By: Gabriela Yareliz
One of Central Park’s hidden gems: The Conservatory Garden. I don’t even know how I discovered it, but when I saw the photo, I knew I needed to go and see it for myself. The trek up to this area of the park which is kind of parallel to East Harlem was fun. It’s a bit tricky to get from the train to the Fifth Ave. area.
When you arrive to the Garden, you find yourself at a large gate, which I believe used to be outside of the Vanderbilt mansion. Being at the Garden was such a serene and peaceful experience from the minute I passed through the gate. The street and traffic is left behind and neatly-arranged nature invites you.
As gorgeous as these photos look, I had big expectations when I went to the Garden. The photos I had seen gave me another impression of what I would find inside of the Vanderbilt gate. Despite my high expectations, I still was impressed by its unexpected simplicity. There is an area that is dedicated to The Secret Garden, which is ironic because many New Yorkers don’t even know this Garden exists.
If you ever need a solo walk or a place to be absolutely alone, by these photos, you can tell the Garden is a place where you can escape the crowds.
It was a lovely experience to just walk around the winding, green-lined paths. There were no cell phones making noise. People were reading, sleeping and thinking.
[Let’s be honest] At the Garden, my expectations were slightly let down, but still it lends itself to surprises. Life can be like that. We have so many expectations, and we sometimes have a set vision for some things. Then, we arrive at the gate. We don’t see what we expected. Still, I guess life is about being able to let go of the expectations. It’s about seeing the magic and simplicity in some things and paying attention to the details. In the details, we find our most lovely surprises; surprises placed there for only those who stop to look.
GABRIELA YARELIZ 