Exploring Central Park – Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical

The weather has been so strange over the last few months. We had one of the coldest winters since the 1990’s and one of the snowiest. It seemed like the cold air and frigid temperatures would never end. Then came a small break in the weather when it turned 52 degrees in the middle of March.

Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ during the start of New Jersey’s Cherry Blossom festival

The 52 degree day got even better when the ‘Spring Thaw‘ came during our Spring Break from the college and I was able to resume my walk exploring Alphabet City. The tough part of visiting the neighborhood was that the countless community gardens were either closed or just starting their ‘budding process’, where the warm weather was bringing plants back to life from their Winter slumber. It had been such a cold and miserable Winter.

My search for the flowers and the Cherry Blossoms of the Tri-State area started at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden during the last week of March just after the heat spell. The crocuses came out about two weeks earlier then they normally did and I wanted to see ‘Crocus Hill’ at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, so I visited the Gardens in the last week of March to see the beginnings of Spring.

The Japanese Gardens in March 2026

The Japanese Gardens in the beginning of Spring

The Snowdrops in full bloom

The flowering plants peaking out in the early Spring

The Fragrance Garden in the early Spring

The early Daffodils in full bloom

The daffodils in full bloom

The Snowdrops in full bloom representing the beginning of Spring

Crocus Hill in the early Spring

Crocus Hill in bloom

The last of the Crocuses in bloom on the hill

I walked around the gardens and got to see so much of the plants and trees in bloom.

The first Cherry trees in bloom in the watershed lawn

Crossing the bridge in the with the first of the flowers

The snowdrops were beautiful at this time of year

The Willow Tree in full bloom in the watershed lawn

Walking around the Rock Garden

The colors were so vibrant in the Rock Garden

Walking along the paths towards the Cherry Blossom Lawn

Walking through the Cherry Blossom Lawn waiting for the magic to appear

Walking through the Cherry Blossom pathways waiting for more to come

I would take the next four weeks exploring the City and the outskirts in search of the perfect Cherry blossoms. I would be coming back to the Gardens four more times to see how the rest of the garden would progress. The changes in three weeks was Mother Nature work her magic!

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden in the first week of Spring. It would not stay this way long!

My own yard started to come back to life with the first crocuses of the season popping out of the ground early. All that planting in the Fall really paid off. After all that snow and a bitterly cold Winter, it was nice to see the first traces of Spring.

The first crocuses of the season popping up in the yard

My daffodils coming to life

All the hard work of the Fall paid off in the Spring as my gardens came back to life. Crocuses, Daffodils and Rose Bushes were all coming back to life.

In the first week of April, my best friend and I had been planning to go to the NY Botanical Garden for ages and on an unplanned afternoon, we just decided to go and see the Annual Orchid Show that everyone was talking about. I was blown away by the beautiful arrangements and displays.

I had never been to the NY Botanical Gardens before so it was a double treat for me. We got to walk up to the Conservatory when the daffodils were at peak bloom and these gorgeous white and yellow flowers just swayed in the wind as we passed.

Some of the Cherry Blossom trees were in full bloom early in the season so the view of the park was spectacular.

The Conservatory in the Spring

The turn of the Century Conservatory

The Orchid Show:

(From the Garden’s website)

New York City has never bloomed like this. At The Orchid Show: Mr. Flower Fantastic’s Concrete Jungle, orchids collide with concrete in a dazzling reimagining of the Big Apple, from stoops and slice shops to the subway itself. Step into a breathtaking fusion of nature and cityscape artistry in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and experience the flair and style of New York transformed by thousands of flowers.

The entrance to the Orchid Show

The sign welcoming us to the show

The inside of the Conservatory

The magnificent orchids

The orchids in the beginning of the show

The inside of the Conservatory

The beauty of the potted plants

The beautiful potted plants

They were more beautiful up close

The inside display of the Conservatory

The flowers lined the paths

Then we walked through the fountain area and got to see the beautiful turn of the century fountains. We walked all through the Conservatory that afternoon and these were the breathtaking plants that we saw that day. I had not seen this many orchids out of Hawaii.

The fountain elegantly decorated for the event

The fountain area in full bloom

All sorts of beautiful orchids lined the pools

They came in all colors and sizes

The Tropical display

The orchids in full bloom

The colors were fantastic

Then we walked through the desert display at the end of the Conservatory which was really nice.

