An Expansive Sculpture Garden In New Jersey

 It’s easy to spend the whole day at Grounds for Sculpture, an expansive and ultra creative sculpture garden in Hamilton, New Jersey. After all, there are surprises aplenty in niches, alcoves, beside bodies of water or snuggled in the woodlands. This is “Birth of the Messenger” that was carved from granite by the American sculptor, Viktor who was born in Odessa.

Surprises galore await as you roam the trails networking this 40-some-acre property. This bronze set in a mist-laden venue is “Redon’s Fantasy of Venus” by Seward Johnson.

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Spectacular Landscapes in Nevis

 

At the Montpelier Plantation and Beach in Nevis, history seamlessly melds with nature in a landscape that resembles a botanical garden. Here, an old sugar boiling copper was repurposed as a planter for umbrella palms.

I could certainly get used to this spectacular sunset view from the Great Room. This is also the view that diners have from the terrace of Restaurant 750 that’s part of the main house where the Great Room is located. 

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Scenic Delights at the Montpelier Plantation and Beach

While eating a picnic lunch in a gazebo set on the private scenic beach of Montpelier Plantation and Beach in Nevis, I was wrapped in a sense of peace and solitude.

A stay at this property is like being in a botanical garden. My views were filled with tropical plants no matter where I gazed. This is the poolside Indigo restaurant and bar from the back end.

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Visiting Untermyer Gardens for Mindful Walking

It’s easy to practice mindful walking at the tranquil Untermyer Gardens Conservatory, especially in the off season and when visiting mid-week.

Though there’s so much to love, by far, I most enjoyed exploring the Walled Garden with its crenellated walls.

Stepping into the Walled Garden is a magical experience.

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A Stellar Green Space Not Far from New York City

Even many New Yorkers are not aware of all the green spaces that are accessible by mass transit from Manhattan. The 46-acre Untermyer Gardens Conservancy in Yonkers is one of those verdant expanses that’s just a relatively short walk from the Metro North’s Greystone station. 

The Vista with stairs that gently descend to the Hudson River was modeled on Italy’s Villa D’Este where the stairs cascade down to Lake Como.

The Temple of Love offers stellar views of the Hudson River and looks lovely from just about every angle.

It’s worth exploring the nooks and crannies of the magnificent outcrop that’s capped with the grand Temple of Love.

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Wilmington, Delaware for nature lovers

Wilmington, Delaware may not be on everyone’s must-see list but, especially if you’re a nature lover, it should be. Though most noted for its stellar gardens, such as Winterthur, the Mount Cuba Center, the Nemours Estate and Longwood Gardens, there are numerous other venues to explore on foot or by bicycle that get much less tourist traffic. This is my article on a nature-based journey to Wilmington beyond the obvious sights that I wrote for ForbesLife. 

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Montclair, New Jersey - A Delight for Foodies and Art Lovers

It’s easy to fall in love with Montclair, New Jersey, especially if you delight in parks, gardens and other green spaces. But this cosmopolitan town is also noted for its vibrant culinary and art offerings. Now, the recently opened luxe MC Hotel taps into this scene by sourcing numerous foods and beverages from local makers as well as paintings and other works created by artists who live nearby. This is my recent article for ForbesLife on the MC Hotel. 

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Nature-Based Wanderings in Montclair, New Jersey

 Each section of Montclair — it’s a city with four different downtowns — is blessed with abundance green spaces.

In Upper Montclair, I wandered through a bucolic landscape at Yantacaw Brook Park where it’s easy to sit mindfully on one of the many benches just staring at the clouds and their reflections in the placid water.

In Montclair Center, the grounds of the bucolic Van Vleck House and Gardens are networked with shaded paths that course through dense woodlands. Well-placed benches beckon visitors to sit and stay awhile.

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Art and Nature in Montclair, New Jersey

The city of Montclair, New Jersey, is divided into several sections that are easily accessible by New Jersey Transit trains. But no matter where I wandered, I found Montclair, I found a delightful mix of art, cafes and nature-based venues. For example, in Montclair Center, creative outdoor sculptures, both figurative and avant-garde, dot the expansive lawns at the Montclair Art Museum.

In Upper Montclair, I followed a sign for the Mews and wandered down an ivy-coated, brick alley that ends at an atmospheric courtyard. There I discovered a Mediterranean Turkish restaurant and a contemporary art gallery.

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Curious Sculptural Works in Nyack, New York

 You never know what you’ll find at the Catherine Konner Sculpture Park when roaming about the lush grounds that are part of the Rockland Center for the Arts.

Barely two miles from downtown Nyack, New York, the grassy lawns and paths at this sculpture park are dotted with some curious works of art that are worth examining.

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New York City’s Governors Island - A Bucolic Getaway

Sitting in New York Harbor, Governors Island is just a short ferry ride from the Manhattan shoreline yet it feels worlds apart. 

And, of course, it’s blanketed with foliage to keep me entranced.

Strolling on the network of flower-laden paths that wend through the Hammock Grove on Governors Island is sheer delight.

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A Bucolic and Historic Accommodation in Delaware

 Just a few miles from Wilmington, the Inn at Montchanin Village & Spa combines a sense of history — it’s connected to the DuPonts and the buildings date to the 18th century — with some whimsical landscaping. Walking from my cottage in the early morning, I found that the gardens instilled a sense of peace.

