I went with my best friend and took the children to the New York Botanical Garden on Sunday for the Holiday Train show inside the conservatory.  It was our first snowfall in the region, and the inch or so on the ground made the experience all the more ethereal.  The garden in Winter was beautiful with the plants seemingly frozen in time.

Inside the conservatory they make all of these scaled New York landmarks out of natural materials, including orange slices, cinnamon sticks and pine cones. 

New this year were the reproductions of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty as well as the George Washington Bridge.  One of the guides told us they use tree sap as a sealer on the projects.  Amazingly detailed work goes into each of these pieces.  You should click on the pictures for a closer look.

There are over 140 architectural reproductions with trains and trolleys whipping through. 

At least three large bridges spanned the conservatory ceiling overhead. 

Fairy houses on an urban scale! 

And if you don’t know it already, my children BELIEVE there are fairies living in our garden and woods.  Such a magical time of their lives.

Speaking of the children, they also had a Gingerbread Village display for the children, including exhibits exploring spices and the plants that they come from.  The children ground cinnamon and cloves.  They made sachets of the spices wrapped in gingham and tied with a bow.  They also made guidebooks with a little bit of ground spice sprinkled atop glued squares.  The booklet had a recipe for gingerbread cookies in the back.

We took the children for lunch in the cafe and took a look through the gift shop before making our way home.  Upon arriving home, the sleet started in earnest.  I was happy that we didn’t hit that while driving.

Safe travels everyone.  And stay warm.  Bake some cookies!