February
1997
My
Favorite Place: Reflections by New York City Activists and
Others
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Prospect Park
By Howard Golden, President of the Borough of Brooklyn
Prospect Park, designed by Olmstead and Vaux, is New York City's most
beautiful park. This urban park is filled with paths traversing wooded
areas, open meadows, ponds, lakes, and even a waterfall. I am pleased
to have allocated substantial funds for the protection of Prospect Park's
woodlands and ravine. Prospect Park is an oasis of green in the center
of Brooklyn that offers a place of retreat for every person.
Fort Washington Park
By Ruth W. Messinger, President of the Borough of Manhattan
One of my favorite spots for contemplation and quietude is the Hudson
River waterfront in northern Manhattan's Fort Washington Park. Shoreline
paths and sloping lawns offer tremendous views of the river, the famous
Little Red Lighthouse and the looming George Washington Bridge. A perfect
place to dream big dreams! As a child I was enchanted with this site,
made famous by the classic book, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great
Gray Bridge.
The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
By Lori Duggan Gold
The air is different here, the sky is bluer, and your state of mind changes
the instant you walk through the gates. For me, over its lush 52 acres,
the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens creates heaven on earth.
It is impossible to identify which part of the Garden is the most magical
for me. I could choose the traditional Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden
in the early morning or late afternoon light when the lake reflects the
clouds above, or the world renowned Rose Garden when our more than 5,000
rose bushes show their majestic beauty from late May through June. But
I must say that it is the Garden taken as a whole that constantly surprises
me and reaffirms my faith in the irrepressible fortitude of nature.
At each turn, a unique planting of flowers takes my breath away. When
I unexpectedly come up to the butterfly bush covered with butterflies
feasting on the nectar of this extraordinary shrub, or catch the reflection
of the waterlilies in their pools, or am lucky enough to see the new
ducklings floating across the water behind their proud, attentive mother,
I know that I have the unique privilege to work in one of the most amazing
places on earth.
Lori Duggan Gold is the Director of Public
Affairs at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Green Thoughts in a Green Shade
By Wendy Brawer, author and designer of the Green Apple Map, enthuses
about a Green New York City.
There are so many great green sites on the Green Apple Map that it's
difficult to choose a favorite. I love the very southern tip of Manhattan,
with its view of Ms. Liberty, the Hudson estuary, and our iconic cityscape
overlaid by a vortex of human and natural history. I appreciate our transportation
options, too, and whether we use human power or mass transit to get around,
living car-free is something most New Yorkers relish. We have gorgeous
community gardens and Greenmarkets for fresh local produce, a diverse
urban wilderness that includes old-growth forest, horseshoe crabs and
herons, deep-green shops like Terra Verde and Earth General, exemplary
eco-buildings like the National Audubon Society headquarters and more.
That makes this city a real haven for green-minded residents and visitors.
I saw all these signs of progress toward sustainability around town,
yet they were swallowed up in the cacophony of commercialism, internal
combustion, concrete and chaos that characterizes most descriptions of
New York City. That was why I created the first Green Apple Map. I wanted
to give people a fresh perspective of our home and used a map as the
medium. It is the most resource-efficient, universal way of communicating
the whole story.
The third edition of the Green Apple Map of NYC's ecologically significant
places is under construction, and will be available later this Spring.
Green Apple Maps will be available free (while they last) at various
places around town by Earth Day.To get your copy of the Green Apple Map,
send a self-addressed business-sized envelope with 2 stamps to Modern
World Design, PO Box 249, NYC 10002. You can visit this and other Green
maps, and find out how to participate, at http://www.greenmap.com/index.html.
You can e-mail Wendy at WEBrawer@greenmap.com
The Best Kept Secret of the Bronx
by Corinne Monaghan
Attending college in the Bronx was my way of escaping the suburbs in
order to experience more of the treasures New York City had to offer.
However, every now and again I needed to escape the hustle and bustle
of the city without returning to the suburbs. My oasis in the Bronx became
Wave Hill.
I discovered my sanctuary nestled in the winding side streets of Riverdale
as a first year college student. My first excursion to Wave Hill occurred
on one of the first days of spring -a mild cloudless day. I have since
returned on many spring, summer and fall afternoons -all just as striking
as the first.
My favorite pastime at Wave Hill is to sit and read in one of its many
lounge chairs or on a bench in the gazebo overlooking the Hudson out
to the Palisades. It is a wondrous place to simply lie in the grass and
enjoy nature to the fullest. For those who enjoy more activity, a tour
of the greenhouses or a leisurely stroll through the expanse of grounds
is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Indoors, there is a gift shop
containing an assortment of gardening books and paraphernalia, and a
quaint caf˙.
All seasons of the year at Wave Hill are too magnificent to choose a
favorite. Wave Hill is the perfect place to be on an early spring day;
it seems as if spring is magnified there with its flowers and trees bursting
into bloom. During the summer months, it is essential to grab a cherished
book and warm yourself in the sun surrounded by the lush greenery. In
the fall, Wave Hill is the ideal location for collecting a spectrum of
colored leaves. I have never experienced Wave Hill in the dead of winter,
but I can imagine its beauty under a blanket of snow.
Wave Hill is too beautiful to be kept a secret. It is a sanctuary in
the midst of high-rises and traffic that should be experienced by the
young and old.
Corinne Monaghan is an elementary school
teacher in the process of earning a Master's degree in education.
She has been a vegetarian for a third of her life. For information
on Wave Hill, see "Sanctuaries."
Into the Woods
by Julie Sze
Where do I find beauty and sanctuary in New York City? I have many answers,
but the urban environment in North Woods at the northern end of Central
Park stands out.