The Desert display

The Desert Display

The start of some interesting displays at the end of the show

The Pizza display where I did really think we could order lunch

Blogger Justin Watrel in front of the car washing display

My best friend, Maricel, who toured with me

Blogger Justin Watrel at the end of the Orchid display

The end of the Orchid Show display

The Orchid Show was amazing and I will have to come back next year. I loved the displays and the sheer colors of the flowers.

Then we walked the grounds. The New York Botanical Garden’s version of Daffodil Hill is not the same as the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens but still beautiful.

Leaving the Conservatory towards the other gardens.

The path outside the Consrvatory

The beautiful Cherry Blossoms in the gardens that day were in full bloom

We headed to the NY Botanical Garden’s Daffodil Hill display after the Orchid Show and walked down paths of flowering Cherry Trees. It was quite a site as everything was coming into bloom in the park.

The pathway to Daffodil Hill

The pathways to Daffodil Hill

The daffodils were just starting to come in and some were at peak bloom. Though not as impressive as the display at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden it is still impressive and had just come into bloom when we arrived that day. It is a nice place to walk around.

Daffodil Hill at the New York Botanical Garden’s version

Another section of Daffodil Hill

Walking back to the front of the gardens

The next Friday, I visited Newark, NJ’s Branch Brook Park which was in full bloom and at its peak of their famous Cherry Blossoms. Since it was going to rain on that Sunday and I knew the park was going to be packed on Saturday for that reason plus all the activities planned for the weekend I thought it would be easier to visit on Friday after work.

So I got there at 4:00pm and the park was packed people who must have thought the same thing. I know how to park here since I have been coming here for years. You never try to park in the parking lot up in the park and always try to park as close to Bellville as you can and then turn yourself around so that you can get out of the park.

The traffic in the park that afternoon was near impossible and I parked by the bridge and was able to get out and enjoy the park and the beautiful trees.

The Cherry Blossom Festival in Newark in April 2026

I visited the Cherry Blossoms in Branch Brook Park in Newark on a Friday afternoon, thinking the park would be quiet. With the Cherry Blossom trees at peak flowering, the park was packed. People were lining the paths and picnicking and taking pictures.

Walking along the busy paths during a Friday afternoon

The paths at the beginning of the park near Bellville

Walking along the pathways

Walking along the catch basin

The catch basin of the river is always so picturesque. The trees were just starting to release their petals and yellow flowers were in full bloom.

Walking along the catch basin

Walking along the catch basin

Walking along the catch basin

Walking along the catch basin on my way to the main part of the park was breathtaking.

The Cherry Blossoms were at full peak when I visited

The catch basin in full form

The catch basin in full bloom

These beautiful yellow flowers line the basin

The views are amazing

The basin near the bridge

The rock formations on the other side of the street

The Cherry Blossoms in full bloom

Walking towards the main part of the park

Walking up to the main part of the park

Walking through the pathways of the park

The main part of Branch Brook Park was a dazzling array of colors of the different types of flowering trees.

Walking through the main section of the park

The cherry trees in full bloom in Branch Brook Park

The pathways along park

The Cherry Blossoms in full bloom

As I walked back to the car, I passed the bridge again and the views were spectacular. A burst of colors dazzled the pathways.

The view from the bridge

The on the walk back to the car

The view under the bridge

The catch basin near my car

I was only in the park for about an hour and a half and the park was getting busier in the early evening. I guess people were like me and did not want to deal with the crowds that would besiege the park in the early evening. I was glad to have the time to take these amazing pictures before the petals would start to fall the next week. You have to time your visits to see Cherry Blossoms in bloom very carefully. I learned that from trips to Washington DC.

While everyone else was in Newark seeing the Cherry Blossoms with massive crowds (trust me, I have experienced Branch Brook Park on a Saturday during Cherry Blossom season and it is not a pleasant experience dealing with all those cars and people. You also you can’t get the pictures you want).

That Saturday, I took an extensive tour of both the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and Central Park to see more of trees and gardens coming to life with the warmer weather.

I started at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden when they announced that Daffodil Hill was at full peak. The Cherry Blossoms in the Japanese Gardens which were the first one to bloom were also at full peak and I wanted to see both. It is when the gardens show their true beauty.

