Colourful Bryant Park

The other day I checked out the Tim Hetherington exhibit, "Fallen Soldiers," at the ICP School before crossing the street to the ICP Museum to see the Chim exhibit, "We Went Back," one last time before it closed. Needing something to counter the serious images, I turned my attention to Bryant Park.

The French-style park was busy. Children rode Le Carousel and a group of men played a game of Pétanque while large crowds of tourists and locals alike occupied the small green tables and chairs at either end of the large lawn, which remained empty. One could think that the French thing was being taken a bit too far (I still remember being chastised by an official for sitting on the grass in a Paris park) but it was simply closed for re-sodding (the lawn reopened this past Friday).

So I turned my attention to the flower beds that were in full bloom. Blankets of pansies and rows and rows of Tulipa ‘Orange Queen’ and Tulipa ‘Maureen,' which were complemented by Tulipa ‘Barcelona’ in large planters. Delightful.

Nearby a little girl was having a birthday party next to Le Carousel. In addition to horses, the carousel boasts a cat and rabbit and plays French songs, of course. Nothing like a little Edith Piaf on a spring afternoon.

Photos: Michele

Tulips Everywhere

Years ago I lived next to a historic site that included a series of gardens. I became a volunteer gardener on the weekends and was put in charge of planting bulbs in the fall. I knew nothing when I started and had to quickly become familiar with Latin names and learm which bulbs would have been found in a 18th-century New England garden. Needless to say I fell in love with the wonderful flowers and their names—Snowdrops, Keizerskroon, Butter and Eggs, Duc van Tol, Persian Bells, Absalon. I was especially fond of the tulips. So you can imagine my delight the other day when walking through the West Village, I spotted some tulips through a wrought-iron fence and captured the above image.

Or when walking through the West 20s, I passed through the flower district and found buckets and buckets of tulips. So dear readers you'll have to indulge me with these and other flower photos that I am sure to share over the next few weeks. I just can't help it.

Photos by Michele.