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A Green Space Atop A New York City Library

 On Fifth Avenue stands a gem of a library. No, not the “one with the lions” that’s diagonally across from this other one, formerly known simply the Mid Manhattan Library, which had been going downhill in terms of its architecture, design and functionality for quite some time. Then it closed for renovations and I pretty much forgot about it. Until a week or so ago when it reopened. The completely resurrected and renovated Mid-Manhattan Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library is dramatic, bold and sun-filled. And, the rooftop terrace and soon-to-open cafe/coffee shop are the icing on the cake.

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Green Spaces Near Tivoli, New York

In the Hudson Valley, the Olana State Historic Site and Blithewood Garden are stunning. These are a few more images from my recent trip.

Nature and art are interwoven at the Olana State Historic Site, just like the fencing and benches dotting the landscape. It shouldn't come as a surprise, given that this scenic property was largely designed by noted Hudson River School painter, Frederic Church who lived and painted there.

On the forested property of the Olana State Historic Site, this is one of several silk banners - Memento Mori Mandalas - created by artist Portia Munson. They each honor a creature that had been felled by climate change.

Blithewood Garden on the bucolic Bard College campus offers myriad sensory delights, from the sweet fragrance of lavender and other blooms to the sweeping sight of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains in the distance

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A Spectacular Garden in Canada's Quebec Maritime Region

The Gaspesie Peninsula in Canada’s Quebec Maritime region is a year-round gem, whether you desire undeveloped sandy beaches, networks of hiking trails or an abundance of cross-country ski options in the winter when a thick blanket of snow coats the landscape. But horticulture fans will also want to visit this area that’s home to the unique and historic Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens. Here, it’s not just the thousands of botanical specimens that will delight, but also the avant-garde installations that are part of the annual International Garden Festival as well as the numerous sculptures dotting the property. I recently interviewed Alexander Reford, the director as well as great-grandson of the horticulturist and Reford Gardens' creator, Elsie Reford. Here’s my article for Forbes Life. 

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New York City’s New Green Space

Derelict Pier 54 in Manhattan has been reimagined as Little Island, a new Hudson River installation that adds an almost three-acre green space to the city.

On my recent visit, I found an abundance of stellar flora, though it seemed everyone else seemed to be captivated by selfies.

Spending just an hour climbing the undulating landscape of Little Island and concentrating my attention on the many-hued blooms is a rejuvenating experience.

I noticed dazzling blooms and creative hardscape structures everywhere, even along the stairs and beside the railings.

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More Wanderings Across the Pennsylvania Border from Wilmington, Delaware

 This is the last of my three posts documenting my nature-based findings while visiting Wilmington, Delaware, President Biden’s hometown, as well as the surrounding Brandywine Valley and across the Pennsylvania border. 

Longwood Gardens is draped with a rainbow of brilliant colors — beyond the tulips that the crowds sought.

Though a springtime visit to Longwood Gardens means you’ll find the venue thronged with those who came for the showy flowers, I chose to stroll along paths that bordered the expansive and picturesque Meadow Garden that exuded nothing but a sense of calm.

Seeking to avoid the masses at Longwood Gardens who came for the tulips, I discovered serene woodlands.

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More Nature-Based Discoveries in Delaware

This is the second of three posts documenting my nature-based findings while visited Wilmington, Delaware, President Biden’s hometown, as well as the surrounding Brandywine Valley. 

The myriad colors and textures in the gardens of the Nemours Estate, a grand duPont property, easily allow visitors to be wrapped up in a sense of tranquility that seems endless.

A sense of magic and wonder pervades the stunning grounds of The Inn at Montchanin Village, a former 19th century hamlet and DuPont property that exudes charm and offers a window into a long ago era.

Broad sweeps of verdancy characterize the serene Brandywine Valley that surrounds Wilmington, Delaware.

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Nature-Based Discoveries in Delaware

I recently visited Wilmington, Delaware, President Biden’s hometown, as well as the surrounding Brandywine Valley. This is one of several posts documenting the lush parks and gardens I discovered.

 I love coffee and gardens. So imagine my surprise to find not just awesome coffee but the prettiest outdoor seating around at Brew HaHa! cafe in the Greenville suburb of Wilmington. (They also serve tasty breakfast sandwiches.)

Despite the throngs who came to gape at tulips at the expansive Longwood Gardens (just 12 miles away across the border of Pennsylvania), I managed to find a sense of magic in areas that attracted few.

Home to the Enchanted Woods, the Winterthur Gardens in Delaware wraps visitors in a veil of magic no matter where you walk.

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Gardens Resembling Works of Art

I’ve always been in awe of the creative works of Brazilian native, Roberto Burle Marx, a conservationist and legendary landscape architect who’s most noted for his wavy patterns on the sidewalk of Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. He used plants as anyone else would work with paint pigments to design gardens that are unique in their patterns, forms and color palette. I was delighted to recently visit the New York Botanical Garden that has a tribute to him -- “Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx: -- that’s open until September 29. It’s a must see whether you know anything about this legendary man or not. The exhibition, which includes tropical plants that are native to Brazil, is divided into four sections. The Modernist Garden has paths that are curvy as are the planting beds. Here you find elephant's ears, bromeliads as well as Caribbean and Brazilian palms. The Explorer’s Garden is lush with tropical rain forest plants such as philodendrons. The Water Garden has a whimsical wall dripping with staghorn ferns, as well as a large pool dotted with water lilies and other aquatic plants, including the Victoria amazonica whose leaves can grow as wide as nine feet. There’s also an indoor exhibition of his boldly-hued abstract textiles, drawings and paintings. As part of that exhibition, the Rotunda is where visitors are given insights into Burle Marx’s estate, referred to as the Sitio that served as his studio and home. The re-creation includes wall graphics that reference the hand painted blue and white tiles that line his studio’s walls.

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