Having been to the Botanical Garden many times myself, I thought it would be nice to visit this mini-home away from home in the city that I haven’t been to since 2018.
Entering the gates of the garden, nostalgia seeped in along with the familiar smell. There were parts of the garden that I still remembered since my last visit and some parts that I got to visit for the first time in this visit.
Here were some of the sights that attracted my eyes:
I don’t know if this will be my last visit to the garden, but if I had the chance and the time, I hope to be a visitor again next spring to show some love to the Cherry Blossoms!
2. Prospect Park
Built over the course of seven years, Prospect Park was founded by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux during the mid-nineteenth century. The park proclaims itself as a non-profit organization that sustains Brooklyn’s Backyard by ensuring environmental protection and preservation of nature in a big city.
If you happen to ever plan a trip to either of the other two locations mentioned above, be sure to save a time slot for this park. Though its size is smaller than that of Central Park’s, Prospect doesn’t lose in the beauty aspect. Being lesser known than Central Park, Prospect offers a spacious environment for visitors on its meadows, hikes, and landmarks.
Visiting in the morning of July 22nd, 2021, I was able to walk through the park without having to worry about people getting too close to me, being one who is cautious of the outbreak and likes to keep my distance. The meadows were filled with some families but were for the most part reserved for the little critters to roam.
The hills and hikes provide a tranquil space to walk, run, hike, and meditate. And their landmarks, which I was only able to visit two, being the well-constructed arches around the park and the Vale of Cashmere, was truly worth the hike to reach.
If you ever need a place to take a timeout from the busy city and tired folks, the park is there for you from 5 in the morning to 1 at night!
3. Brooklyn Museum
“To create inspiring encounters with art that expand the ways we see ourselves, the world, and its possibilities.”
- Brooklyn Museum’s MissionThe Brooklyn Museum is New York City’s third-largest museum by size and holds thousands of art collections for one to explore. If the MET is no longer interesting to you, then this will be the best choice for you.
This museum owns collections of both contemporary art and historical art providing a wide range of exhibitions all in one!
Upcoming events including:
The Obama Portraits Tour
Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams
After all, the Brooklyn Museum doesn’t stand alone. The Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Prospect Park, and Prospect Park Zoo together is a natural site for a short family trip. Fulfilling the interest of all age ranges in a single trip with minimal traveling expense and time.
We hope that reading these suggestions made you tempted to grab your sneakers and head right out to the finite but worthwhile locations in the Big Apple!
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