The High Line, New York City

Ever since I found out about the High Line in New York City, I've wanted to go there, and over the weekend I finally got the chance!

So, what is the High Line?  It's a 1.45-mile park and walkway built on the remnants of an elevated railroad freight line on the west side of Manhattan. How cool is that??  For a few years, I worked in historic preservation, so this really appealed to me, how this old rail line was saved and repurposed.  And since my husband works for a railroad, there was an even bigger connection for both of us!

The High Line runs from 34th Street south to Gansevoort Street, and there are several entrances (both stairs and elevators) to the park.  We got on at 30th Street and 10th Avenue at an area known as the Spur.  From here, we walked north for a little bit and saw views of the Hudson River and the rail yard.

 

From the picture above, you can see how in some areas, the park area has enveloped the old rail bed, while in other areas, the original track has been preserved and runs alongside the walkway, like below.

 

We then started walking south, and I was immediately struck by how lush and green the walkway was.  It is just surrounded by plant growth.  Even though there are buildings practically within reach, it still definitely feels like a park.

Even though the picture above doesn't have too many people in it, the High Line was actually super crowded when we went.  There were people everywhere, walking, taking pictures, lounging on one of the many benches and other sitting areas.  It was almost hard to absorb the beauty of the park because I was worried about bumping into other people!

There are several areas of interest along the way - art installations dot the walkway, a water feature allows you to dip your feet and cool down, there's an actual lawn to play on, and enough trees to make you feel completely secluded at times.

 

These LOVE sculptures aren't official High Line art installations, but rather part of a show from a nearby gallery - I just included them because I adore these sculptures and they're right next to the High Line!

 

Of course, you can't be in NYC and not talk about views, and the High Line has some great ones!  Like I mentioned above, you can see the Hudson River and across into New Jersey.  The Empire State Building peeks through at turns.  If you're really observant, you can spy the Statue of Liberty and Hoboken Terminal.  But, it was also really neat to be able to look up the streets and avenues from high up!

 

The High Line is a completely unique public park, and I would highly recommend taking a walk there on your next visit to New York City!

Winterthur, Delaware

For my mom's birthday earlier this year, we promised her a trip to Winterthur, a house museum and garden in Delaware, to see the Costuming The Crown exhibit and walk through the gardens.  We had been there a few years prior to see the Downton Abbey costume exhibit, so we were excited to return, and a couple weeks ago, we visited on a perfect Saturday.


Winterthur is the 175-room former home of Henry Francis du Pont; for more information about the estate, click here.

We purchased timed tickets to take the house tour.  Small groups are led through a portion of the house every half hour.  The house is deceptively large; it was built in stages over generations, finally ending with 175 rooms over several stories.  Since you only see a small portion of the house, it's kind of hard to gauge how big it actually is, but it is sprawling and cleverly built into the terrain - at one point, you're on the fifth floor, but can walk out a door onto a lawn.

 

After we finished the house tour, we went over to the Costuming The Crown exhibit in one of the wings.  We've all watched and loved the show, so it was really neat to the see actual costumes the actors wore, oftentimes next to the real-life pictures that served as inspiration.  My niece loved seeing all the pretty dresses!

After the exhibit, we wandered out into the gardens, starting at the reflecting pool.  From here, you can kind of see the scale of the house!

Next we went to the Enchanted Forest section of the gardens; my niece loved this area and didn't want to leave, especially because she could have a tea party with grandma there!

After lunch, we took a tram ride around the perimeter of the garden; I love this part of the tour because you can see all different parts of the grounds; the guide talks about different plants and trees and also what the land was historically  used for in various sections (for example, there used to be a dairy on the property).  You can also walk the many paths through the garden.

We really enjoyed our second trip to Winterthur; I would highly recommend if you're ever in the area that you make it a point to stop there!

Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania

My sister and her family are members of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania; their membership comes with free guest passes, so one Saturday she treated all of us!


For more information, visit their website here.

This place was so much fun, and so beautiful!  And it wasn't so big that it felt overwhelming.  There's a paved path that basically goes around the whole arboretum, with smaller specialized gardens and other sights off the main path.