Walking to the Japanese Gardens

The Japanese Gardens in full bloom

The view of the pond in full bloom

The crowds each trying to get pictures in of the Japanese Gardens

Both the Cherry and Magnolia trees were in bloom at the same time

The beauty of the Japanese Gardens which

The Magnolia Court was just at peak and the flowers were brilliant

The different species of Magnolias like the Cherry Blossoms bloom at different times with different colors

I have seen Daffodil Hill when it was at peak flowering but never this vibrant before. All the flowers were blooming to perfection and I had never seen it this colorful before. (It worked out perfectly as a few days later and we’re got hit by a 90 degree heat wave for three days, which affected these very sensitive plants. By the next weekend, they were gone).

The most beautiful view of the park and the reason why keep joining year after year. Just to see Daffodil Hill in full bloom.

Daffodil Hill

Daffodil Hill

This is something no one should miss

Daffodil Hill

The tour of Daffodil Hill

After I finished my tour and picture taking at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, I took the subway back to Manhattan and decided to head up to Central Park to see the Cherry Blossom trees there as well.

I had read that they were at peak as well and had never seen them in bloom before. This was a real treat!

Walking through Central Park in the Spring

Central Park in the afternoon

Walking through the Cherry trees in Central Park

The beautiful potted plants along the pathways

Central Park in all its beauty on a Spring day

I had never seen the Cherry trees in Central Park fully in bloom before and I was spellbound by the beauty of the park in the Spring. I had missed this for so many years due to time or weather.

The pond was packed with people who rented sailboats where the ‘Big Kids’ played with the ‘Small Kids’ and families were having a good time.

The Central Park pool in the Spring of 2026

The boats sailing in the ponds

Some of the statues that surround the Conservatory Pond are the famous ‘Alice in Wonderland’ located in the Margaret Delacourt Memorial that was built in 1959 by Spanish born American artist Jose de Creeft. The artist studied at the Academie Julian in Paris and studied under artist Mariano Benlliure at the Artistic Foundry of Masriera Campins.

Artist Jose De Creeft

https://americanart.si.edu/artist/jose-de-creeft-1169

It was commissioned by George Delacourt for his wife, Margarita, who loved to read the book to her children. It is one of the most popular statues in Central Park (Central Park Conservatory).

Alice in Wonderland Statue

The famous poem by the statue

‘Hans Christian Anderson’ statue that faces the other side of the pond. This statute was created in 1958 by artist Georg John Lober for the 150th Anniversary of the author’s birth. It had been commissioned by the Danish American Women’s Association in his honor. Georg John Lober was born in Chicago and was based later on out of New York City. He studied at the Beaux Arts Institute of Design and National Academy of Design working under artist Gutzon Borgium. In his later years, he worked for the New York Municipal Art Commission (Wiki).

Artist Georg L. Lober

https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/georg-john-lober-papers-7898

You should take some time to walk around the pond and see both statues especially the detail work of the ‘Alice in Wonderland’. These are the favorite of many adults and children alike (Central Park Conservatory).

Hans Christian Anderson Statue

I walked a little further into the park and followed the path and the crowds of people enjoying their time in the park. I got to Bethesda Fountain in all its glory. The fountain was busy with street musicians playing and tourists dancing around. I never get tired of this part of the park.

The Bethesda Fountain is just as glorious as it is now as it was in the Gilded Age. The statue was dedicated in the park in 1873.

The fountain was so beautiful in the Summer of 2024

Artist Emma Stebbins

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Stebbins

The statue in the Spring of 2025

The fountain again in the Spring of 2026

The area around the fountain was crowded with visitors taking pictures and enjoying the Cherry Blossoms

The fountain in the Spring of 2026

The statue was designed by artist Emma Stebbins, who was an American born and a native New Yorker. She studied at the National Academy of Design and spent most of her professional career in Rome. She was know for her neo-classical works and public sculptures both large and small (Wiki/NY Post/Artist Bio).

Central Park during the Spring of 2025

The band shell in the Spring of 2026

Central Park in the Spring of 2026

The park was packed with locals and tourists enjoying the warm weather and the blossoming Cherry Blossoms. It was fun to watch the City come to life around me. The skaters and dancers were enjoying a Michael Jackson tune from his “Off the Wall” album and with everything going on in the world, it was nice to see people just enjoying themselves.

Central Park in the Spring

Walking around Central Park in the Spring

Watching skaters and dancing

Watching skaters and dancers

Central Park in the Spring of 2026. The colors were amazing!

