queens botanical gardens

I'm always trying to get more time outdoors and to find places in the city that are clean, naturally beautiful, and offer a great place to relax. While Central Park is great, in the summer it can get crowded and it still doesn't offer a lot of privacy. While I'm not sure about the other boroughs, Queens has Botanical Gardens located in Flushing that offer a quiet retreat from the busy urban landscape.

I was there yesterday for a walk through and learned that they recently started charging admission ($4/day for adults). While is it sad that we have to pay to enjoy nature, the good news is that there are now fewer people in the park, and when I was there Friday afternoon it seemed pretty empty of people, although full with birds and wildlife.

Other bonuses include that they have a sustainable building/welcome center, offer memberships at a low cost (makes a great gift), and have a variety of plants in bloom throughout the season. I've now marked the Queens gardens as a place to go when Forest Hills gardens gets repetitive and Central Park is too far away or too busy. It's not that far by car or you can take a 7 bus or the LIRR to Flushing. For more info their website is http://www.queensbotanical.org/.