The first place we went to was the Rose Garden; roses are my favorite flower, and they had so many different types, in all different colors.

Then we went over to the Garden Railway, which my niece loved.  They have a huge model train set, with small replicas of historic Philadelphia buildings.

Next we walked over to the Pennock Flower walk, which had these lovely arches and fences, as well as a fountain that my niece couldn't keep her hands out of!

We meandered a bit and made our way over to the Swan Pond (the swans were chilling out on the grass, but I loved this little structure).

I really loved this place; there was something to see around every turn, from sculptures to fountains to all different kinds of flowers and trees.

 

If you're ever in this area of Philadelphia, I would highly recommend stopping by for a visit!

Rutgers Gardens and Frank G. Helyar Woods

Rutgers Gardens is a place I never would have known about if I hadn't seen it on another blog, but when I found out that this botanical garden wasn't too far from us, we decided to check it out.



For more information about Rutgers Gardens and Helyar Woods, including maps, visit their website here.

Rutgers Gardens is open 365 days a year, and there's no entrance fee!  Not only do they host public events like farmers markets, but the Gardens also provide educational opportunities for Rutgers students.

Although it was smaller than I thought it would be, there was still plenty to look at.  There are several small gardens and groves of different tree types.  Cute benches are strategically located throughout the property.  We started at the bamboo garden and then headed to the shrub garden.  In a memorial garden we found these two massive Adirondack chairs, which Tom refused to climb in so I could get a picture of him (JK!).  There were also a couple lovely gazebos.

We then went over to Frank G. Helyar Woods, which is attached to the botanical garden.  Although there are smaller blazed trails, we stuck to the main Pond/Forest Trail (we tried one of the smaller trails, but it was overgrown with lots of downed trees).  The main trail was really easy to walk and pretty flat except for one drop down into a ravine.  At some points we could see glimpses of Westons Mill Pond.

After the pine forest the trail opens out into a meadow, and there's actually a small maze carved into the brush.  At this point in the year, the plant growth was probably about 3 feet high, so it would be fun for kids to run through while still being able to see them.

The main trail is less than a mile, so it didn't take us long to finish.  Although it was a short visit, I'm glad we checked out Rutgers Gardens.  And since it's free, I wouldn't mind coming back at different points during the year to see the flowers changing with the seasons.

My Favorite Wanderings of 2017

Today I want to share my favorite parks and trails from the past year.  It wasn't the best hiking year for us - the weather was often an issue.  But, we got to see some gorgeous places!

We finally made our way out to Las Vegas, and we drove out to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead National Recreation Area for a tour and some walking.

Also while we were in Vegas, we went out to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, which was one of the most unique and beautiful places I've ever seen.

While in Pennsylvania for my cousin's wedding, we took advantage of a free morning to take a quick hike at Rocky Ridge Park.

Also in Pennsylvania, we checked out Longwood Gardens.

During a family vacation to Missouri, we took a walk at Table Rock State Park.

And closer to home, we finally checked out Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

We finished the year by going back to Longwood Gardens for the holiday light show.

Happy trails!

A Longwood Christmas

Earlier in the year, we went to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.  It was so beautiful, and we knew we wanted to come back for their holiday light show.  Christmas at Longwood Gardens is a super-popular time, so it was a good thing we got our tickets early.  We went the day after Thanksgiving, and it was the perfect kick-off to the holiday season!

Since it was still light out when we got there, we went to the Conservatory first.  Each room was decked out with lights and Christmas trees.  There were so many people that you couldn't just wander around; we had to follow a marked path through the rooms.

Floating display made of apples and cranberries

Succulent Christmas Tree

Then we made our way outside.  In addition to all the lights, there were also carolers, a model train set, fire pits, and spiked hot chocolate at various locations around the grounds.

Some of the trees were just wrapped with lights around the trunks, but others were wrapped all the way to the tip-tops of the branches.

Floating "trees" dotted a couple of the lakes.

My pictures really don't do this place justice.  It's just something you have to see for yourself.  A Longwood Christmas is perfect for kids and adults; it'll put everyone in the holiday spirit!