Yael D.
Yelp
I love Flushing. No, not that kind of flushing, silly. Am referring to a certain vibrant Queens neighborhood, known primarily for its diverse 'n delicious Chinese food scene. Alas, my main partners in crime, aka hubby and kid, don't quite share my enthusiasm. Thus, if I want them to join me, I sometimes have to employ an evil scheme to entice them. In this case, I lured them with the promise of nature, what with this being located along the more quiet part of Flushing's Main Street:
Anyway, hubby, kid and I were here in mid-October sometime, not long before free admission kicks in, apparently from November - March. Clearly, we need to work on our timing. That said, we enjoyed the tranquil hour or so we spent walking the grounds. Yes, tranquil! In Flushing! For that alone, this place was worth the price of admission. We also, miraculously, given that it was autumn and all, happened upon some gorgeous, still-blooming lavender daisies. Even more miraculously, they were inundated with swarms and swarms of butterflies! Aside from this, a lot of the plants we encountered, including those at a cute, little herb garden were either kaput or on the verge.
We were able to find street parking, since as I mentioned, this is located in the more low key part of Flushing. The Botanical Garden also provides an on-site lot, fwiw.
If you're a greenery fanatic, this won't even remotely compare with the BK Botanical Garden, or from what I hear, the one in the Bronx. If, however, your true goal is good eats, then this isn't very far from a bunch of worthy Flushing food stops, including Yeh's Bakery for Boston Creme Pie, Kung Fu for Soup Dumplings and in the opposite direction, Patel Brothers, for cheap spices, along with numerous options as you continue to walk past Patel.
And now back to that aforementioned evil scheme of mine. When we were done soaking up nature, I was all, "Honey (looks innocent), why don't we just grab some dinner nearby?" Can I just say, it worked like a charm.:)