A Winter Wonderland at the New York Botanical Garden
A model train passing through a display of Rockefeller Center at the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show. (Photo/Christina Ljuljic)
Reported by: Christina Ljuljic
Adapted for print by: Caroline Ealy
It’s been thirty-one years since the holiday train show was first introduced to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. Now, the colorful lights, seasonal displays and antique trains can get any New Yorker in the holiday spirit.
Once inside the Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden, the scents of bark and cinnamon sticks grace the air while trains pass overhead. The model trains chug past New York landmarks like the Empire State Building while visitors warm up inside the gorgeous heated greenhouse.
A new feature of this past season’s exhibition is an updated model of an old fan favorite. The George Washington Bridge now features suspension cables that twinkle with lights, just like the original. It’s also made out of willow, a plant that helps with soil erosion when it’s cut down. This installation took artists roughly a thousand hours to complete.
“You know the holiday train show has a very unique and special charm, there is a reason that generations of families come back year after year for this holiday tradition in NY,” said Jennifer Bernstein, the President and CEO of the Botanical Gardens.
NYBG Glow is no small feat to accomplish. Applied Imagination, a company that creates installations using botanical materials, is responsible for facilitating the setting for the holiday train show. “I can’t really think of a better job than one that brings joy to people,” said Laura Bussie Dolan, the CEO and President of Applied Imagination. “You know it’s just a different way of looking at plant material through architectural form. Kind of surrounds you in this joyous feeling in a celebration of NYC.”
Outside of the conservatory, pulsating energy-efficient lights danced from blue to green to red, with whimsical instrumental music playing in the background. As visitors make their way out of the botanical garden, they can stop by the food trucks posted up outside serving up local fare. “We were just so enthusiastic about doing this holiday train show in the New York Botanical Gardens,” said Carlos Palafox, who runs the Perros Locos food truck.
While the holiday train show wrapped up in January, the comforting food and soothing sites will be back next year for New Yorkers and visitors to ring in the holiday season.
