Soon after you enter the garden, you pass through some trellises wound about with gnarled vines:
The trellises were pretty cool; here's a better perspective.
Surprisingly, a few roses were in bloom. We didn't pick any of the flowers, though.
The Powers That Be at the garden decided that the maples that were planted in 1917 were at the end of their useful life, so they recently ripped them all out and planted red oaks - lovely at this time of year.
The new trees were dedicated to the victims of 9/11 (i.e., they are no longer commemorating WWI), and someone went through the trouble of painting American flags on small stones and placing them around the base of each tree.
Some trees, though barren of leaves, were festive with berries.
The Japanese Hill and Pond Garden is a meditative spot, espcially at this time of year without the crowds.
The "celebrity walk" near the Japanese Hill and Pond Garden features famous Brooklynites. Some are formerly famous - sic transit gloria mundi.
Maurice Sendak has his own star, er, leaf, which is well-deserved.
I've read several of Sendak's books, including his most popular work Where the Wild Things Are, and a few books written by others but illustrated by him in his inimitable style - including the witty etiquette guide for children, What Do You Say, Dear? (Sample scenario: "You are a pilot flying a plane, and you remember that your friend the princess has invited you to drop in some time. So you do." -- Next page shows the pilot has literally dropped in through the roof, frightening the princess and her dog: "What do you say, dear?" -- Next page: "I'm sorry." And the drawing shows that the breach of etiquette has been forgiven in light of the courteous apology.) I have also seen Sendak in person, in interviews at the Met and at Fairley Dickenson, and luckily caught the Sendak exhibit at The Jewish Museum in Manhattan. All of these things have increased my respect for Sendak as an artist and as a person.
We visited the HQ of the New York Public Library (serving only Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island -- Brooklyn and Queens have their own independent library systems). Rumor has it that the NYPL is even bigger than the Detroit Public Library.
Instead of visiting the cadaver exhibit, we ended up at the Transit Museum, which was somewhat less macabre and (presumably) much more hands-on. You even can pose for pictures that make it look like you are driving a bus -- although I settled for this period picture instead.
It was good to wander around Brooklyn and Manhattan together; we laughed a lot and were quite tired by the end of the day.
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