It is the centerpiece of my daily bike ride from my home in Chinatown
to my work at the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance in Harlem.
It is my goal that gets me through the hellish ride through midtown rush
hours, with the exhaust filled nightmare of Madison Avenue. The contrast
between the North Woods and most of the City is what I love.
It is a spectacular area, a time capsule of the natural landscape that
seems untouched. In fact, this landscape is defined by a fascinating
cultural and human history, according to Urban Park Rangers Program (1-800-201-PARK).
The program text runs: "The Rear Guard: A History of the Northern End-explore
the military history of Manhattan and Central Park. Tour the roads and
fort sites that covered the retreat of General George Washington's troops
from Manhattan."
To find a place so empty of people is bizarre, especially given my bike
ride and the crowded state of New York City generally. Streams, hills,
and trees greet my frazzled shell and revitalize me when I ride past
the shortcut that most people take to bypass this view. As a native New
Yorker, I am constantly astounded by the sights and sounds of silence.
If I wasn't on my bike, I'm not sure that I would feel safe in the North
Woods. It is empty of people, a terrifying prospect in New York City,
and particularly Central Park. How then can I call this a sanctuary,
which implies peace? I believe that my sanctuary is a place which reaffirms
my own conflicted self, marked by extremes of dread and peace, cynicism
and hope. As an urban child, the North Woods to me stands for the complexity
and beauty of the urban environment.
Julie Sze works for the Environmental Justice
Alliance. They can be reached at 271 West 125th Street, Suite
303, NYC 10027. Tel.: 212-866-4120. E-mail: nyceja@undp.org
My Favorite Place
by Henry Spira
Long-time animal rights activist, Henry Spira is president of Animal
Rights International. Being in contact with nature ventilates the head
and recharges the batteries. And for me, nature at its grandest is Fire
Island, a mere hop and skip from New York City, a perfect day trip. It's
32 miles of seashore, all of which is open to the general public. Sunbathers
tend to cluster around the villages but not far away there's only the
sun, the sea, the sand and the sandpipers. The rhythm of the waves crashing
onto the shore has an almost hypnotic effect. You get a sense of infinity
which places everyday problems into a geologic perspective. This clears
your head for a good think, or just to take in the beauty of the sea
and sky. You're at peace with the universe and for awhile, everything's
in harmony.
In contrast to the sand dunes and the wide open spaces, there's the Sunken
Forest maintained by the National Park system. Trails take you through
primeval woodland, with gnarled sassafras and red maples forming the
canopy, and vines reaching up the ancient trees toward the sun. On the
downside, poison ivy flourishes on the Island, so be careful.
Take the Long Island Railroad at Penn Station to Bay Shore. It's slightly
over an hour. At Bay Shore, walk or taxi to the Fire Island Ferry. The
ferries go to different points on the island, but it doesn't matter which
one you take (the major community is Ocean Beach). The half hour boat
ride is your first taste of the sea.
Closer to home, during the summer months, I like to escape to the Rodin
sculpture garden on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There
are terrific views of the park anytime, and on a clear day, just before
dusk, you can see one of the most spectacular sunsets in the city. The
admission price is whatever you want to pay.
My other favorite spot in Central Park is the Shakespeare Garden, a well-maintained,
little, romantic plot of herbs mentioned in his plays. You can sit and
relax on the benches. It's on the West Side near the upper 70s.
For more information on Animal Rights International contact, ARI, Box
214, Planetarium Station, New York, NY 10024.
Refuge(e)
by Joan Zacharias
I can't find refuge in this place. How can anyone find refuge in a city
so smoggy that you can't even see a rainbow? The sky is visible only
in slivers between buildings, the air is fetid with smoke and soot and
garbage, and the only serenade is a car alarm.
No, the woods are my refuge -from my drunken father's rage as a little
girl in Ohio; and now, from the raging, littering, spitting, pushing,
shoving, sputtering, cursing crowds of New York City.
Every Saturday morning, groups of refugees from the city saddle up our
backpacks and head north by train along the Hudson River Valley to try
and get our souls free. The river towns are host to beautiful wooded
areas with names like Pocantico Hills and Black Rock Forest.
In the woods -unlike the city -it's okay to look up, look down, really
see everything around you. Absorb the green, feel the carpet of moss
and humus and the crunch of fresh snow. In the spring and summer, walks
are lined with fragrant mountain laurel, exotic mushrooms and fresh blueberries
ripe for the picking. Autumn's late day sun casts long shadows, infusing
everything with lovely golden tones. Winter brings evergreens on white,
icicle-filled caves, and crisp, clean air.
If we're lucky we'll spot a white-tailed deer or wild turkey foraging
in the bushes. Whole universes of insects live here -some beautiful and
unusual, some biting and buzzing, some would-be hitchhikers.
We stretch our bodies, breathing deeply as we climb, urging each other
to go on, higher and higher. We share cookies and hot spiced cider, explore
caves and ruins, eat lunch on spectacular cliffs and tell stories of
city life. Maybe we'll take a dip in the waterfall or dare each other
to skinny dip in a frozen lake. Once upon a time, there were no "hikers";
we all lived this way.
At the end of the day, we leave nothing but footprints. We are renewed
-until the conductor announces "Grand Central."
Joan Zacharias is an animal activist and
campaigner for social justice living in Brooklyn. For more information
about hiking, call the Sierra Club at 718-370-2096, the Appalachian
Mountain Club at 212-986-1430 or Shomrei Adamah (Keepers of the
Earth) at 212-807-6376.
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