While touring Central Park, I walked all through the park by the lake area and Boro Bridge to see the park in full bloom with all sorts of Cherry Blossom trees at peak, and daffodils and tulips in showing their brilliant colors. The park was so amazing and everyone was enjoying the Spring weather. It is what everyone thinks of when they think of New York City.

The fountain by the lake

The Cherry trees by the lake

Boro Bridge in the distance

The view of the lake by Boro Bridge

The lake in all its beauty on a Spring day

Walking around the park admiring the Cherry trees

Capturing a couple singing the song ‘Suddenly’, a different version than what I had heard before.

What a delight to hear in Central Park! Talent is everywhere! This guy could really belt out a song!

I went back to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for my forth time of four weeks of visits there on a Friday night, to see the Cherry Blossoms, one of the most beautiful displays of the trees not just in New York City but the East Coast.

Entering the Brooklyn Botanic Garden the first weekend in April through the Eastern Parkway entrance.

Walking through the entrance to the gardens was so beautiful. Everything was in full bloom and the sheer vibrance of the colors of all the flowers and trees just stood out. I had never seen the garden at such a peak bloom.

The flowering bushes by the entrance

The tulips in full bloom by the entrance

These tulips were so colorful

The tulips lining the garden walls were so colorful

The flowering trees coming into bloom at the entrance

The flowering bushes at the entrance

The beauty of the trees in the early Spring

Walking down the pathways, the first Cherry Trees were just amazing.

The Lilac Garden was in bloom filling this part of the gardens with the most amazing fragrance

The Rose Garden was just coming into its own as the plants were starting to bud. In a few weeks this garden will have the most amazing colors and smells

All the Cherry Blooms were starting to open or were at full peak when I visited. I got there when the buds were open beautifully and had never seen them so vibrant.

By this fourth trip that I made on the Friday night before they started to charge people to enter the gardens for ‘Members Picnic Night’, I was able to finish all my work and travel to Brooklyn to see the Cherry Blossoms at their absolute peak.

Just like Daffodil Hill two weeks earlier, I had never seen the trees so full, fluffy and vibrant. There was supposed to be rain in the forecast for three days so I wanted to get there before that happened and wrecked the petals. The view of the trees was just spectacular.

The Cherry Blossom lawn on an early Friday night

I had never seen the blossoms this full before

The crowds on the Cherry Blossom lawn could not stop taking pictures and videos

It was a spectacular evening to walk through the lawn. I think people were just as spellbound by the beauty of the trees as I was that evening.

I walked down the pathway off to the side and under all these beautiful trees

You have to join me for these amazing walk under the Cherry trees

The pathways were so vibrant with color

Then I walked through the lawn and took pictures as well

I could not believe how beautiful the trees looked and how fluffy the flowers were that day. This is what a Cherry Blossom looks like when it is absolutely perfect!

I think people were spell bound

The fountain at the edge of the Cherry Blossom lawn

Walking back up the pathway to see other parts of the garden

Then I took the back path through the Japanese Garden and it is amazing what a week can do in these gardens in the Spring. Most of the Cherry trees had turned green and another series of flowers had bloomed. You can see this from the beginning of this blog until now.

The back path of the Japanese Garden from Cherry Blossom lawn

The Japanese Gardens

Entering the Japanese Gardens through the back path gives you a better perspective of the garden

Walking along the path of the Japanese Gardens

The waterfall in the Japanese Garden I never noticed before

The garden is so beautiful in the Spring

Looking at the platform from the other side of the gardens

The Cherry trees had turned green when I made this visit

After I finished the tour of the Japanese Gardens, I walked around the Watershed Lawn and the Fragrance and Shakespeare Gardens again to see the flowers blooming. What a site!

The Watershed Lawn

The Watershed lawn

The Fountain at the Shakespeare Garden

The tulips along the pathways

I had never seen this flowering plant before

The Fragrance Garden in bloom

The Fragrance Garden in bloom

It was a spectacular trip and shows how beautiful New York City is in the Spring. The dazzling display of color and delightful smells of the flowers and trees with the promise of more to come as ‘Rose Night’ in the gardens approaches in June.

To see how the parks and gardens work their magic in a one month period goes to show that all is not bad in the world. Maybe we just have to look for the good in it all.