Christmas in New York City—Day 4

On the afternoon of our fourth day in New York City, my husband, daughter, and I once again hopped onto the subway.  However, this time we rode the train for about an hour, from Brooklyn to the Bronx.  Our destination: the New York Botanical Garden to see the Holiday Train Show.  The last part of our ride was actually above ground, allowing us to see apartment building upon apartment building as we passed by.  Once we jumped off the train, we had to hustle because we had a certain time slot on our tickets.  It was a cold day so we were bundled up in coats, hats and gloves.  After walking a number of blocks, we ended up waiting in line with lots of other people inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. 

                                   

The main focus of this train show is not actually the trains but the buildings which are replicas of historic New York City landmarks.  They are all made out of organic materials and they are amazing.  I took way too many pictures—I couldn’t help myself.  Trains ran along the ground and overhead across large suspension bridges, also made of organic materials.  Before our walk back to the train, we stopped at the café to warm ourselves with hot chocolate.

We rode the train to Grand Central Station and upon getting off we wound through tunnels, up and down stairs through the bowels of the subway—this was supposedly better than walking outside. We met my childhood friend and her husband at Hudson Place and enjoyed a wonderful dinner and visit.  They asked us if we’d seen Grand Central Station and we answered that we had only seen the underground.  Erin was told that she had to take us into the “grand” part of the station so that’s where we went next.  Entering the station with its high ceiling and ornate fixtures was like stepping back in time.

From Grand Central Station we took the train back to Brooklyn and to the Dyker Heights neighborhood, well known for its Christmas lights.  We walked several blocks, eventually joining others on foot or in cars who were also enjoying the light displays.  Finally, cold and tired, we made our way back to the subway and to Erin’s apartment.